Lucey primed for a return to action

STEPHEN Lucey could be back in the Limerick colours by the end of the month.
Lucey was one of the high-profile hurlers deemed surplus to requirements by Justin McCarthy, but the Croom man remains central to the plans of Limerick football manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.
Lucey suffered a serious tear of his hamstring late last August when playing for his club, Croom, in the county senior hurling championship against Granagh-Ballingarry.
At the time it was expected that Lucey will be sidelined for at least six months however he is now on course to return for the start of the National Football League.
“He had a serious tear of his hamstring, but we are expecting him back by the end of the month,” confirmed Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.
“Stephen knows how to care for himself because of his medical background,” explained the Limerick senior football manager.
Limerick open their league campaign with a trip to Ruislip to face London on February 7 and six days later (February 13) Limerick will host Carlow under lights at the Gaelic Grounds.
Last season Stephen Lucey and his club-mate Mark O’Riordan played both inter-county hurling and football with Limerick, however both were among the hurlers culled by Justin McCarthy for 2010.
In the aftermath of the wholesale hurling panel changes, 12 players withdrew in protest and one of those, James Ryan has now joined Lucey and O’Riordan on the football panel.
Ryan is named at centre-forward for this Thursday night’s (7.30pm) McGrath Cup game against Waterford IT. Due to the poor weather conditions, it appears unlikely that the game will take place in the Gaelic Grounds and the Staker Wallace club facilities in Kilbreedy, Martinstown are on stand-by.
Barring the injured Lucey and Thomas Cahill, Limerick will be pretty much at full-strength against WIT.
Others not involved in the match-panel are Ger Collins, Cormac Joyce-Power and Eoin Hogan - who are all committed to varying third level colleges for the McGrath Cup.
Although only six of Thursday’s selected team started against Meath in the All-Ireland aualifiers last August, it is still a vastly-experienced Limerick side.
Ballysteen’s Conor Ranahan, Fr. Caseys’ Eoin Joy and St. Patricks’ John Mullane are all handed their first starts at senior level.
It could be a busy 72 hours for Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s Limerick side.
If Limerick overcome the Waterford students, they will play Cork IT on Sunday (2.30pm) in the competition’s quarter-final in Fitzgerald Park, Kilmallock.
Were Limerick to advance further in the competition, their semi-final opponents would be Clare or UCC.
This Thursday night Waterford IT will have three Limerick club players involved in their panel - Jimmy Barry-Murphy & Shane Fox of Ballylanders and Richie McCarthy of Blackrock.
Limerick have won the McGrath Cup on five occasions (2005, 2004, 2001, 1987 and 1985) since the competition was inaugurated in 1981, but have not captured the early season provincial competition since the arrival of Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.
This season management appear to be placing added emphasis on the McGrath Cup.
The capture of silverware, regardless of its value, would provide an ideal boost of confidence for a side that is becoming the nearly team of the championship.
Promotion from division four is a must for the panel and a run of competitive games would be the preferred preparation for the NFL. Twelve months ago Limerick were shocked by UL in round one of the McGrath Cup and were subsequently slow to find their form in the National Football League and ended up being relegated to division four.

Jerome O’Connell