Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license.
Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat.
We can research this topic together.
The 2009 National Hurling League (known as the Allianz National Hurling League for sponsorship reasons) was the 78th season of the National Hurling League.
Structure
The National Hurling League saw a major restructuring of the usual four divisions with the teams divided more equitably into a five-tier structure.
Division 1 was a single division and was confined to the top eight teams. The top two teams in the division qualified for the final. Division 2 operated in a similar manner.
Division 3A was a newly created division and consisted of six teams. The top two teams in the division qualified for the final. Division 3B operated in a similar manner, however, that division consisted of seven teams.
Division 4 was a single division consisting of six teams. The top two teams in the division qualified for the final.
On 3 May 2009, Kilkenny won the title after a 4–17 to 2-26 extra-time win over Tipperary. It was their first league title since 2006 and their 14th National League title overall.
Clare failed to win a single group stage game - finishing in the bottom position - and were relegated to Division 2 for the 2010 league.
Dublin's Alan McCrabbe was the Division 1 top scorer with 1-50.
Structure
A total of 8 teams contested the top division of the league, including all of the sides from the 2008 season that formerly took part in Divisions 1A and 1B. Due to the restructuring the 2008 Division 2 champions did not gain promotion to the top tier.
Each team played all the others in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The first-placed teams in Division 1 contested the final.
S Prendergast (0-6, three frees and two 65s), C Hennessy (1-0, free), S Molumphy (0-2), J Nagle (0-1), J Kennedy (0-1), D Shanahan (0-1), P Hurney (0-1).
B Johnson (1-6, 1-0 penalty, 0-4 frees, 0-1 ’65), A Mannix (0-2), M Collins (0-1), G O’Connor (0-1), A Ryan (0-1), D Crowley (0-1), G O’Driscoll (0-1), E Cronin (0-1).
A McCrabbe (1-9, 1-0 sideline, 0-4 frees, 0-1 ‘65), L Rushe (2-1), J Kelly (1-0), D O’Reilly (0-1), D O’Callaghan (0-1), J McCaffrey (0-1), D Treacy (0-1).
A McCrabbe (0-11, five frees, 0-1 pen, one sideline cut, one 65), L Ryan (1-3), D O'Callaghan (1-0), L Rushe (0-3), J McCaffrey (0-1, free), S Lambert (0-1), P Carton (0-1), J Kelly (0-1).
G Farragher (0-6 (four frees, one sideline cut), A Callanan (0-2), N Healy (0-1), S Kavanagh (0-1, free), F Healy (0-1), R Murray (0-1), D Tierney (0-1), J Gantley (0-1).
S Prendergast (0-5, three frees), E Kelly (0-4, one 65), K McGrath (0-4), G Hurney (0-2), S Walsh (0-2), D Shanahan (0-1), R Foley (0-1), J Nagle (0-1).
K McGrath (0-9, two 65s, six frees), D Shanahan (1-1), S Prendergast (0-4, three frees), S Molumphy (1-0), S Walsh (0-1), J Nagle (0-1), E Kelly (0-1).
R Power (1-7, four points frees), E Brennan (0-2), J Tennyson (0-2, one 65), E Larkin (0-1), M Grace (0-1), J Ryall (0-1), M Rice (0-1), A Fogarty (0-1).
A Callanan (2-1), D Tierney (1-2), C Donnellan (1-1), N Healy (0-4, one free), G Farragher (0-4, two 65s, one free), K Hynes (0-1), A Cullinane (0-1), E Forde (0-1), A Coen (0-1).
R Power (1-4, three frees), M Rice (0-4), J Tennyson (0-3), M Grace (0-2), E Larkin (0-2), B Hogan (0-1), PJ Delaney (0-1), E Brennan (0-1), M Comerford (0-1).
C Ryan (0-8, six frees, sideline), J Clancy (0-2), D McMahon (0-1), P Vaughan (0-1), B Nugent (0-1), T Griffin (0-1), N Gilligan (0-1), T Carmody (0-1).
