U-21 hurlers face Wexford in All-Ireland final looking to put gloss on disappointing year
Castlegar’s Dean Higgins is Galway U-21 hurlers main injury concern heading into Saturday’s intriguing All-Ireland semi-final against Leinster champions Wexford at Semple Stadium, Thurles (6pm).
With a number of players nursing injuries, manager Johnny Kelly has delayed naming his starting line-up until later in the week and he says the management’s primary worry in this regard is the versatile Higgins (shoulder).
Higgins is just one of a number of Galway players who was involved in the county’s 2011 minor victory against Dublin now seeking to amalgamate U-21 medals to that haul in this current campaign.
Others include goalkeeper Shane Mannion, defenders Cormac Diviney and Paul Killeen, midfielders Adrian Tuohy and Padraig Breheny and forwards Jason Flynn, current captain Jonathan Glynn and former minor captain Shane Maloney.
Notable absentees from that victorious All-Ireland winning side, for a variety of reasons, are Ahascragh/Fohenagh’s Padraic Mannion, Loughrea’s Sean Sweeney and Gort’s Gerard O’Donoghue, the latter of whom showed good form in the earlier rounds of the senior hurling championship with a tally of 2-4 from play.
That said, on paper, Kelly and his selectors Tony Keady and Keith Carr would appear to have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal. Five players – Killeen, Brehony, Cathal Mannion, Flynn and Glynn – have seen senior action this year while John Hanbury, Darragh O’Donoghue and Darragh Dolan were also part of Anthony Cunningham’s set-up.
In addition, panellists Kevin Killilea (Carnmore), Flynn (Tommy Larkins), Michael Mullins (Gort), Brian Molloy (Kilnadeema/Leitrim), Cathal Keane (Athenry), Ronan O’Meara (Portumna) and Jason Kennedy (Ardrahan) have all been prolific for their clubs in SHC fixtures to date.
Given the current form of Conor Whelan – exceptional for both Kinvara seniors and the Galway minors – a strong case could be made for drafting him in, along, perhaps, with fellow Galway minors, Killimordaly’s Brian Burke and Turloughmore’s Conor Shaughnessy.
However, Kelly argues the U-21 process is too far gone for late additions heading into this semi-final but did not rule a change in this position should they clear the Wexford hurdle.
“We have been very much about commitment to training and the guys who have been in with us, we have been loyal to them as much as possible,” says Kelly.
“It is a week since the minor game, and we have our plans in place already. So, we haven’t called in Conor (Whelan). We have a strong team though. We have players who have some experience of senior level that they attained this year – eight of them – and that should stand to us.”
As for Wexford, they will be buoyed by back-to-back Leinster titles although one would imagine they will still be smarting from their shock defeat to Antrim at this stage last year. That said, they showed no ill effects in their 2014 provincial campaign, boasting wins over Kilkenny, Offaly and Dublin.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.