By John Haughey
ANTRIM GAA press nights before Ulster Football Championship matches are invariably an enjoyable occasion.
For the more rotund of sports reporters, the afters with its vast array of cakes and biscuits is an attraction. By that stage of the evening, the talk of how “we’ve trained hard and we’re very confident” and references to the opposition “not being any great shakes” is truly embedded in even the thickest of journalistic skulls.
It’s easy, and more than a tad understandable, to be cynical about the plight of Antrim football given the county’s disastrous championship run over the past 15 years. Eamonn Grieve, PJ O’Hare and John Morrison, most notably, amongst the seeming plethora of Antrim managers since 1982 who have talked up the county’s championship prospects in advance of first round fixtures. But while Antrim have emerged from a couple of those 14 reverses with their reputation enhanced, the league campaigns over the following winters have invariably shown the apparent progress to be illusory.
But the law of averages dictates that “one of these days”, Antrim will indeed win. Like his predecessor John Morrison, current Antrim manager Ray McDonnell is a man of boundless enthusiasm. But that’s where most of the similarities between the two men end. McDonnell has dispensed with the rave music tapes which Morrison used to spice up county training sessions.
He asserts that Donegal’s game plan always revolves around a fast start when the opposition are effectively broken in the opening 15 minutes. If Antrim were to win tomorrow’s Bank of Ireland sponsored fixture, as well as being their first championship success in 15 years, it would bridge a 27 year gap since their last win over Donegal in Ulster.
The media’s inevitable plumpings today and tomorrow for Donegal will only steel the resolve of Ray McDonnell and his players to cause a major shock. Donegal, who will parade eight of the 1992 All-Ireland winning line-up, undoubtedly are having major difficulties in coming up with men to fill the boots of Anthony Molloy, Joyce McMullan and especially the playmaking Martin McHugh.
But “one of these days” is unlikely to be tomorrow. Donegal should prove seven or eight points too good.
Munster Senior Hurling Championship: Limerick v Waterford (at Semple Stadium, 3.45)
TOM Ryan returns to the Championship trail as Limerick manager for his fourth campaign to reach the All-Ireland summit.
Ryan’s emotions have gone through the mincer in recent years, with two All-Ireland final defeats against Offaly and Wexford, two Munster titles, resignation and a change of heart.
Tipperary’s theatre of dreams gets the show on the road for another summer this weekend, and with star centre half-back Ciaran Carey and Allstar goalkeeper Joe Quaid sidelined through injury, it’s set to be another risky venture.
Verdict: Limerick should make it through to a clash with Tipp, yet missing Carey and Quaid’s steadying and inspiring influences might spark an upset.
EDDIE Irvine had a disappointing day at the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday.
Irvine, third in the championship after three successive podium finishes, lies only 10th after the opening day practice. Meanwhile, life is not much better for Damon Hill.
He is facing another pointless race tomorrow after being condemned to a further spell in Formula One’s slow lane.
The world champion, yet to finish in five outings with his new team, was third slowest in his ArrowsYamaha during today’s opening practice sessions.
Hill put on a brave face afterwards saying he was concentrating on his race day set-up, but he was still more than four seconds off pacesetter Jean Alesi’s time.