M Comerford (3-2), TJ Reid (1-2), R Hogan (0-5, one free), A Fogarty (1-1), R Power (0-2, frees), E Brennan (0-2), M Grace (0-1), M Rice (0-1), D Fogarty (0-1).
M Webster (1-0), S Hennessy (0-3), S Callanan (0-3, two frees), J O’Brien (0-2), C O’Mahony (0-2, one free, one 65), J Woodlock (0-1), N McGrath (0-1).
S Callanan (1-4, three frees), N McGrath (0-5), G Ryan (1-0), J O’Brien (0-3), J Woodlock (0-2), S Hennessy (0-2, both frees), C O’Mahony (0-1, one 65), S McGrath (0-1), T Scroope (0-1).
B O’Connor 0-7 (six frees), J O’Connor (1-2), T Kenny (0-3), T Óg Murphy (0-2), C Naughton (0-2), K Murphy (Sarsfields) (0-1), K Murphy (Erins Own) (0-1), N Ronan (0-1), P Cronin (0-1).
N Moran (0-9 five frees, one 65, one sl), P Tobin (1-1), D O’Grady (1-1), R McCarthy (0-1), A O’Shaughnessy (0-1), M O’Riordan (0-1), S Hickey (0-1), J Ryan (0-1).
J Canning (0-8, three frees, three 65s, one sideline cut), C Donnellan (1-1), N Healy (0-3), A Callanan (0-3), D Tierney (0-2), A Smith (0-2), A Cullinane (0-1), N Hayes (0-1).
N Gilligan (0-4, two frees), C Morey (0-3, all frees), P Donnellan (0-2, one free), J Clancy (0-2), T Griffin (0-1), T Carmody (0-1), C McNamara (0-1), J Conlon (0-1).
D O’Callaghan (2-7, six points frees, one penalty), K Flynn (1-1), J Boland (0-3), S Durkan (0-1), L Rushe (0-1), D Treacy (0-1), D Curtin (0-1, free).
M Flaherty (0-6, five frees), D Barrett (0-3 frees), A Markham (0-3, frees), T Carmody (0-2), J Clancy (0-1), T Griffin (0-1), G O’Connell (0-1), C McMahon (0-1), G Arthur (0-1).
B Johnson (1-1, one free), S O’Neill (1-0), P O’Sullivan (1-0), J O’Connor (0-3), P Horgan (0-3), T Kenny (0-2), P Cronin (0-2), C Naughton (0-2), F O’Leary (0-1), J Gardiner (0-1, free).
R Jacob (2-5), N Kirwan (2-1), D Lyng (0-5, four frees); S Doyle (0-3), C Farrell (0-3), D Redmond (0-1); E Quigley (0-1), S Banville (0-1), M Jacob (0-1), P Atkinson (0-1).
W Hyland (1-1); D Peacock (0-3, two frees), J Rowney (0-3), B Campion (0-2, two frees), J Phelan (0-2), J Walsh (0-1); E Jackman (0-1), Z Keenan (0-1).
PJ O'Connell (2-1), P Shiels (0-6, five frees, one '65'); K Kelly (1-0, free), N McManus (1-0, pen), S Delargy (0-3), K Stewart (0-2), N McAuley (0-1), B Herron (0-1), E McCloskey (0-1); M Herron (0-1).
D Lyng (3-3, 0-2 frees); E Quigley (1-1), S Doyle (0-2), R Jacob (0-2), S Banville (0-2), D Redmond (0-1); P Arkinson (0-1).
K Stewart 0-8, B Herron 0-3, M Herron 0-2, K McKeegan 0-1, C Duffin 0-1.
A Mitchell 0-3, D McNicholas 0-2, B Murtagh 0-2, C Curley 0-2, J Shaw 0-1, P Dowdall 0-1, B Connaughton 0-1, B Smyth 0-1, D McCormack 0-1, K Cosgrove 0-1.
P Carley (0-4, 3 frees, 1 '65), S Banville (0-2), D Lyng (0-2 line balls); P Kenny (0-1), A Shore (0-1), M Travers (0-1), D Redmond (0-1), R Jacob (0-1).