Limerick’s senior and minor hurling managers have named their respective teams for this weekend’s crucial games against Carlow and Galway respectively.
The senior team faces a trip to Cullen Park for a knockout All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter Final against McDonagh Cup champions Carlow. Throw in at Cullen Park is at 7pm on Saturday.
John Kiely has made three changes to the team that missed out on a Munster Final place after losing 0-26 to 0-15 to Clare last time out.
Into the team come Will O’Donoghue, Richie McCarthy and Aaron Gillane. It is O’Donoghue’s first championship start. Sean Finn, Darragh O’Donovan and Shane Dowling drop to the bench.
Limerick are huge favourites to come away with a victory against Carlow and if they do so, they will face the losers of the Leinster Hurling Final replay (Galway or Kilkenny) in an All-Ireland quarter final. They face off again this Sunday in Thurles.
The curtain raiser to that game at Semple Stadium is the All-Ireland Minor round robin opening fixture between Limerick and Galway.
It is the second week running that Antoin Power’s minor outfit play in Thurles and he will be hoping that his charges can put together a better performance than the one that saw them disappointingly lose the Munster Final to Tipperary last Sunday.
There are two changes from the side that were defeated by Tipperary with Bryan Nix and Michael Martin coming in for Diarmuid Hegarty and Danny O’Leary. Throw in for that game on Sunday is at 1pm.
Senior Panel v Carlow
1: Nickie Quaid (Effin)
2: Mike Casey (Na Piarsaigh)
3: Richie McCarthy (Blackrock)
4: Richie English (Doon)
5: Diarmaid Byrnes (Patrickswell)
6: Declan Hannon (c) (Adare)
7: Dan Morrissey (Ahane)
8: Will O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh)
9: Cian Lynch (Patrickswell)
10: Gearoid Hegarty (St Patrick’s)
11: Kyle Hayes (Kildimo-Pallaskenry)
12: Tom Morrissey (Ahane)
13: Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell)
14: Seamus Flanagan (Feohanagh)
15: Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock)
Subs
16: Barry Hennessy (Kilmallock)
17: Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh)
18: Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh)
19: Sean Finn (Bruff)
20: Seamus Hickey (Murroe-Boher)
21: Barry Nash (South Liberties)
22: Barry O’Connell (Kildimo-Pallaskenry)
23: Darragh O’Donovan (Doon)
24: Paddy O’Loughlin (Kilmallock)
25: David Reidy (Dromin-Athlacca)
26: Pat Ryan (Doon)
Minor Panel v Galway
1: Bryan Heavey (Garryspillane)
2: Padraig Harnett (Ahane)
3: Ben O’Sullivan (Castletown-Ballyagran)
4: Michael Keane (Adare)
5: Eoin O’Mahony (Garryspillane)
6: Emmett McEvoy (Na Piarsaigh)
7: Jack Nicholas (c) (Murroe-Boher)
8: Patrick Kirby (Patrickswell)
9: Barry O’Connor (Ballybrown)
10: Michael Martin (Ballybricken-Bohermore)
11: Cormac Ryan (Doon)
12: Colin Coughlan (Ballybrown)
13: Cathal O’Neill (Crecora-Manister)
14: Bob Purcell (Doon)
15: Bryan Nix (Newcastle West)
Subs
16: James Mason (Kildimo-Pallaskenry)
17: Diarmuid Hegarty (St Patrick’s)
18: Cian Casey (Claughaun)
19: David Hickey (Murroe-Boher)
20: Patrick Byrne (Ballybricken-Bohermore)
21: Jimmy Quilty (Blackrock)
22: Seamus Hurley (Mungret St Pauls)
23: Andrew Shanahan (Ahane)
24: David Riordan (Castletown-Ballyagran)
