Rigney hands keeper's jersey to Carroll
Laois manager Niall Rigney has handed a Championship debut to Patrick Carroll after naming his side to face Carlow in this Saturday's GAA Leinster Senior Hurling Championship opener at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise.
The Mountrath clubman will make his first Championship start for the O'Moore's between the posts.
Carroll featured in just two of Laois's seven Allianz NHL games in Spring, and shared the goalkeeping duties with Eoin Reilly, who was first choice keeper.
The UCD student lined out for Laois in their opening NHL Division 2 tie against Clare, and their final round victory over Carlow, which also earned Rigney's charges a Walsh Shield title.
Last year's stand-in keeper Tadhg Doran was recently recalled to the panel, with regular net-minder Patrick Mullaney failing to feature this year.
Mullaney wasn't recalled by manager Niall Rigney, despite the Castletown clubman making a string of match-winning saves in Ireland's victory over Scotland in the Hurling-Shinty International at Inverness, last October.
Meanwhile, there's good news for dual player Cahir Healy, with the Portlaoise clubman starting at full back, while 19-year old Neil Foyle from Borris-in-Ossory lines out at left corner-forward.
LAOIS (SH v Carlow): Pat Carroll, John A Delaney, Cahir Healy, Conor Dunne, Brian Campion, Matthew Whelan, Joe Fitzpatrick, Mick McEvoy, James Walsh, Shane Dollard, Willie Hyland, Zane Keenan, Eoin Costello, Tommy Fitzgerald, Neil Foyle.