Bathshack Antrim Senior Hurling Championship final: Loughgiel Shamrocks v Ruairi Og, Cushendall (tomorrow, Ballycastle, 3pm)
LOUGHGIEL ace Eddie McCloskey only played five minutes of last season’s Antrim SHC defeat to Cushendall.
That was the re-scheduled semi-final clash last September that Cushendall won by a single point, en route to provincial glory and eventual defeat in the All-Ireland final.
McCloskey, having pulled a hamstring in the abandoned first game, was deemed not fit to start but was flung on as the Shamrocks threw everything at their opponents – to no avail.
This time around the 28-year-old is fit and in good form, having fired over three points in the semi-final win over Ballycastle a fortnight ago.
Cushendall await them in the final, trying to claim a third title on the spin. McCloskey is all too aware of their credentials and their ambition to reach the same heady heights of last year.
“I know last year it was a close game and hopefully we can try a wee bit harder and see where it takes us this year,” said McCloskey (right).
“Cushendall from one to 15 are a very, very good team and there’s no taking that away from them.
“Whenever you get a taste of it, you probably see how close you came and what a wee bit extra can do – they want to get back there.
“Obviously they will see us as an obstacle in getting back to that final again, so we’ll just have to kind of hang in there and see what happens.”
To reach the final, Loughgiel got the better of Ballycastle in a tough clash, although there were seven points in it at the end.
That said, they did not get it all their own way. Playing with the aid of a strong wind, they only led by three at the break – with four of their nine points coming late in the half.
Knowing that they had a slender lead at the break, and that Ballycastle would come on strong on the resumption, McCloskey gave an insight into how much planning goes into a game for a top class side like the former All-Ireland champions.
“Ballycastle are a physical team and we kind of expected what they brought,” he said.
“We knew that they would go defensive at the start – especially against the breeze and it would mean that it was congested up top for us.
“But we knew that they would have to open up – especially if they were chasing the game in the second half – and that would hopefully leave a bit more space for our forwards and that’s what happened.
“We were prepared if it didn’t happened – we had another thing up our sleeves… we’re ready for anything I suppose in a way.”
To reach the final Cushendall, meanwhile, had a convincing win against O’Donovan Rossa in which they led from start to finish.
They will surely look to push hard from the start and put Loughgiel on the back foot early. They certainly have the players to do just that.
Conor Carson, Christy McNaughton and Eoin Laverty all kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely and are a constant threat, while from the half-back line Paddy Burke and David Kearney not only typify their dynamism but can threaten the posts too.
Loughgiel, though, will be a tough nut to crack.
Tactically astute, they possess valuable experience within their ranks from the likes of DD Quinn, Neil McGarry, McCloskey and Liam Watson, and have other notable performers in the shape of Donal McKinley, Shea Casey and midfield pairing of Mark McFadden and Damian McMullan.
Last season’s game developed into a shoot-out between free-takers Liam Watson and Neal McManus – they scored 21 points between them.
If tomorrow’s game needs the sharpshooters to step up again, then Maol Connolly, who took over free-taking duties in the absence of Watson, has been unerring, while for Cushendall McManus and Laverty are equally capable
