The Armagh hurlers kickstart their 2023 season this evening as they take on Antrim in the first round of the McGurk Cup.
Armagh won two of their three McGurk Cup outings last year, but the competition now has a knockout structure.
They overcame Louth and QUB but lost out to Down, who ultimately won the tournament, by one point.
Karl McKeegan, entering his first season in charge of Armagh, may try out some new faces in his first game.
The Middletown contingent, who reached the Ulster IHC final recently, are unlikely to feature just yet.
Peadar McBride and Sean Og McGuinness have been called into the panel following their club performances.
With Simon Doherty retiring from inter-county duty, McKeegan will be on the hunt for a new netminder.
Conor McAnallen of Keady along with Sean Treacy’s Caolan McCann will compete with Middletown’s Fintan Woods for the number one shirt.
New recruits
Artie McGuinness is another who has stepped away, but his brother Eoin and fellow Newry Shamrocks clubman, are on the panel.
Dean Gaffney is heading to Australia, so some new recruits will be required. Keady sharpshooter Tomas Galvin has been called up to the panel, as has Conor Farrell and Barry Shortt.
Stefan McParland of Cuchulainns along with Ciaran Duffy are also on the team, along with Paddy Garvey of Craobh Rua.
St Enda’s (Antrim) hurler Cormac Jennings has recently relocated to Lurgan and will compete for an Armagh jersey this season.
Odhran McCann, Tiarnan McKavanagh and Rory Shine from Junior champions Sean Treacy’s will hope for some game time.
Oisin O’Hare (Craobh Rua) and Jordan Murtagh (Cuchulainns) are playing for QUB during the McGurk Cup.
They were part of the Queen’s side that hammered Antrim and will take on Down this evening in the quarter-final.
Armagh are back in Division 3A this season and will be pushing hard for promotion to Division Two.
The hurlers reached the league final last year, but lost out to Nickey Rackard Cup champions Tyrone.
