# 2012 National Hurling League

The 2012 National Hurling League commenced in February 2012. 34 GAA county hurling teams: 32 from Ireland (including Fingal but not Cavan), London and Warwickshire, contested it.
On 6 May Kilkenny defeated Cork in the final to win their 15th NHL title, moving them to second place in the all-time roll of honour, behind Tipperary who have won 19 Leagues.

## Format

The 2012 format was originally to consist of five divisions: Divisions 1 and 2 having eight teams in each, Division 3A six, Division 3B seven, and six teams in Division 4.
However, this was controversially altered to a system of six divisions, with six teams in divisions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 3A, and four in division 3B. This meant that many counties were effectively relegated to a lower division. It was agreed in October 2011 that there would no longer be an eight-team Division 1, with the top division hurling counties giving their approval to the new system. The league settings are as follows:
* Division 1A: Top three teams qualify for NHL semi-finals. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
* Division 1B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted and qualifying for NHL semi-final. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
* Division 2A: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
* Division 2B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted. No relegation.
* Division 3A: Top two teams play division final, but the winner is not promoted. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
* Division 3B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted.

## Division 1A
### Division 1A

NHL semi-finalists  Relegated team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Kilkenny | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13-95 | 8-69 | 41 | 8 |
| Cork | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9-88 | 6-90 | 7 | 7 |
| Tipperary | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2-87 | 8-65 | 4 | 6 |
| Waterford | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4-79 | 5-98 | -22 | 4 |
| Galway | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4-81 | 8-86 | -17 | 4 |
| Dublin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10-70 | 7-92 | -13 | 1 |
* Waterford are placed ahead of Galway as they won the head-to-head match between the teams.

#### Fixtures and results
## Division 1 Knockout
### Top scorers
#### Season

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 3-49 | 58 | 5 | 11.60 |
| 2 | Niall Burke | Galway | 1-47 | 50 | 7 | 7.14 |
| 3 | Pa Bourke | Tipperary | 2-38 | 44 | 6 | 7.33 |
| 4 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 0-43 | 43 | 6 | 7.16 |

#### Single game

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 1-11 | 14 | Cork |
| 1 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 1-11 | 14 | Tipperary |
| 3 | Joe Canning | Galway | 2-7 | 13 | Dublin |
| 3 | Niall Burke | Galway | 1-10 | 13 | Cork |
| 5 | Joe Canning | Galway | 0-12 | 12 | Dublin |
| 6 | Paul Ryan | Dublin | 0-11 | 11 | Galway |
| 6 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 1-8 | 11 | Dublin |
| 8 | Eoin Larkin | Kilkenny | 1-7 | 10 | Galway |
| 8 | Niall Burke | Galway | 0-10 | 10 | Dublin |
| 8 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 0-10 | 10 | Waterford |
| 11 | Danny Sutcliffe | Dublin | 2-3 | 9 | Kilkenny |
| 11 | T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | 1-6 | 9 | Galway |
| 11 | Pa Bourke | Tipperary | 1-6 | 9 | Galway |
| 11 | Pa Bourke | Tipperary | 1-6 | 9 | Cork |
| 11 | Paul Ryan | Dublin | 0-9 | 9 | Galway |
| 11 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 0-9 | 9 | Tipperary |
| 11 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 0-9 | 9 | Tipperary |
| 11 | Richie Power | Kilkenny | 0-9 | 9 | Clare |
| 19 | Paul Ryan | Dublin | 0-8 | 8 | Cork |
| 19 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 0-8 | 8 | Kilkenny |

## Division 1B
### Division 1B

Division champions and promoted team  Relegated team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Clare | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10-98 | 3-75 | 44 | 10 |
| Limerick | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9-95 | 8-81 | 17 | 7 |
| Offaly | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8-98 | 8-83 | 15 | 5 |
| Antrim | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5-65 | 7-73 | -14 | 4 |
| Wexford | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9-87 | 10-91 | -7 | 4 |
| Laois | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6-74 | 11-109 | -50 | 0 |
* Antrim are placed ahead of Wexford as they won the head-to-head match between the teams.

#### Top scorers
##### Season

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Willie Hyland | Laois | 1-61 | 64 | 6 | 10.66 |
| 2 | Shane Dooley | Offaly | 3-43 | 52 | 5 | 10.40 |
| 3 | Shane McNaughton | Antrim | 2-39 | 45 | 5 | 9.00 |
| 4 | Conor McGrath | Clare | 2-35 | 41 | 4 | 10.25 |

