Opportunities beckon in Mullingar | Five Hurlers Hoping to Impress in Limerick’s clash with Westmeath

Players will know that the Cusack Park clash presents an opportunity for someone to really pull themselves above the parapet and into the championship thinking.

Wearing the number three jersey for the first time in eighteen months as Offaly came to the TUS Gaelic Grounds in the final round of the National Hurling League last year, Mike Casey showed no signs of rust in a typical Mike Casey display where Limerick dispatched Offaly in a 24-point win.

That appearance alone was enough to convince John Kiely that the Na Piarsaigh man was ready for road as he began the Munster Championship campaign at full back (albeit in the no.17 jersey) a month later where he was an ever-present during Limerick’s All-Ireland defence that culminated in a three-in-a-row that August.

The defeat marked Offaly’s fifth of the season, resigning them to the second tier for 2023. In their place, Westmeath have taken up the mantle in a group that contains the All-Ireland champions, three of last year’s semi-finalists as well as quarter-finalists Cork and Wexford.

In Group B, Kilkenny are the only side who made it out of their provincial championship last year with Laois and Antrim operating in the Joe McDonagh alongside the likes of Offaly and Westmeath in recent years.

Still, Limerick will prepare diligently for the trip to Mullingar this Sunday but they will know that the Cusack Park clash presents an opportunity for someone to really pull themselves above the parapet and into the championship thinking which begins in just over six weeks.

Adam English

Used sparingly in his maiden season with the Limerick seniors, Adam English’s best performances last year certainly came for the U20s and also UL where he was a part of the all-conquering freshers side alongside two others on this list. With the 20s, he became the star attraction of the forward unit after Cathal O’Neill moved fully to the senior set up. English and co just missed out on the All-Ireland title before his season was largely interrupted through injury as he missed the early rounds of the SHC.

Against Cork in the first round of the league, the Doon native reminded the county of what he is about, throwing over a couple of beauties in Pairc Ui Chaoimh. He followed this up with an exceptional hour at midfield in the big win over Clare that was sandwiched in between some stellar Fitzgibbon Cup showings. In the forwards for UL, he was a source of scores as they retained their national title. But against Galway he was introduced at midfield for the second game running.

Suddenly, English is a real middle third option for the championship. There will be little moving Darragh O’Donovan and William O’Donoghue but English’s versatility could see him battle with David Reidy as Kiely’s go to substitute in the forward eight. He will have to contend with the return of the man next on the list but for now English is looking like he will play a key part in 2023.

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Cathal O’Neill

Sunday may come too quick for Cathal O’Neill but judging by John Kiely’s comments after Galway, the Crecora Manister man shouldn’t be far off a return with Mullingar not out of the question.

“The lads trained this morning, some of them are nearly there but not quite. Cathal (O’Neill) unfortunately missed the closing stages of the Fitzgibbon Cup and we were disappointed for him. He had a bit of a calf tear and we couldn’t take the chance that it would get worse and he could be out for the season. So we couldn’t take the chance. But he’s coming.

After coming into his own in the absence of Cian Lynch, starting in the Munster final against Clare and making a first All-Ireland final appearance, the injury came at the worst possible time for O’Neill who only turns 21 this year. Time is running out for him to make his mark prior to April’s clash with Waterford but the four-game run in Munster will allow him the chance to impress should he miss out on the final rounds of the League.

But he will be desperate to get back on the field and Westmeath would be the ideal opposition for him to test himself against. With all due respect to the Leinster men, they have failed to really trouble Limerick in recent meetings with 17 between the teams in the 2021 clash in Sunday’s venue.

O’Neill like English, has shown a versatility since his step up to the senior level and he was actually named at midfield for the meeting with Offaly twelve months ago. However, his best games have come at wing forward where he likely the main competition for Tom Morrissey and Gearoid Hegarty alongside Conor Boylan and Reidy.

He won’t be risked if not ready, but if O’Neill is among the 26 for Westmeath, expect him to make his mark.

