Dublin will look to senior players – Oisín Gough, Peter Kelly, Liam Rushe, and David Treacy – to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Kilkenny and inspire the Dublin under-21s in Wednesday night’s Bord Gáis Energy Leinster U21HC semi-final against the Cats at Nowlan Park (7.30).
In a strong looking Dublin team Gough and Kelly take their places in defence while Rushe and Treacy will be looked to for scores against this highly-rated Kilkenny side who totally outclassed Offaly in their quarter-final. Indeed the Kilkenny defence did not concede a score against Offaly in the second half.
Kelly has operated mostly in the half-forward line for the senior hurlers but played at wing-back when winning a provincial minor medal three seasons ago.
Finn McGarry, a Dublin senior panellist, lines out in goal while corner-back Ronan Walsh is also a member of Anthony Daly’s senior set-up.
Up front David Quinn has been positioned at full-foward, the Lucan Sarsfields man won an All-Ireland U21 football championship with the Dubs earlier this year. The full-forward also includes Niall McMorrow who scored 0-5 (0-1f) for Ballyboden St Enda’s in their recent Leinster SHL Division 1 final extra-time victory over Kilkenny’s Erin’s Own at Nowlan Park.
Four of Wedneday night’s starting 15 were members of the DIT side which were on the colleges team which won the All-Ireland Freshers Division 1 title in 2008 – Finn McGarry, Peter Buckeridge, David Tracey, and Aodhán McEnerney.
DUBLIN (U21HC v Kilkenny)
1 Finn McGarry (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
2 Ronan Walsh (Kilmacud Crokes)
3 Darren Kelly (Craobh Chiaráin)
4 Oisín Gough (Cuala)
5 Peter Kelly (Lucan Sarsfields)
6 Aodhán McEnerney (St Brigid’s)
7 Martin Quilty (Na Fianna)
8 Conor Clinton (Kilmacud Crokes)
9 Peter Buckeridge (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
10 Shane Stapleton (St Pat’s, Palmerstown)
11 Liam Rushe (St Pat’s, Palmerstown)
12 Daire Plunkett (St Brigid’s)
13 Niall McMorrow (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
14 David Quinn (Lucan Sarsfields)
15 David Treacy (Cuala)
Meanwhile, the Kilkenny starting 15 for Wednesday night’s clash includes eight players who started last year’s All-Ireland final defeat to Clare.
KILKENNY: C McGrath; A Cuddihy, C Fogarty, R Doyle; PJ Rowe, K Mooney, D Langton; P Murphy, C Fennelly;
M Bergin, JJ Dunphy, L Ryan; E Murphy, W Walsh, J Nolan.
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