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You are > Home > Footballers and hurlers both face Limerick this weekend
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Footballers and hurlers both face Limerick this weekend
BY PHIL FANNING
THIS coming weekend will be something of a water shed where the county’s hurlers and footballers are concerned as they both face Limerick opposition, the footballers away in Limerick under lights on Saturday and the hurlers at Fraher Field on the following day.
A win for the footballers on Saturday would really set them up for a promotion challenge but they face the favourites for the divisional title and it would be something of a shock if they were to come away with a victory here given last Sunday’s substandard performance in gaining a point against Longford and another unimpressive performance in the drawn tie with Carlow.
Limerick remain in pole position in this division with full points from games against London, Carlow and Longford and having had no game last weekend they will be fresh going into this tie. The Waterford management will be looking for a much improved performance for this vital game and at least the players will be under no pressure going into this tie against the favourites.
Team captain Tony Grey is still ruled out through suspension following his sending off on a straight red card in the Carlow game so there are unlikely to be any major changes in the side from that which played Longford last Sunday.
Limerick will go into this game full of confidence and that is where they could be caught out if this Waterford side produces the football of which they are capable.
HURLERS
Sunday at Fraher Field will see the hurlers up against Justin McCarthy’s strike-bound hurlers and though there are rumblings in Limerick of players returning to the panel, it is most unlikely that anything substantive will have been resolved prior to Sunday next and Waterford will have to be on their guard less they fall victim to complacency in this case against a team that has already suffered defeats to Cork and Galway.
The big interest for Waterford supporters on Sunday will centre on the Waterford selection and the possibility of some of the ‘rested’ players returning to action.
At Walsh Park on Sunday last Dan Shanahan, Eoin Murphy, Seamus Prendergast and John Mullane had a run out against Carlow in a high scoring challenge game and it would be no surprise to see some of that four returning to action in a game that Waterford just cannot afford to lose if they hope to retain an interest in qualifying for the league final. After last weekend’s results that leave Cork and Galway as the only unbeaten sides after the first two rounds of games both final places remain very much up for grabs.
Noel Connors must remain a doubt for Sunday’s game having struggled through the pain barrier with a shoulder in last weekend’s Fitzgibbon Cup Final and that might yet signal an opportunity for Eoin Murphy to make a return to action. Whatever the starting line up might be it does seem likely that we will see some changes on the bench with some of the experienced players on standby.
With Michael Walsh ruled out through injury for the rest of the league indications from last Sunday’s game against Carlow and a very entertaining challenge against Ballyhale Shamrocks at the magnificent W.I.T. complex at Carraiganore the previous Wednesday suggest that Eoin Kelly will return on Sunday in the centre back position, a development that could prove very interesting indeed.
In the Ballyhale game Mark O’Brien acquitted himself well at full back before being forced off with an injury while both Shane Fives and Liam Lawlor shared the duties in that position in last Sunday’s game against Carlow. It would appear likely that Clinton Hennessy will return to the goal for Sunday’s game while the attack may need something of a shake up after the poor display against Galway.
Limerick were not as poor in their games against Galway and Cork as some would have us believe and they will come to Dungarvan in a confident mode.
Waterford will have to be very guarded going into this game but if they can put the Galway defeat behind them as ‘just one of those things’ and recover the form that saw off Dublin they will pick up both points on Sunday.
Saturday at Gaelic Grounds Limerick
Allianz N.F.L. Division. 4
Limerick v Waterford, 7.30 p.m.
Sunday at Fraher Field
Allianz N.H.L. Division 1
Waterford v Limerick
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