New Limerick hurling boss Pad Joe Whelehan has stamped his mark on the county's new squad by making some striking decisions. Much vaunted 'keeper Timmy Houlihan has been axed from the county's initial training squad along with seasoned campaigner James Moran while the promising Paudie O'Dwyer and Eoin Foley have also been left out. Meanwhile the return of former favourite Pat Heffernan, after an absence of eight years from the county scene, was also another surprising move by the Whelehan camp. Significantly experienced campaigners Stephen McDonagh and Ciaran Carey remain in favour. Team-manager Whelehan would not be drawn on the question of the merits of axing or retaining particular individuals. "There's something like 25 new faces, but just because there's a name or two missing from this squad doesn't mean they won't be there later on. "We have everyone's number," Whelehan explained. Tweet

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