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You are > Home > Hartley hangs up his inter-county boots
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Friday, January 13, 2006
Hartley hangs up his inter-county boots
By: John A. Murphy
THE winter cobwebs will be finally, and fully, swept aside this weekend when Limerick’s hurlers come to town (Walsh Park) to test our mettle in one of two preliminary round games in the new Waterford Crystal tournament.
There’s a 2pm throw-in for a game that should attract a decent sized attendance to the city venue, and with the Shannonsiders promising to field a side that will be near enough to full strength we are promised a very searching early season trial.
While Dan Shanahan and Paul Flynn are travelling to far off Singapore as members of the 2004 All Stars next week, with nominees John Mullane, Eoin Kelly, and Seamus Prendergast also accompanying them, the good news is that all five will be available for selection to face the Limerickmen. A definite absentee however will be the celebrated Ken McGrath who is currently serving a well documented six month suspension following his sending off in the closing minutes of that tempestuous De La Salle/Mount Sion county semi-final last Sept.
EXPERIMENTATION
The probability is that team manager Justin McCarthy and his selectorial colleagues will utilise the occasion to indulge in at least some measure of experimentation. That may well open the door for the Ballygunner trio of Wayne Hutchinson, Gearoid O’Connor, and Tommy Power, and possibly a few other less high profile players who are on the fringes of the panel.
Sadly however there will be no Fergal Hartley who has decided to call it a day as far as a marvellous inter county career is concerned. We haven’t had many better performers in the white and blue in a generation, and while everyone will understand his decision its ironic that he is bowing out within six or seven weeks of one of his greatest ever displays for Ballygunner in the Munster club final against Newtownshandrum.
THE GREAT HARTLEY
Fergal has been one of the giants of the game over the last decade and more, and it is a travesty that he is now leaving a glittering inter county career behind without winning an All-Ireland senior medal. Ardmore’s Clinton Hennessy is virtually certain to be handed the goalkeeping duties, and it would be as well that this crucial position is nailed down as early in the new playing season as possible. Last year it seems no one in authority knew who the first choice netminder would be, but when given his belated chance Hennessy grasped it with open arms with a super display against Cork in the All-Ireland quarter final.
Limerick are promising to field as strong a side as possible, and there could be an eagerly awaited return for the towering Brian Begley who has been dogged by injury for nigh on two years.
An integral part of their great three-ina- row All-Ireland Under 21 victories of the comparatively recent past, a fully fit Begley would be a massive boost for the Shanonsiders who are quietly fancying their own chances in the coming year. They showed definite signs of a resurgence when testing Kilkenny in last year’s championship, and under the guile and experience of Joe McKenna are looking for even better things in the year ahead.
Even with home advantage this will be a very difficult game for us to win. Limerick are coming to town with no other intention than to kick start 2006 with a victory, and it should be a really stern test of our fellows in these first weeks of a new year. The result of course is not all important, and while we would take a win with open arms the display, especially of the newcomers, will be of even greater interest. Should be a lively affair though, and well worth a visit.
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