The task of facing the Model County in their own backyard has been made all the more difficult with confirmation that Wexford’s All-Ireland football qualifier against Roscommon will be the curtain-raiser to the hurling tie - 3pm start.
While a large Wexford following is expected the 225-mile round trip is not endearing itself to GAA followers on Shannonside, with no direct rail or bus link.
RTE and TV3 have confirmed that the game will not be included in the live coverage for Saturday evening - RTE have opted to televise the Clare v Galway hurling qualifier.
Win or lose this Saturday the Limerick hurlers will be back in action the following weekend, July 18. If Limerick can overcome the Model County they will face either Cork or Laois in phase three of the qualifiers for a place in the All-Ireland quarter-final against one of the beaten provincial finalists - Dublin, Tipperary or Waterford.
Defeat to Wexford would mean an unthinkable relegation play-off against Offaly or Antrim.
For the Wexford Park contest, Limerick will need to display an ‘appetite for a battle’.
The qualifiers are all about gaining momentum and securing the two wins necessary to return to the All-Ireland championship ‘proper’ at the quarter-final stage.
However, Limerick’s record in the qualifiers is not the greatest.
Since Limerick lost to Wexford in the 2001 All-Ireland quarter-final, they have only beaten Offaly (2006), Dublin, Laois, Antrim and Kerry in the qualifiers while defeats were inflicted by Offaly (twice), Clare, Galway, Cork and Tipperary.
Another unwelcome statistic is that Limerick are now without a championship win since August 12 2007, when Richie Bennis’ side were 5-11 to 2-15 winners over Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final. Since that memorable day, five championship games (Kilkenny, Clare, Offaly, Waterford (twice) have passed without a victory.
To add to Limerick woes the head-to-head record against Wexford is not encouraging - the sides have met on five occasions in championship hurling. Limerick’s only win was in the All-Ireland final of 1918 while Wexford were successful in the All-Ireland finals of 1910 and 1996, the semi-final in 1955 and most recently the quarter-final of 2001.
In the three weeks since Limerick’s disappointing championship exit in the replay against Waterford, Justin McCarthy’s Limerick have played challenge games against Offaly and the county under-21 side.
Changes in personnel are expected when the Limerick team is announced with Gavin O’Mahony, Wayne McNamara and Mike O’Brien pushing for inclusion.
Limerick report no injury worries, but Colm Bonner’s Wexford could be without key full-forward Stephen Banville who was this week diagnosed with glandular fever.
Stephen Nolan (groin) and Tomás Waters (knee ligament) are also injury worries for Wexford while there is better news concerning Keith Rossiter and Darren Stamp, who are making good progress from groin and ankle injuries respectively.
Two players that will come into contention for places in the Limerick defence are Stephen Lucey and Mark O’Riordan. The Croom dual players have just six days to overcome the heartache of last Sunday’s Munster senior football final defeat to Cork.
The provincial football final was another case of ‘what might have been’ as Limerick’s famine now stretches to 114 years.
A blistering first half display saw Limerick race into a 0-8 to 1-2 interval lead in the Munster final, with just a hotly-disputed penalty saving Cork’s blushes. With 15 minutes to play the sides were level, but Cork were to deny a gallant Limerick a first title since 1896.
Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s footballers will be back in action in round three of the qualifiers on the weekend of July 25-26.
Two rounds of the qualifiers remain before Limerick will find out their opposition in the round four draw on Sunday evening, July 19.
The big name possibilities are Kerry, Derry, Monaghan and Donegal along with Down, Laois, Longford, Wexford, Roscommon, Tipperary, Sligo, Clare, Westmeath, Meath, Wicklow and Cavan.
Jerome O’Connell
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment