Minors hurlers face Waterford

GER Hegarty is urging his Limerick minor hurlers to follow the example of the Tyrone senior footballers and succeed via the backdoor.
This Wednesday night (6.30pm) Limerick play Waterford in the Gaelic Grounds in the loser’s section of the Munster minor hurling championship.
Despite losing to Tipperary by 13 points last week a Limerick win tomorrow evening will book a place in the provincial semi-final against Clare in late June.
“I was telling the lads the story about Mickey Harte last Summer when Tyrone were beaten in the first round up in the north,” Ger Hegarty told Leader Sport.
“The following evening the players met with their manager and decided that their performance wasn’t good enough and they started from there and we all know where they ended up in September,” explained the Old Christians man.
“I am not saying that it is going to be easy,” said Hegarty, who was a member of the last Limerick minor team to win a Munster Championship in 1984.
Ahead of tomorrow’s make-or-break game against Waterford the Limerick management have made two changes to their team.
Into the half-forward line comes Na Piarsaigh’s Shane Dowling and Mark Ranahan of Askeaton. Omitted from the team are John Fitzgibbon and Brendan Mullins, who will play in the All-Ireland Senior Schools Soccer Cup Final with Limerick CBS tomorrow.
“Waterford are in the same boat as ourselves and will have to try and lift it for next Wednesday - it is going to be very tough for either side.
“I can guarantee that we will try. It will be an incredibly tough match - a match that we never even thought about, we just thought about Tipperary,” added Ger Hegarty.

Limerick: Aaron Murphy (Hospital-Herbertstown); Bryan Cleary (Knockainey), Nigel Foley, capt (Patrickswell), Niall Buckley (Na Piarsaigh); Paudie Ahern (Kilteely-Dromkeen), Declan Hannon (Adare), Thomas O’Callaghan (Monagea); Niall Kennedy (Granagh-Ballingarry), Liam O’Shea (Knockainey); Kevin Downes (Na Piarsaigh), Mark Ranahan (Askeaton), Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh), William Griffin (Kildimo), Cathal McNamara (Doon), Michael Ryan (Murroe-Boher).

Jerome O’Connell