Offaly beset by injuries ahead of Longford showdown

Already without a number of veterans who retired since last season, Offaly will go into this Sunday’s crucial league opener with Longford without the services of a number of key players.

Captain Richie Dalton, Ross Brady, Michael Brazil, David Hanlon and Niall McNamee are all out for the game. McNamee has returned to training but is not in the squad for the game. The other four players are out due to injury.

However the squad is boosted by the return of other players. Back into the side come Anton Sullivan and Bernard Allen who were playing with their respective colleges in the early season tournaments. Shane Sullivan also makes a welcome return to the starting 15.

New recruit Brian Hanamy makes his debut in midfield while dual star Daniel Currams is rewarded for his strong displays in the O’Byrne Cup with a start at centre-forward.

The team in full:

1 Kevin Meehan

2 James Gallagher

3 Paul McConway

4 Sean Pender

5 Brian Darby

6 Shane Sullivan

7 Lorcan Hiney

8 Brian Hanamy

9 Niall Smith

10 Aidan Keenaghan

11 Daniel Currams

12 Anton Sullivan

13 Bernard Allen

14 Alan Mulhall

15 Nigel Dunne