Limerick wait on word from Foley and Moran

GAELIC GAMES: LIMERICK MANAGER Donal O'Grady is still awaiting the decision of former captains Mark Foley and Ollie Moran on possible comebacks from retirement.

The approach to Foley was already known, but the revelation that Moran, who retired in the autumn of 2009, is also contemplating a return was news.

O’Grady, speaking at yesterday’s launch of the Allianz hurling league, confirmed he had been in contact with both players.

“The situation with Mark Foley is: I rang Mark Foley and I rang Ollie Moran because they were the only two players who had retired, we’ll say. We got in contact with all the players from 2010 and all the players from 2009.

“Mark Foley and Ollie Moran had retired. I contacted both of them and asked them if they were interested, just to clarify the situation. Maybe they had retired because of the unrest last year.

“Mark said to me that, no, he hadn’t made any hard or fast decision. I said, ‘look, if you want to, you can come in and train with us or join us for fitness levels and we’ll see where you are’. What we decided in the end is that he would train away himself and we will have a look at things in April.

“That was the same with Ollie Moran as well. Whether they will come back or not, I’m not quite sure.”

O’Grady has taken over the Limerick hurlers after a long-running players’ dispute, which saw the county relegated from Division One with a makeshift team.

He reiterated yesterday he had accepted the appointment for just one year and, surprisingly, given the difficulties experienced by second-tier sides in the championship, denied he had targeted promotion this season.

“I have never worked with aims or targets – all I’ve ever worked on is you go in, concentrate on the performance and see how far the performance takes you, and that is the way I am going to work with Limerick as well.

“What it brings us in the end we are not quite sure; we can’t look into the future. But if I finish with Limerick at the end of the year and I have left them in a better place then I’ll be happy enough.”

Limerick’s campaign opens against Clare on Sunday in Ennis and O’Grady has selected many of those who refused to play last year. Damien Reale, Stephen Lucey, Wayne McNamara, Séamus Hickey, Donal OGrady, Paul Browne, Niall Moran and Andrew OShaughnessy are all included.

Meanwhile, Cork have named one competitive debutant for Sunday’s Division One encounter with Offaly in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Mark Ellis of Millstreet, who enjoyed some impressive Munster Cup displays last January, lines out at centre back with long-serving number six Ronan Curran on the bench.

Wexford manager Colm Bonnar names five debutants for the county’s first fixture back in Division One. Niall Breen, in goal, Matthew O’Hanlon, at full back, Brendan Doyle, Keith Burke and Jim Berry all get their first selection.

Galway manager John McIntyre introduces two newcomers, corner back Ger O’Halloran and corner forward Johnny Coen.

Waterford name an inexperienced team for the weekends match with Dublin with just six of the starters from last Augusts All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Tipperary. Séamus Prendergast and Thomas Ryan also came on as replacements that day. Richie Foley, the 2010 centrefielder, starts at centre forward where he has played recently during the county’s successful Munster Cup campaign.

LIMERICK (NHL v Clare): N Quaid; D Reale, S Lucey, D Moloney; W McNamara, S Hickey, D Breen; P Browne, D O’Grady; R McCarthy, J Ryan, N Moran; A O’Shaughnessy, K Downes, G Mulcahy.

CORK (NHL v Offaly): A Nash; S McDonnell, E Cadogan, S Murphy; J Gardiner, M Ellis, R Ryan; J O’Connor, W Egan; T Kenny, P Cronin, C Naughton; B O’Connor, P O’Sullivan, P Horgan.

WEXFORD (NHL v Galway): N Breen; P Roche, M O’Hanlon, B Hobbs; R Kehoe, D Stamp, C Kenny; C Farrell, B Doyle; PJ Nolan, T Waters, S Banville; P Atkinson, K Burke, J Berry.

GALWAY: C Callanan; D Collins, J Lee, G O’Halloran; A Cullinane, T Regan, G Mahon; D Barry, D Burke; E Ryan, C Donnellan, G Farragher; A Callanan, I Tannian, J Coen.

WATERFORD (NHL v Dublin): C Hennessy; D Fives, J Maher, N Connors; S Fives, M Walsh, J Nagle; S O’Sullivan, P Mahony; S Molumphy, R Foley, P Mahony; S Casey, S Prendergast, T Ryan.

MAYO (SF v NUIG): R Hennelly; C Hallinan, D Killeen, C Barrett; L Keegan, K Higgins, R O’Connor; B Moran, T Parsons; A Campbell, A Moran, A Farrell; E Varley, A Kilcoyne, M Ronaldson.

KERRY (NHL v Antrim): B Rochford; A Keane, J Godley, C Harris; A Royle, T Murnane, P O’Grady; J Griffin, D Dineen; D O’Connell, M Boyle, L Boyle; J Egan, A Boyle, S Nolan.