THE LIMERICK hurlers return to championship action this Saturday as they face Westmeath at 5pm in TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar.
The two sides had never met in the championship prior to last season and now they are heading for a second clash in a year.
Limerick defeated Westmeath by 4-15 to 1-12 in the Round 1 qualifier in Mullingar last year.
Limerick’s top performers last season were Shane Dowling (1-3), Kevin Downes (1-2) and Paul Browne (1-1) while Brendan Murtagh (0-6) and Cormac Boyle (1-2) were Westmeath’s main marksmen.
The two sides once more enter the knockout stage of the championship low on confidence following defeats in the provincial championships.
This will be Limerick’s second game, having lost to Tipperary by 3-12 to 1-16 in the Munster semi-final while Westmeath have had four games, winning three (Offaly, Kerry and Carlow) while losing 3-27 to 0-19 against Galway in the Leinster championship quarter-final.
The winner of this weekend’s game will enter the round 2 draw with the winners of Cork v Dublin, Wexford v Offaly and Clare v Laois.
In team news, TJ Ryan will have to wait to see how his U/21 stars respond following their victory over Cork last Tuesday night.
With Limerick also down to contest the Munster Intermediate hurling final on July 6, Ryan might go for a similar side that lost to Tipperary in Thurles. Many Limerick fans would like to see changes made, however Ryan knows that the team may need a confidence lifting win too.
