London hurlers looking to upset the odds at Kildare
New London manager Kevin McMullan has had to contend with the lack of pre-season game his Thamessiders side have had before they open up their Allianz Hurling League 2B campaign away to Kildare on Sunday.
The London hurlers face a similar issue to their Gaelic football counterparts when it comes to the lack of pre-season games and have only played a single friendly against Cork side Kanturk – unlike tomorrow’s opponents who have had the luxury of having four warm-up games under their belt.
London, will be looking to bounce back to Division 2A after being relegated at Ruislip in a winner-takes-all match relegation decider against Mayo last year.
London have lost last season’s captain Killian Burke due to work commitments and there are still doubts on whether Jesse Kennedy will commit to the county panel. It would be a big boost for McMullan to have Kennedy in his squad given the fact he’s impressed in the past for St Jude’s and Trinity College as well as London.
Players from Robert Emmetts and St Gabriel’s fill a selection of spaces on the London hurling panel including Kerry’s Jack Goulding, Mark Lawless – who is the brother to Shane Lawless, who has played county for London for a number of seasons.
London will also be able to call on young Dubliner Sean Casserly who can play either on the half-forward or full-forward line. Casserly impressed for his home club Ballinteer St Johns before making the switch to London in September to do a masters degree at university and has the ability to provide London with points when the boys from the capital need him the most.
The Lilywhites have the edge over their London visitors in recent times. They’ve met three times in the last two years in both league and championship with Kildare coming out on top on two occasions, including in the 2018 Christy Ring Cup final at Croke Park.
Although Kildare may be slight favourites over London, the visitors shouldn’t be written off despite the turnover of players and will most definitely be challenging for an immediate return to Division 2A.
