Kilkenny's All-Ireland winning coach Brian Cody and his Limerick counterpart Richie Bennis have been appointed as managers of the Vodafone All-Star Hurling Selections of 2006 and 2007 for next Saturday's exhibition game at New York's Gaelic Park.
The two managers are former All-Stars themselves and toured New York and the United States on early All-Stars tours in the 1970s. This is the first time that the All-Stars have visited New York since the tours were revived under Vodafone's sponsorship in 1999.
Gaelic Park has undergone a considerable transformation this
year with a new all-weather surface laid and floodlights erected.
GAA President Nickey Brennan will perform the opening ceremony on
Saturday evening, fifteen minutes before the throw-in which is
scheduled for 6.00pm (1.00pm Irish time).
Four of the All-Stars of '06 and '07 - Brian Murphy (Cork),
Jerry O'Connor (Cork), Ken McGrath (Waterford) and Dan Shanahan
(Waterford) - are unable to travel. Replacements have been selected
for those players, as well as for the injured James 'Cha'
Fitzpatrick and Henry Shefflin, who will travel, and the double
award winners Tony Browne, Tommy Walsh and Eddie Brennan.
Amongst those selected to travel is the talented Laois star James Young who was nominated in both years for the All-Stars award.
The Vodafone All-Stars have visited Dubai, Buenos Aires, Arizona, San Diego, Hong Kong and Singapore over the last seven seasons. The 2006 and 2007 Hurling Selections leave Dublin on Thursday and return to Ireland on December 5th.
"We expect this to be a nostalgic trip as the All-Stars return to New York after a long absence," said Vodafone Ireland's Strategy Director Gerry Fahy. "Certainly the GAA fans in New York can expect a true exhibition of hurling from the leading players and this will be another great chapter in the history of the All Stars tours."
The Vodafone All-Stars:Donal Og Cusack (Cork), Eoin Murphy (Waterford), JJ Delaney (Kilkenny), Tony Browne (Waterford), Ronan Curran (Cork), Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny), Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny), Eoin Kelly (Tipperary), Martin Comerford (Kilkenny), Tony Griffin (Clare), Brian Murray (Limerick), Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny), Declan Fanning (Tipperary), Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny), Michael Walsh (Waterford), Ollie Moran (Limerick), Stephen Molumphy (Waterford), Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Limerick), Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny)..
Replacements list:Noel Hickey (Kilkenny), Derek Lyng (Kilkenny), Aidan Kearney (Waterford), Eoin McGrath (Waterford), John Mullane (Waterford), Donal O'Grady (Limerick), Mike Fitzgerald (Limerick), Seamus Hickey (Limerick), Conor O'Mahony (Tipperary), Shane McGrath (Tipperary), James Young (Laois), Keith Rossiter (Wexford), Alan Kerins (Galway), Neil Ronan (Cork).