Championship day for Limerick minor footballers who face Clare
Jerome O’Connell Limerick Leader Sport
Championship day for Limerick minor footballers who face Clare
A sixth successive Munster MFC meeting of Limerick and Clare
LIMERICK bid to end a five year losing sequence against Clare in the Munster minor football championship this Wednesday evening.
Limerick have to travel to Ennis to play The Banner in Cusack Park in the round one provincial tie. Throw-in is at 6.30pm.
After a number of barren years, Limerick have tasted at least one victory in each of the last three Munster minor football championships – reaching the last two semi finals.
In a new departure the inter-county minor championship moves to an U-17 grade from it’s tradition U-18 age group.
A Limerick win would book a May 8 semi final while defeat will see action on April 18 in the play-offs against Tipperary or Kerry.
It’s the sixth successive year for Limerick and Clare to meet in the Munster MFC – albeit at varying stages of the championship, the sides have met in the Gaelic Grounds, Newcastle West, Ennis and Miltown Malbay over the last five years and each time Clare have been victorious.
There is a new Limerick management this season – the manager is Niall Crowley, who is a former Limerick U-21 selector and ladies football manager.
The Adare man will have former inter-county footballers Pa Ranahan (Ballysteen), Andrew Lane (St Senans) and Mikey Kiely (Adare) among his selectors, along with Pat McHugh (Na Piarsaigh).
Last year at minor level, Limerick beat Waterford and lost to Clare but because of the new age grade this an entirely new panel, which is captained by midfielder John Hayes of St Kierans.
The vast majority of the panel were part of the Limerick U-16 side that beat Waterford and Tipperary to reach the Munster U-16 final last July, when they lost to Kerry South.
LIMERICK: Kevin Walsh (Ballysteen); Shane Bradshaw (Pallasgreen), Craig Carew (Claughaun), Michael O’Hanrahan (Monaleen); Luke Scannell (Fr Caseys), Tim Lyons (Croom), Darragh O’Keeffe (Kilpeacon); James Molyneaux (Drom-Broadford), John Hayes (St Kierans); Keith O’Kelly (Granagh-Ballingarry), Luke Gleeson (Newcastle West), Brian Foley (Newcastle West); Paul O’Shaugnessy (Ballysteen), Eoin Murphy (Fr Caseys), Patrick Gallagher (Rathkeale). Subs: Ronan McElligot (Mungret), Ruadhan O’Connor (Newcastle West), Ryan O’Connell (Fr Caseys), Luke Gamell (Ballysteen), Michael Shanahan (St Kierans), Andrew McMahon (St Patricks), Darren Kearns (St Senans), Dylan Maloney (St Kierans), Kevin Guinea (St Kierans).