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Richie English

There are few players that play Spring hurling as well as Richie English does. He was joint captain when Mary I won a first ever Fitzgibbon Cup title in February 2016 and hasn’t really missed a beat since. It has been in the championship over the last couple of years that English has found his game time limited, last starting in the championship in the 2021 Munster final victory against Tipperary. The Doon man was substituted at half time and has had to contend with appearances of the bench since.

But were it not for a pair of Hurler of the Year candidates in Sean Finn and Barry Nash in front of him, English would be a guaranteed starter every day of the week. It’s hard to imagine that the Doon man wouldn’t get into every other XV in the country. Yet, that hasn’t stopped him putting in impressive shifts each and every time he lines out in the green. So far he has started in each league game, and barely put a foot wrong.

The beauty of English is that he can replace any of Limerick’s front-line full back options. He is a teak tough corner back in the mould of Sean Finn, was U21 Hurler of the Year at full-back in 2015 and like Barry Nash, plays further up the field for his club as Doon’s playmaking centre-back.

Mike Casey’s timeframe for a return to play has yet to be revealed and for now the #3 jersey is English’s to lose. He hasn’t anything to prove in Mullingar but the longer he has the jersey, the harder it will be to lose it.

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Colin Coughlan

Colin Coughlan’s only issue over the past couple of years has been those in front of him in the Limerick half-back pecking order. The line contains four All-Stars battling for three places. Diarmuid Byrnes is the current Hurler of the Year and three-in-a-row All-Star winner. Declan Hannon is the record-breaking All-Ireland winning captain, with three All-Stars to his name. Dan Morrissey has a pair of awards and if you add Kyle Hayes, who was wing back for two of the triumphs, into the mix, there’s another three All-Stars and a Hurler of the Year nomination. Interestingly, each has started in the four All-Ireland wins since 2018.

Coughlan is next man up and that has been clear since his debut year in 2021 where he was actually introduced in the All-Ireland final as a teenager. His chances last year were limited after helping the 20s to an All-Ireland final from wing-back. But this year he has been a regular with Byrnes absent, Hannon injured and Morrissey reverting to centre. And like English and O’Neill he was a key cog in UL’s win where he was a mainstay at midfield.

However, his best position appears to be at wing back where he is deadly accurate. In only a half hour against Kerry in the Munster Hurling League, he clipped over four from play. He bagged a double in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in the first league outing of the year and his threat from there is similar to Byrnes.

It is simply a case of trying to break past one, if not two of the best half backs that Limerick have ever produced. The return of a four-game Munster series will present him with an opportunity like the one afforded to Paddy O’Loughlin in 2019 where he interchanged with Byrnes and Morrissey. But for now, Coughlan will look at Mullingar as a chance to gain an advantage in that regard.

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Donnacha O’Dalaigh

A couple of months back, there would have been few clamouring to see Donnacha O’Dalaigh in the Limerick starting XV for the Munster championship. But some sensational performances for his club gave him the platform to impress and the Monaleen native has taken every opportunity given to him with aplomb. He was a regular for Diarmuid Mullins in their journey to the All-Ireland U20 final last year but was forced to the bench for the final with the return of Paddy O’Donovan who had featured for Limerick in the Munster hurling league.

O’Dalaigh was introduced with ten to play but Kilkenny held on for a maiden win at the U20 grade. With his club back in the Premier Intermediate ranks, O’Dalaigh set about his business as their focal point in attack en route to winning county and Munster honours. However, he really came of age in the All-Ireland final, firing over five from play in a man-of-the-match performance against a stubborn Tooreen side.

That earned him a call up to the Limerick senior side as he made his debut against Kerry in the Munster League. His maiden League appearance came in Pairc Ui Chaoimh and despite only being introduced in the 68th minute, he made a scoring contribution with a fine point from the wing. He went one better against Clare, bagging Limerick’s only goal shortly after coming onto the field. He was given the same time once again in Salthill and for the third game running he got on the scoresheet with limited minutes.

Limerick’s inside forward line is blessed with quality, before you consider the more conventional wing forwards who could be moved further up the field but O’Dalaigh is doing everything he can to force Kiely’s hand and a start against Westmeath could do wonders for his chances.

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