EIGHT MEMBERS OF the Galway squad from last May’s All-Ireland U21 final triumph have been named in the side for tomorrow’s Connacht U21 opener against Leitrim.
Six players who started in that victory over Cork in the Gaelic Grounds are included with full-back James Shaughnessy and wing-back Eoin Walsh both part of the rearguard last year.
A strong attack boasts survivors in Cathal Mulryan, Damien Comer, Sean Moran and Ian Burke. Comer scored Galway’s only goal in that decider while Mulryan and Burke struck 0-7 from play between them.
Injury rules Shane Walsh, one of the attacking stars from last year, out of the Galway side on this occasion. Corner-back Liam Silke and corner-forward Shane Maughan were both substitutes for Galway last year.
Six players from the Galway side – Shaughnessy, Walsh, Mulryan, Maughan, Moran and Burke – played when they lost the 2011 All-Ireland minor semi-final to Dublin.
Wing-back John Hanbury won an All-Ireland minor hurling medal that year for Galwaay.
Here’s the Galway team in full:
GALWAY: Ruairi Lavelle (Renvyle); Liam Silke (Corofin), James Shaughnessy (Ballinasloe), Eoghan Kerins (Annaghdown); Fintan Cooney (Spiddal), Eoin Walsh (Moycullen), John Hanbury (St Michael’s); Michael Day (Headford), Enda Tierney (Oughterard); Cathal Mulryan (Cortoon Shamrocks), Damien Comer (Annaghdown), Sean Moran (Claregalway); Shane Maughan (St Michael’s), Ian Burke (Corofin), Eamon Brannigan (St Michael’s).
Here’s the fixture details for tomorrow’s Cadbury’s Connacht U21 semi-final clashes:
Connacht U21 semi-finals
Leitrim v Galway, Páirc Sean MacDiarmada, 4.30pm
Sligo v Roscommon, Markievicz Park, 4.30pm
