Limerick hurlers head to Mullingar in search of a third league win

LIMERICK'S senior hurlers travel to Mullingar on Sunday for their Allianz Hurling League Division 1 clash with Westmeath.

A win over the Lake County will almost guarantee a league semi-final spot for John Kiely's men with a game to spare.
Limerick come into the game after embarking on a warm weather training camp in Portugal last week with one eye on the start of the Munster Championship just six weeks away.

The league, however, is the priority right now with the Limerick manager likely to shuffle his pack from the win over Galway last time out.

Aaron Gillane is set for his first appearance of 2023 off the bench, while 2022 Hurler of the Year, Diarmaid Byrnes, starts at half-back. Cathal O'Neill starts at centre-forward, while Monaleen duo Donnacha Ó Dálaigh and Jamie Power both make their first league starts.

Both Barry Nash and William O'Donoghue made their first appearances of 2023 in the five-point win over the Tribesmen, while Conor Boylan came off the bench in the second half. All three start on Sunday.

Limerick have won their last two games after beginning their league with a one-point loss to Cork. They face a Westmeath outfit that have suffered defeats to Clare, Wexford and Cork in their three games to date.

Westmeath manager Joe Fortune would have been much happier with how his side performed in their last outing, a six-point loss to the Rebels.

Limerick will be without Kyle Hayes for the trip to Mullingar after he accepted a one-match ban for a strike on Brian Concannon during the victory over Galway.

Kiely was happy with large parts of what his side produced in that win in Salthill, describing the performance as 'for the most part, solid'.

"We controlled spells of the game. Our puck-out was very strong in the first half and we were strong on their's as well. We were efficient with the use of the ball and when we got chances, we took them.

"Second half, we were strong in the first 15, 20 minutes but then dropped it. Galway were always going to come back into it if they got any smell a chance of it at all.

"There was questions asked of us when they brought it back to two, questions were asked and we won a few balls in the middle. The lads made an impact off the bench as well."

The sides last met in the league back in June 2021 with Limerick coming away with a 3-26 to 0-18 win at TEG Cusack Park. Limerick's game with Westmeath has a 2pm throw-in at Cusack Park in Mullingar.