THE quarter-finals of the Antrim senior hurling championship have all the hallmarks of a seeded affair.
With the top four north Antrim sides - Ballycastle, Cushendall, Dunloy and Loughgiel - drawn apart and facing the lesser mortals of Rossa, St Gall's, Clooney Gaels and St John's, it looks as if all the serious action will take place at the semi-final stage.
Corrigan Park hosts Saturday evening's games, with McQuillan's, Ballycastle and Loughgiel Shamrocks making the trip to Belfast, where, on paper, both should return with their semi-final tickets secure.
However, at 4.30pm, Rossa will be hoping a different story can transpire against McQuillan's. Since battling their way back to the top grade, Rossa have shown some of their old grit and determination and in their league battles with 'the Town', they gave as good as they got. Beaten out of sight in their trip to the seaside, 1-6 to 4-35, Rossa returned the compliment when the McQuillan's came visiting, 2-14 1-7.
Both sides have their quality hurlers and both will be keen to stamp their authority on this game. While the firepower of Ballycastle in the form of Saul McCaughan and company may just prove too much, Rossa certainly will feature prominently in this one and, if the seeding format is to be upset, then this is where it could happen.
In their last league game up in Dunloy, Rossa were only halted by a late six-point burst, but the performances of Ciarán Orchin, Gerard Walsh, Stephen Shannon, Michael Armstrong, Stephen Beattie and sharp shooting corner-forward Seaghan Shannon certainly strengthened their case for advancement.
St Gall's, last season's beaten finalists are next up, with a massive task against Loughgiel (6pm) and, if league results are anything to go by, they are again in for a tough time. At home, 18 points separated the sides while, on their away trip, the Milltown men were beaten out of sight, 8-27 to 0-2.
They can be given little chance, despite last season's good run, including a reasonable showing against Cushendall in the final. Against the firepower of Eddie McCloskey, Barney McAuley, Joey Scullion, Shay Casey and Damien Laverty, they will be lucky to get within 10.
On Sunday afternoon, Dunloy enter the race when they take on Clooney Gaels at Loughgiel (2.30pm). Again, league results would give the Ahoghill side little chance, losing by 13 points at home and 14 away to the Cuchullian's. They have become accustomed to losing and, despite the best efforts of county star PJ O'Connell, have won no games to date in their current league campaign. Against the might of Nigel Elliott, Paddy Doherty, Kevin Molloy, Seán Dowds and Paul Shiels, if he has recovered from injury, it is hard to see them going any further.
Finally on Sunday, champions Cushendall put their title on the line when they face St John's at Dunloy (6.30pm) in a game they would be expected to win. That said, they have had a rocky enough season, including a one-point home defeat inflicted by the Johnnies.
The Championship, however, is entirely different stuff and both clubs in the past have been able to rise to the occasion. St John's, no doubt, will give it their all, with Michael Bradley and the Johnsons - Conor and Ciarán - leading the line, but against Neil McManus, Ryan McCambridge, Chris and Shane McNaughton and Conor McClaffery, they certainly have their work cut out.
