Picky is back! Maher named on bench as Laois make two changes for Westmeath clash

Laois senior hurling manager Tommy Fitzgerald has named his starting 15 and substitutes for Sunday's trip to Mullingar to face Westmeath in the Allianz Hurling League Division 2.

Laois fans will be delighted to see the name of a certain Stephen 'Picky' Maher on the substitutes bench, with the Clough/Ballacolla forward having not played for Laois since they lost out to Wexford in an All-Ireland SHC Preliminary Quarter-Final in June 2024.

In terms of the starting 15, Fitzgerald has made two changes from the side that needed a last-gasp point from Cormac Byrne to get the win against Kerry in Portlaoise last weekend. Clough/Ballacolla's Lee Cleere comes back into the starting team in place of Padraig Dunne, while Camross' Eoin Gaughan replaces his fellow clubmate Mark Dowling in the forwards.

LAOIS: Cathal Dunne (Clough/Ballacolla); Ian Shanahan (Ballinakill), Lee Cleere (Clough-Ballacolla), Cody Comerford (The Harps); Fiachra C Fennell (Rosenallis), Podge Delaney (The Harps), Ryan Mullaney (Castletown); David Dooley (Rosenallis), Aidan Corby (Clough/Ballacolla); James Keyes (Colt-Shanahoe), Jack Kelly (Rathdowney-Errill), Eoin Gaughan (Camross); Cillian Dunne (Clough/Ballacolla), Aaron Dunphy (Borris-Kilcotton), Tomas Keyes (Camross).

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SUBS: Eoin Reilly (Abbeyleix), Ciaran McEvoy (Portlaoise), Padraig Dunne (The Harps), Jordan Walshe (Clough/Ballacolla), Fionan Mahony (Abbeyleix), Eoghan Cuddy (Camross), Fionn Holland (Clonad), Stephen Maher (Clough/Ballacolla), Mark Dowling (Camross), Cormac Byrne (Abbeyleix), Colin Byrne (Abbeyleix).

Laois v Westmeath throws-in at 2pm in TEG Cusack Park on Sunday, March 1.