The opening night of the Allianz Hurling Leagues takes place on Saturday and the opening game of Division IB sees Limerick host Wexford. Ahead of Saturday's game in the Gaelic Grounds, www.GAA.ie catch up with Lee Chin who admits that Liam Dunne's Wexford are hungry for success in the Allianz Leagues and want to get their 2016 campaign underway with a win. Ticket are available to purchase from selected SuperValu and Centra stores nationwide, adult tickets are available for €10 if purchased before matchday, U16's are free, while concessions and OAP tickets are available on matchday for €10.
Allianz Hurling League Division IB gets underway this weekend, with one game on Saturday evening and two on Sunday afternoon.
The team that finishes top of Division IB will be promoted to Division IA for 2017, while the top four in the division will advance to the Division I quarter-finals.
***
Allianz Hurling League Division IB Previews
Saturday, February 13
Limerick v Wexford, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm
After exhilirating campaigns in 2014, much was expected of both Limerick and Wexford last season. However, both endured somewhat disappointing seasons in both league and championship, increasing the urgency ahead of their league opener at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.
Promotion was a stated ambition of both sides last year but Waterford stole a march on all rivals in the division and Limerick and Wexford never really got going in 2015. However, their second (Limerick) and third (Wexford) place finishes in Division IB last year suggest that, along with Clare, they will be right in the hunt for promotion this year.
Last year's travails aside, there's no doubt that both have plenty of young talent to be excited about ahead of a new season. These two met in last year's All-Ireland U21 final, and although Limerick romped to victory in the end, Wexford can argue they have just as many emerging talents as the Treaty County do.
Liam Dunne has plenty of injury concerns ahead of Saturday though. Conor McDonald (hand) and Paul Morris (hamstring) are ruled out, while there are also doubts over Ian Byrne and Podge Doran. However, Wexford should have their Fitzgibbon contingent, which includes Jack Guiney and Lee Chin, available to them.
Limerick are without James Ryan (knee) and Seán Finn (cruciate), while they are also without their Na Piarsaigh players - Ronan Lynch, Cathal King, David Breen, Kevin Downes and Shane Dowling among them. Things may also be further complicated for Ryan given that three Limerick colleges - UL, LIT and Mary I - have made it through to the Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-finals, which take place next week.
**
Donal Og Davy
*
Sunday, February 14
Clare v Offaly, Cusack Park, Ennis, 2pm
Ever since Donal Óg Cusack was unveiled as one of Davy Fitzgerald's Clare deputies in the off-season, the dial appeared to have been re-jigged for the 2013 All-Ireland champions. Seemingly calmer and more focused this year, Clare have, for what it's worth, begun the season well, winning the Munster Senior Hurling League with wins over Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Limerick.
Relegated last year and struggling in the championship for the second year in a row, Clare, it seems, have something to prove in 2016 and Division IB would be an excellent place to start. Waterford showed last season that IB is as good a place as any to start a revolution from, but Fitzgerald has been cautious in his words ahead of the start of the campaign.
“We have nothing to prove this season. We will just keep going as best we can and see what happens,” he said. “Offaly will be coming to Ennis to show us a thing or two. We beat them well in the championship last year. They will be really improved and we will need to be up for that."
Clare will be without starman Tony Kelly for the next two months - the Ballyea suffered a serious ankle injury recently - while Pat Donnellan (cruciate) and Seadna Morey are also ruled out this weekend.
Offaly are under new management this year, former Kerry manager Éamonn Kelly taking over after having worked wonders with the Kingdom's hurlers. They had a decent Walsh Cup campaign, but it remains to be seen if the Faithful County can mount a promotion challenge in a tier that looks challenging this season.
**
O'Moore melody sweet in Plunkett's revolution
** **
Laois v Kerry, Portlaoise, 2pm
Many people will be looking out for Kerry's results in Division IB this season. The county's hurlers took a step towards moving out of the county's footballers' large shadow last season with a spectacular promotion from Division IIA which was followed by a Christy Ring Cup win that took them into the Liam MacCarthy Cup, which they will compete for this year via the Leinster round robin group.
It was a spectacular triumph for Kerry, but unfortunately for them they have lost the man who guided them to it, Éamonn Kelly leaving the Kingdom to take over fellow Division IB side Offaly. Limerick legend Ciarán Carey has replaced Kelly, but he faces a huge challenge to keep Kerry in the second tier, a major step up from the level they have been playing at for the past few years.
A series of gruelling fixtures for the Kingdom starts with a trip to face Séamus Plunkett's Laois in Portlaoise, and three years on since the man known as 'Cheddar' took over Laois, his popularity is undimmed given how much he has revived the county's small ball fortunes in that time.
The highlight of their season in 2015 was the Leinster Championship win over Offaly, but it has been a challenging off-season for the O'Moore County. Joe Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fitzgerald, John A Delaney, Brian Stapleton and James Walsh have all retired, although Plunkett got some good news recently when key duo Zane Keenan and Willie Hyland committed to the senior squad for 2016.
“I suppose the reality is that we will be playing a new team against Kerry this weekend, we have lost a lot of experience, and whether those losses will tell against us, we’ll only know this weekend,” said Plunkett ahead of this weekend's opener.
***
