THERE’S ONE SENIOR championship debut handed out by the Waterford footballers for Saturday’s Munster opener and it’s to a forward with senior and U21 hurling experience.
An Rinn club man Donie Breathnach is named to start at corner-forward for the clash with Cork in the Fraher Field at 7pm.
Breathnach featured for the Waterford U21 hurlers in 2014 when they lost out to Cork in the Munster semi-final. Tadhg de Búrca, Jamie Barron, Jake Dillon and Austin Gleeson were amongst his team-mates on that U21 side.
In 2015 he was brought in by Derek McGrath to the senior squad for the early stages of the season, lining out in the Waterford Crystal Cup and in Division 1B of the hurling league against Laois.
There is also a first championship start for wing-forward Conor Murray from Rathgormack, who came on as a substitute in last year’s defeats to Tipperary in the Munster quarter-final and to Leitrim in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
Waterford manager Tom McGlinchey is able to call on 11 of the Deise side that started in that defeat to Leitrim with Breathnach, Murray, midfielder Michael Curry and centre-forward Paul Whyte, who captains the team, the additions to the starting side.
Waterford finished sixth in Division 4 of this year’s Allianz football league, picking up two victories in their opening games against London and Wicklow.
Waterford
1. Stephen Enright (Ballinacourty)
2. Brian Looby (Ballinacourty)
3. Thomas O’Gorman (The Nire)
4. Tadhg Ó hUallacháin (An Rinn)
5. James McGrath (The Nire)
6. Stephen Prendergast (Kilrossanty)
7. Ray Ó Ceallaigh (An Rinn)
8. Tommy Prendergast (Kilrossanty)
9. Michael Curry (Rathgormack)
10. Michael O’Halloran (Ballinacourty)
11. Paul Whyte (Kilrossanty – captain)
12. Conor Murray (Rathgormack)
13. Donie Breathnach (An Rinn)
14. Joey Veale (Kilrossanty)
15. Gavin Crotty (Dungarvan)
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