Jimmy Barry-Murphy will decide the fate of Sean Og Ó hAilpín before the NHL starts.

Barry-Murphy restored Ó hAilpín to his squad immediately after his reappointment as Rebel County hurling boss last Autumn but has delayed making a decision on whether to include the veteran wing back in his league and championship panel.

Ó hAilpín has the next few weeks to prove that he is worthy of inclusion.

"We probably won't finalise our panel for the league until we see how the players fare in the Waterford Crystal Cup," the manager says in today's Irish Times.

"In this regard, Sean Óg is the same as every player we have on the training panel at the moment and it is up to the players to make strong cases for themselves in matches and in training over the next few weeks.

"We play either Kerry or Tralee IT in the first round of the Waterford Crystal on the 5th of February, and hopefully we'll get a few matches in the competition before we play our first league game against Waterford three weeks later." Tweet

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