John Kiely makes singular change for Galway meeting

John Kiely is sticking to his guns for the Galway tie, making only one change from the win over Cork. Pic: James Lawlor/Inpho

Limerick are set to go with 14 of the team that started the victory over Cork earlier this month for Saturday’s Division 1A Round 7 meeting with Galway in TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Monaleen’s Darragh Langan for Mike Casey is the only alteration to the team with Casey named among the substitutes. Dan Morrissey is absent and brother Tom is also not among the substitutes.

A point for Limerick will be enough to secure a first Division 1A final in three years. Galway have a chance of bridging a nine-year gap to their previous league decider appearance if they beat Limerick and results go their way elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Liam Cahill makes six changes from the Tipperary side that began last Sunday’s win over Waterford for their final Division 1A game against Kilkenny in Thurles.

Brian McGrath and Alan Tynan are set to make their first starts of the season while the other four changes are Conor Martin, Darragh Stakelum, Sam O’Farrell and Darragh McCarthy coming into the team.

Out go Bryan O’Mara, Craig Morgan, Conor Stakelum, Joe Caesar, Kevin McCarthy and Stefan Tobin.

Elsewhere, Galway’s Carrie Dolan believes the All-Ireland senior camogie champions are on “an upward trajectory” as they currently lie second in Division 1A.

Victory over Cork this weekend along with a draw or defeat for Kilkenny against Antrim will set up a final against Waterford.

With some personnel alterations, Dolan is satisfied Galway are making progress. “We've had a good few girls that have stepped away for different reasons, and another couple that are probably still up in the air, not too sure.

“But I suppose no different to any other county, that's the same case all around the country. But we've a lot of good girls there that are well good enough to be on the team and on the panel, so yeah, it should be a good year.

“Sometimes it might be when you're after winning something or maybe when you're after coming really close and losing, you might have a couple of players that might go their different ways. But that's the nature of sport, and I suppose it's always a competitive county.

“You're always going to have young girls coming through. The girls that are joining our panel now, they're ready. Their skill level is unbelievable. It's probably the physical side of it now that they have to catch up on that maybe wasn't there 10 years ago.

“And that's probably the side that they have to catch up on. But skill-wise and mentality, they're well ahead of where we were when we were that age.” 

LIMERICK (NHL v Galway): N. Quaid, S. Finn, D. Langan, B. Nash; D. Byrnes, W. O’Donoghue, K. Hayes; A. English, C. Lynch (c); G. Hegarty, A. O’Connor, C. O’Neill; A. Gillane, S. O’Brien, D. Reidy. Subs: C. Ryan, M. Casey, C. Coughlan, F. Fitzgerald, H. Flanagan, J. Fitzgerald, V. Harrington, E. Hurley, D. Ó Dalaigh, P. O’Donovan, O. O’Farrell.

TIPPERARY (NHL v Kilkenny): R. Shelly; R. Doyle, B. McGrath, M. Breen; E. Connolly, R. Maher (c), O. O’Donoghue; C. Martin, D. Stakelum; J. Morris, A. Tynan, S. O’Farrell; D, McCarthy, J. McGrath, J. Forde. Subs: Brian Hogan, J. Caesar, S. Kenneally, S. Kennedy, K. McCarthy, P. McGarry, N. McGrath, A. Ormond, G. O’Connor, J. Ryan, K. Ryan.

DUBLIN (NHL v Carlow): S. Brennan; C. McHugh, P. Smyth, E. O’Donnell, P. Doyle, C. Crummey (c), A. Dunphy; C. Burke, B. Hayes; F. Whitely, D. Burke, D. Power; D. Purcell, J. Hetherton, C. O’Sullivan. Subs: E. Gibbons, P. Dunleavy, C. Ó Riain, S. Gallagher, D. Keogh, J. Bellew, J. Flanagan, D. Ó Dulaing, C. Donohoe, J. Meagher, C. Groarke.