Sport

Where do Antrim go from here?

Recent defeats by Carlow, Westmeath and Kerry have been a harsh indication of Antrim's current standing Picture: John McIlwaine.
Recent defeats by Carlow, Westmeath and Kerry have been a harsh indication of Antrim's current standing Picture: John McIlwaine. Recent defeats by Carlow, Westmeath and Kerry have been a harsh indication of Antrim's current standing Picture: John McIlwaine.

AS LANDINGS go, this one has shattered Antrim.

Three of their last four games have pitted them against opposition that played their league hurling in Division 2A this year.

Kerry, Westmeath and Carlow all beat them, two of them convincingly so, giving an indication of exactly where in the pecking order the Saffrons find themselves at the minute.

All the optimism that swirled around in the wake of reaching last year’s All-Ireland under-21 final has turned to dust, blown away by what could only be described as their annus horribilis.

Their win over Laois was their one and only competitive victory of the season to date. With only the much-maligned Ulster campaign ahead – one in which both Down and Derry will fancy their chances of finally ending the run of 13 straight Antrim successes – the future looks fairly unenterprising.

On the Off The Fence hotline this week, there were contrasting views. ‘PG’s tips’ rang in to call for the end of Kevin Ryan’s tenure.

“It’s with no great surprise that I see Antrim have fallen down yet another rung of the hurling ladder. Their demotion to the Christy Ring Cup, as well as their relegation to Division 2A of the League, are just rewards for a season of terrible performances. It’s sad to say that, ever since they put it up to Wexford on the first day of the season, they have looked every inch a second tier team. When you look back to last year’s Ulster final, they were very lucky to get past Derry. We thought it was a bad day then but it might just be that this is Antrim’s level now.

“I’m not a big one for chopping and changing managers, and feel that a lot of the time they take undue criticism because expectations often outweigh realistic possibilities. But for Antrim to have lost to Kerry and then been beaten so heavily by both Carlow and Westmeath, none of whom will make any impact on the Liam McCarthy Cup next season, surely signals the end of Kevin Ryan’s time in charge.”

On the other hand, ‘Glensman James’ backed the Waterford native.

“What more could any man have done with that Antrim squad than Kevin Ryan has? The reality is that, outside of almost upsetting Limerick in the minors a few years back, and taking the under-21s to the All-Ireland final last year, Antrim have done nothing of any real significance at underage. Last year’s minor team was hammered by a Galway side that was then hammered by Limerick in the semi-final. This year’s under-21s lost by 27 points to Clare. Where does Antrim hurling get its inflated sense of expectation from in light of such results? The sad thing is that they are down to Christy Ring and Division 2A next year and while they might come up again, it will be a long time before we see them compete at the top level under any manager.”

COK: I would be more inclined to side with James. While no doubt fingers will be pointed at Kevin Ryan, and with some degree of justification after their results in the Leinster qualifying group, the problems facing Antrim at present are much more deep-rooted than who is in charge of the seniors. As James rightly says, Antrim have not yet begun to compete properly at underage level. Reaching last year’s under-21 final by beating Wexford was a superb achievement but it was a one-off victory which, surrounded by their recent results at all underage grades, is in absolute isolation. One good result every five years is not the basis for building a competitive senior team.

An ‘Anonymous’ caller, meanwhile, took issue with the criticisms of Kevin Madden and Danny Hughes that were laid at the door of Joe McQuillan following his performance in the Donegal v Tyrone game.

“Reading your columns last week, Kevin Madden was complaining about the referee in the Tyrone-Donegal game and why he didn’t let the game play on after the ball hit him, or give Tyrone an indirect free-kick – neither of which he’s allowed to do. Then Danny Hughes says that Joe McQuillan giving Sean Cavanagh a black card followed by a red, which is totally confusing. Again, Joe McQuillan can do nothing else. If your columnists don’t know the rules, how do they expect other people to know them?”

CO’K: You are rights as regards the two points you make. Joe McQuillan was right to hop the ball in the first instance, and right to show black followed by red to a man committing a second offence. It just doesn’t excuse the rest of his decisions.

And finally, on the age-old debate regarding the ancient practice of verbally abusing your opponent in an undetectable manner, Old School Gael feels that old-school retribution is called for.

“I would love to see a bit of old school honour restored to Gaelic Football and a few ‘sledging’ slabbers left regretting their words. In the sanitised GAA that has been cultivated for some time now, no-one resorts to an old-fashioned punch anymore.

“There are certain things no manager or supporters should expect their players to put up with, even if the result is a red card and the loss of a match. Even as an Armagh supporter I was fully behind Stevie McDonnell a few years back when he was sent off in a championship match. When quizzed later as to why he had struck his opponent, Stevie replied, ‘because he deserved it’. Proper order. A few more like him could do us all a big favour.”

COK: It must be hard to keep your cool amidst some of the verbals that go on at that level, but the game is much more attractive to young players for the discipline of its modern players. A return to such thuggery would be a step backwards, not forward.