Injury Time . . . with Jerome O'Connell

IT is not all going to happen over night,” said Justin McCarthy as he emphasised that his Limerick side are in a state of transition.
McCarthy and his selectors, Brian Ryan and Liam Garvey, used a total of 22 players in the 140 minutes of Munster championship action against Waterford.
Paul Browne, Stephen Walsh, David Breen and James Ryan were all handed their first senior championship starts while Tom Condon (first Knockaderry club man to play SHC) and Graeme Mulcahy were given their first taste of SHC as substitutes in the replay.
While there were six new faces, 12 of the team from the drawn game had started against Offaly in last year’s ill-fated qualifier.


Of the 22 players used there was a return to the green of Limerick for James O’Brien after a year sabbatical in the Christy Ring Cup with Kerry, a return to the inter-county scene for Denis Moloney after two cruciate ligament operations and a surprise return for former under-21 star, Eoin Foley.
Patrickswell’s Foley was not among the 28 players that saw league action with Limerick this season and was only sporadically involved with training in recent weeks.
Others not involved in the NHL were Ollie Moran (knee) and Mark Foley (extended break after club commitments).
Moran was one of eight players to play every minute of the two games against Waterford, along with his brother Niall, Brian Murray, Damien Reale, Stephen Lucey, Brian Geary, Seamus Hickey and James Ryan.
Of that eight, Murray, Lucey and Geary were the only players to start and finish in the same positions as management sought their best formations.
Not surprisingly, 10 different players were tried in attack.
There was some surprise that Mike O’Brien or Wayne McNamara were not introduced - both played large roles in the league and would be seen as options to win puckouts.
Another who didn’t get match time was Murroe-Boher attacker Pat Tobin.

From Carron to Thurles
TO celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the GAA, the Munster Council are organising a Torch Run on the eve of the Munster senior hurling championship final from the home of founder Michael Cusack in Carron, north Clare to the location of the foundation meeting in Hayes Hotel, Thurles.
The clubs of Limerick will be asked to play their part and carry the torch through Limerick on Saturday July 11.
The torch will be leaving Carron at 12.00 noon and arrive at the Limerick Gaelic Grounds at 2.45pm.
Each club is being asked to bring in at least 30-40 12/14 year olds, dressed in their club colours with flags and banners, to assist with the parade.
After some brief entertainment from varying Scor acts, the torch will be paraded from the Gaelic Grounds, over Sarsfield Bridge, up William Street as far as the jail.
The clubs will disassemble there and the torch will go by van out as far as Claughaun GAA Club where members of Claughaun, Monaleen, Milford and Ahane clubs will run the torch to the Tipperary side of Finnegans, where Tipperary County Board will take over.
The torch is expected at Hayes Hotel at 9pm Saturday night and will be carried into Semple Stadium on Munster final day.

City hurlers on their way to Scotland
THE under-14 hurlers of Old Christians and Ballinacurra Gaels are on their way to Scotland.
The clubs are joined at under-14 level this season and plans are in place to play a compromise Hurling/Shinty Rules game in Fort William in the Scottish Highlands in October.
The planning for the trip is at a well advanced stage as the flights and accommodation has been booked for the group, which will contain about 20 players and over 30 adults.
This Friday night, June 26 a fund-raising table quiz will take place in Patrick Punches Bar.
A table of four for the fun quiz will cost €40.