Louth hurlers welcome Longford in final NHL encounter

Louth senior hurling team will aim to round off their Allianz National Football League Division 4 campaign with another win when they take on Longford at Pairc Naomh Brid, Dowdallshill, today at 2.00pm.

The Wee County have been in flying form and are currently sitting top of the table on nine points after five games. They’ve won four and lost just once, racking up an impressive 122 points while conceding only 69.

Their scoring power has been a standout, particularly in their victories over Fermanagh, Monaghan, Warwickshire, and Lancashire.

However, their only slip came in a tight battle against Leitrim, where the teams played out a draw.

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Longford, on the other hand, come into this game sitting in fourth place with four points. They’ve played one less game than Louth and will be hoping to cause an upset.

Their campaign has been mixed, with wins over Warwickshire and Lancashire but defeats to Fermanagh and Leitrim.
Louth senior hurling manager, Trevor Hilliard, is keen for his side to keep their momentum going into the final game.

(Allianz National Hurling League, Division 4 table)

He told the Dundalk Democrat: “We are going to go into the game with the same attitude as today. We are hoping to go unbeaten in it.

“We are not going to ease off on Saturday, we will be still going with as strong a team as what is fit. 

“Obviously, we picked up a few knocks - Peter Fortune, Mark Gahan, and then with Smithy (Andrew Smyth) out, Adam Plunkett not here, or Brian Corcoran. 

“We picked up a lot of knocks now in the last two weeks, so hopefully these lads are ready to get a bit of game time on Saturday and get ready for the final.” 

Louth Starting 15: Conor Clancy (c); 2. John Casey, 3. Conor Quigley, 4. Stephen Kettle; 5. Seán Hodgins, 6. Leon Fox, 7. Aaron McGuinness; 8. Ben Goss-Kieran, 9. Mark Gahan; 10. Conor Murphy, 11. Seán Flynn, 12. Darren Geoghegan; 13. Thomas McCreesh, 14. Peter Fortune, 15. Brian Corcoran.

Substitutions: 16. Ricky McKeown, 17. Kyle Rafferty, 18. Adam Plunkett, 19. Sam Phelan, 20. James Costello, 21. Tadhg Dowdall, 22. Seaghan Connelly, 23. James Murphy, 24. James Byrne, 25. David Stephenson, 26. Seán Maguill.

Referee Nicholas Barry from Waterford will take charge of proceedings.

(Louth 26-man side named to play Longford. Louth GAA)