##### Single game

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | Jack Guiney | Wexford | 3-5 | 14 | Laois |
| 2 | Conor McGrath | Clare | 1-10 | 13 | Limerick |
| 2 | Shane Dooley | Offaly | 1-10 | 13 | Antrim |
| 4 | Jack Guiney | Wexford | 0-12 | 12 | Clare |
| 4 | Conor McGrath | Clare | 0-12 | 12 | Limerick |
| 4 | Shane Dooley | Offaly | 0-12 | 12 | Clare |
| 7 | Shane Dooley | Offaly | 2-5 | 11 | Limerick |
| 7 | Jack Guiney | Wexford | 1-8 | 11 | Laois |
| 7 | Shane McNaughton | Antrim | 1-8 | 11 | Laois |
| 7 | Willie Hyland | Laois | 0-11 | 11 | Wexford |
| 11 | Shane Dowling | Limerick | 2-4 | 10 | Antrim |
| 11 | Shane Dowling | Limerick | 1-7 | 10 | Clare |
| 11 | Shane McNaughton | Antrim | 1-7 | 10 | Wexford |
| 11 | Conor McGrath | Clare | 1-7 | 10 | Wexford |
| 11 | Shane McNaughton | Antrim | 0-10 | 10 | Offaly |
| 16 | Willie Hyland | Laois | 1-6 | 9 | Clare |
| 16 | Shane Dooley | Offaly | 0-9 | 9 | Wexford |
| 16 | Willie Hyland | Laois | 0-9 | 9 | Antrim |
| 16 | Willie Hyland | Laois | 0-9 | 9 | Wexford |
| 16 | Shane McNaughton | Antrim | 0-9 | 9 | Limerick |

## Division 2A
### Division 2A

Division champions and promoted team  Relegated team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Carlow | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8-86 | 4-58 | 40 | 9 |
| Westmeath | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10–94 | 9-68 | 29 | 8 |
| Derry | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-71 | 7-75 | -13 | 5 |
| Kerry | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11-77 | 2-87 | 17 | 4 |
| Wicklow | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2–64 | 9-74 | -31 | 3 |
| Down | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7-72 | 11-102 | -42 | 1 |

#### Top scorers
##### Season

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 3-51 | 60 | 6 | 10.00 |
| 2 | Paul Braniff | Down | 3-37 | 46 | 5 | 9.20 |
| 3 | Paddy Henry | Derry | 1-31 | 34 | 4 | 8.50 |

##### Single game

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 2-9 | 15 | Wicklow |
| 2 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 1-10 | 13 | Carlow |
| 2 | Paddy Henry | Derry | 1-10 | 13 | Down |
| 2 | Paul Braniff | Down | 0-13 | 13 | Westmeath |
| 2 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 0-13 | 13 | Kerry |
| 6 | Paul Braniff | Down | 1-8 | 11 | Derry |
| 6 | Paudie Kehoe | Carlow | 0-11 | 11 | Kerry |
| 6 | Jonathan O'Neill | Wicklow | 0-11 | 11 | Derry |
| 9 | Paddy Henry | Derry | 0-10 | 10 | Westmeath |
| 9 | Andy O'Brien | Wicklow | 0-10 | 10 | Carlow |
| 9 | Shane Brick | Kerry | 0-10 | 10 | Wicklow |
| 12 | Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 3-0 | 9 | Westmeath |
| 12 | Shane Nolan | Kerry | 1-6 | 9 | Down |
| 12 | Paul Braniff | Down | 1-6 | 9 | Kerry |
| 12 | Paul Braniff | Down | 1-6 | 9 | Wicklow |
| 12 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 0-9 | 9 | Derry |
| 12 | Jonathan O'Neill | Wicklow | 0-9 | 9 | Down |
| 12 | Paddy Henry | Derry | 0-9 | 9 | Carlow |

## Division 2B
### Division 2B

Division champions and promoted team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Kildare | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13-104 | 2-68 | 69 | 8 |
| Meath | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7-74 | 5-50 | 30 | 7 |
| Mayo | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6-69 | 5-84 | -12 | 5 |
| London | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7-75 | 6-74 | 4 | 4 |
| Armagh | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1-66 | 12-95 | -62 | 4 |
| Roscommon | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7-68 | 11-85 | -29 | 2 |
* London are placed ahead of Armagh because they won the head-to-head game between the teams.

#### Fixtures and results
## Division 3A
### Division 3A

Division champions (not promoted)  Relegated team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Monaghan | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6-78 | 5-50 | 31 | 9 |
| Fingal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9-73 | 4-69 | 19 | 8 |
| Louth | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6–87 | 4-63 | 30 | 6 |
| Tyrone | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4-82 | 7-75 | -2 | 4 |
| Donegal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7-61 | 9-99 | -44 | 2 |
| Sligo | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8-58 | 11-83 | -34 | 1 |

#### Fixtures and results

The Monaghan team gave a walkover after a dispute with the county board, who had refused to reschedule Gaelic football club games to allow their players to rest for the final.

## Division 3B
### Division 3B

Division champions and promoted team
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| Fermanagh | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6-41 | 3-16 | 34 | 6 |
| Warwickshire | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11-49 | 2-29 | 47 | 4 |
| Leitrim | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6-35 | 9-57 | -31 | 2 |
| Longford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1-15 | 10-38 | -50 | 0 |

#### Fixtures and results
## Broadcasting rights

Setanta Sports and TG4 provided live coverage of matches in Ireland with RTÉ providing highlights on Sunday nights. The finals were all shown live on TG4. Setanta Sports broadcast live matches in Australia. Setanta Sports also provided coverage of matches from the National Hurling League to viewers in Asia.