LIMERICK SENIOR HURLING boss John Allen has named his side to face Tipperary in Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final.
Paudie O’Brien, Seamus Hickey and Declan Hannon are the only three new faces from the side that took on the Premier last summer, according to the Limerick Leader.
Donal O’Grady and Seanie Tobin return to the fold too, having missed out on the climax to the Treaty’s league campaign against Dublin.
“Preparation is going very well, training is going very well,” Allen told TheScore.ie this week ahead of the Gaelic Grounds clash. “I’ve said it many times, there’s a huge honesty and dedication and work ethic. Everything I was hearing about Limerick that was negative, I haven’t seen any of it, just honesty and hard work. From the first day I took over I’ve been impressed by the quality of the guys we have, how much they want to win.
“The only fly in the ointment is the U-21 championship is on 10 days beforehand between the same counties but we’ve worked very well with TJ Ryan, we’ve allowed the lads play a good number of games with the U-21s. It was changed from the original but that wasn’t a runner at all; at least now it’s back to the Friday week, we’ll just get on with it.”
Limerick trained tonight and will do so again on Thursday evening, when Tipperary boss Eamon O’Shea is expect to name his starting side.
Limerick XV to face Tipperary: Nickie Quaid (Effin); Stephen Walsh (Glenroe), Richie McCarthy (Blackrock), Tom Condon (Knockaderry; Paudie O’Brien (Kilmallock), Wayne McNamara (Adare), Gavin O’Mahony (Kilmallock); Paul Browne (Bruff), Donal O’Grady (Granagh-Ballingarry): David Breen (Na Piarsaigh), James Ryan (Garryspillane), Seamus Hickey (Murroe-Boher); Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock), Declan Hannon (Adare), Seanie Tobin (Murroe-Boher).
Subs: Aaron Murphy (Hospital-Herbertstown), Mark Carmody (Patrickswell), Cathal King (Na Piarsaigh), Alan Dempsey (Na Piarsaigh), Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh), Conor Allis (Croom), Niall Moran (Murroe-Boher), Kevin Downes (Na Piarsaigh), Paudie Aherne (Kilteely/Dromkeen), Thomas Quaid (Effin), Tom Ryan (South Liberties).
No dowling?
He was hopeless last wk! Hopefully we give Tipperary a decent game anyway
I hope to christ Hannon is not really playing full forward…..what an absolute waste if he is…it didnt work against dublin, certainly not going to work against Tipp…COYBIG
In fairness Tipp won’t underestimate us, but they won’t be overly concerned about us either, if they hit it from the off, and we are anyway slow to react we could be playing catch-up for long periods of this game, we badly need a good start, momentum massive for limerick!!
Limerick may only be the 8/9th best team in Ireland but they will be able to match tipp for the first half at least.
Well that’s a great consolation.