Mattie Lennon has named an experienced team for his first competitive game in charge of the Monaghan senior hurlers, which takes place this Sunday in Clones against Donegal. Monaghan will be keen to get their Allianz National Hurling League Division 3A campaign off to a winning start and there are no NHL debutants in the starting team, which is dominated by the current ‘big two’ of Monaghan hurling – Castleblayney and Inniskeen. County champions Blayney have nine players on the first fifteen, alongside five Grattans and Clontibret’s Seán Leonard, who is part of an experienced spine which also features Jim McHugh, Peter Treanor, captain Gary Boyd, Trevor Hilliard and Stephen Lambe. There are, however, a number of new players on the substitutes list, including Conor McKenna (Truagh), Aonghus Mac Suibhne (Carrickmacross), Shane McNally (Clontibret) and Monaghan Harps quartet Patrick Meehan, Patrick Hannon, Maurice McKenna and Gavin Baxter.
Monaghan (v Donegal – NHL): Ronan McAteer; Jim McHugh, Paul Murphy, Mark Treanor; Paul Meegan, Peter Treanor, Séamus Loftus; Gary Boyd (Capt.), Trevor Hilliard; Martin Murphy, Stephen Lambe, Mickey McHugh; Michael Lennon, Seán Leonard, Brian McGuigan.
Subs: Gerard Ruddy, Pauric Dowdall, Alan Lambe, Aonghus Mac Suibhne, Noel Morgan, Gavin Baxter, Patrick Meehan, Patrick Hannon, Maurice McKenna, Conor McKenna, Shane McNally.
By michael Sat 25th Feb
