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Mickey Ned faces one major selection decision
MICKEY Ned O'Sullivan will, today (Wednesday) unveil his Limerick team for Sunday's Munster senior football championship final.
Thirty-five years after he captained Kerry to a provincial title O'Sullivan finds himself plotting the downfall of his native county.
The Limerick management face one major selection decision. Full back Conor Mullane missed the Munster SFC semi-final with a hamstring injury, but the St Senan's man is now back in full training.
The management team must now decide if they will re-instate Mullane to the position he filled in the NFL final success in Croke Park. Johnny McCarthy filled the number three jersey in Mullane's absence, but the more likely to loose out would be either corner-backs Andrew Lane or Mark O'Riordan.
Ahead of the team selection Limerick report no late injury worries.
Seanie Buckley will captain the side from the half-forward line. And, he said that a return to the provincial final was always the number one target for the team in 2010.
"When you come close enough so often you're always looking to make the bigger jump. This year we are back in the final again. I suppose getting back there at the start of the year was our aim, but once you're there, at this stage of the year, you're hoping to go one better than last year and that's what we're hoping to do," the Drom-Broadford man said.
Now that Limerick have reached successive finals, the captain wants his side to go one step better than last season: "A lot of teams in the championship run teams close and don't quite get over the line. You see it week-in, week-out where the decisive team comes through by a point or two.
"To actually make that step to where you're winning by a point or two is huge really.
"Now we've come close often enough. Last year we were beaten in two championship games to knock us out by a point. This year the test is to be on the other side of a one-point win. That's going to be a huge challenge, but we're looking forward to it," said the determined captain.
"We'd like to think that we're stronger than last year.
"We've a better squad and with better options to bring on. Thankfully the situation at the moment with injuries is good enough.
"Any match you see in championship now is a 20-man game. You can see that in every game you see. When you can bring on five subs now which strengthen a team rather than stop the bleeding is great really. This year we had those options when we hadn't it last year. We're confident in our own ability and once we show up on the day and perform to the best of our ability we definitely won't be too far off the mark."
Buckley has also highlighted the injection of confidence provided by Limerick's dramatic win over Waterford in the Allianz National Football League division four final.
"Yeah, it was definitely a boost. To know that when we get to a final that we can actually move that step further and win it. That has given us good confidence."
He added: "It was our target at the start of the year; to get out of division four and get back to a Munster final. Now we've done that and if we can draw on any of the experience we gained in Croke Park hopefully it will add to our performance".
Sunday's final in Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney will have a 2pm start and will be televised live on TV3.
Tickets for the final are available to purchase from the Gaelic Grounds from 9.30am to 5pm. Stand tickets cost €35, sideline €30, terrace €20, juvenile (family) €5 and juvenile (terrace) €3. In a new initiative, tickets are also available to purchase from the Munster GAA Ticket Van. This Friday the van will visit a number of Centra and SuperValu stores throughout Limerick - Garvey's SuperValu, Newcastle West (11.30am to 12.15pm), Dooly's SuperValu, Newcastle West (12.30pm to 1.15pm), Twohig's SuperValu, Abbeyfeale (2.30pm to 3.30pm), Twohig's SuperValu, Askeaton (4.30pm to 5.30pm) and SuperValu, Castleconnell (6.30pm to 7.30pm).
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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