Waterford to play Limerick in Munster Senior Hurling League at Carriganore

The Waterford Senior hurlers have their first competitive outing of 2016 on Sunday afternoon when they take on Limerick in the second round of games in this years inaugural Munster Senior Hurling League at Carriganore.

Traditionally these pre-season competitions have been used by managers to give new players in their extended panels or fringe players from the previous year the chance to try and stake a claim for a place in the team for the year ahead and from time to time many take this chance with some impressive performances.

The Waterford panel have been back in training now with a couple of weeks and while there was no ‘December Series’ in 2015 which served the panel so well twelve months earlier even if results were not always what Waterford supporters would have liked to see, the side have played a number of challenge games against college sides as well as the likes of Offaly and Wexford and these will have helped the side prepare for this competition which in the bigger picture is not the most important on the G.A.A. calendar but also for the National League which starts in a few weeks time and which Waterford will be hoping to defend the title they won for only the third time last May in Thurles.

Both sides were in action last weekend.

Limerick in the first round of games had a 2-24 to 0-18 win over Kerry in the first round of this year’s Munster Senior League.

The hurlers from the Kingdom are back playing hurling at the highest level again this year after their Christy Ring Cup win last year, but will not play in the Munster Championship, instead playing in the Leinster Championship which is kind of mind boggling. The cynics amongst us could be forgiven for maybe the move to get them playing in the Leinster Championship is a move to dispense with the Provincial Championships in the near future. If there as it should be that G.A.A. Chiefs want to develop hurling in the Kingdom further would it not be better to have them playing in Munster and have Waterford, Cork, Tipperary, Limerick and Clare visiting Killarney or Tralee on a regular basis than to send the Kingdom’s hurlers to Kilkenny, Carlow or Portlaoise for Championship games.

In their game last weekend Limerick were without their Na Piarsaigh contingent of players who are preparing for an All-Ireland Club semi final against Wexford side Oulart-the-Ballagh next month and will be without them again this weekend.

Limerick fielded lest than half of what you would call regulars in the win over Kerry last week, but it should be noted that in the last few years, Limerick have produced some excellent minor teams and last year won the Under 21 Championship and in recent years they have also had some very good colleges sides most notably Ardscoil Ris in the city and Doon CBS and Castletroy College from the county and many of the players involved in these sides will in this competition be given the chance to shine and stake a place in the team for the rest of the year.

Waterford last weekend drew 0-15 to 1-12 with UCC at the Gold Coast Complex outside Dungarvan fielding what was in effect an experimental side, even if many of those have played for the county in the past.

Players like Ian O’Regan, Shane McNulty, Kieran Bennett, Harley Barnes, Paudie Prendergast, Jordan Henley, Shane Bennett, Tommy Warning, Andy Molumby, Seamus Keating, Thomas Ryan and Colm Roche all started in this game and most if not all could well be given another run out this weekend, while more experienced players like Colin Dunford, Maurice Shanahan, Jake Dillon, Shane Fives and Stephen O’Keeffe were given game time and again could be given a run from the start this weekend, while others that may get a run out at some stage include Barry Coughlan, Darragh Fives, Philip Mahony, Kevin Moran, Shane O’Sullivan, Michael Walsh, Noel Connors and Brian O’Halloran.

Little will be or should be read into how this game will end. Who wins the competition after all will not be remembered by most by the time we enter the knockout stages of the league in a few months time let alone by the end of the year.

This and the subsequent games against Kerry, Cork and Clare should be seen as a chance to get some game time in ahead of the league and championship in the weeks and months ahead and also to work on their touch for the bigger games to come.

While the full time result of this game may not be entirely important, a win all the same would be nice, as winning breaths confidence and the more confidence the side has going into the bigger games the better it will be for Waterford, who may have a good chance this year to collect some silverware as many of their main rivals this year are under new management set ups for 2016 and will need time to work on new ideas that these set ups will bring.

Playing at home and possibly in front of a good support, let’s go for a home win in this game, but if its not to be we wont be too disappointed.