Hurling & Camogie

Antrim hurlers should have too much for London in NHL opener

Antrim's management team have got the squad fitter for the start of their Allianz NHL Division 2A opener
Antrim's management team have got the squad fitter for the start of their Allianz NHL Division 2A opener Antrim's management team have got the squad fitter for the start of their Allianz NHL Division 2A opener

Allianz National Hurling League Division 2A: Antrim v London (tomorrow, Corrigan Park, 1pm)

THE road to redemption for the Antrim hurlers starts tomorrow in Corrigan Park. There have been many lows in the county over the years but 2015 and 2016 were particularly desperate times.

Relegated in the League and Championship two years ago, many thought it couldn’t get any worse. But it did.

After a decent start to their Allianz NHL Division 2A campaign, they lost three on the bounce to Westmeath, Carlow and London.

By the time the Christy Ring came around, PJ O’Mullan jr had stepped down as manager and quartet Dominic McKinley, Terence McNaughton, Gary O’Kane and Neal Peden stepped into the breach.

They reached the Christy Ring final against Meath but all that stage did was shine an unforgiving light on Antrim's poor fitness levels.

Meath ran them ragged over the two games and deservedly annexed the silverware.

McKinley, McNaughton, O’Kane and Peden were persuaded to stay on as Antrim’s management team in 2017 and their pre-season couldn’t have gone any better.

They faced last year’s All-Ireland finalists Kilkenny and Tipperary as part of their preparation for their Division 2A campaign.

They’re also considerably fitter than this time 12 months ago.

Paul Shiels, Neil McManus and Conor McCann have returned to the fold too and following Slaughtneil’s ascendancy to the All-Ireland stage, Antrim have a full deck to choose from.

“Last year was a topsy-turvy year,” said wing-back Simon McCrory, who will continue as team captain.

“Sometimes you were wondering when it was going to be over and get back to playing club games. When PJ came in he tried; even the year before Kevin Ryan had tried as well.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out. But Terence, Dominic, Gary and Neal have come in and steadied the ship.

“Training was enjoyable and it was tough and it was exactly what we’d got when they were taking us as minors. We were well used to what they bring to the table."

McCrory added: “Our management team talk about work-rate and winning your own ball, the bread and butter things of hurling. Sometimes when you talk about it, it doesn’t really hit home.

“But when you see a team like Kilkenny at the top level doing it, it really does hammer home the message. That’s what I took out of that Kilkenny game.

“Their work-rate off the ball, their tackling, their aggression is first class ¬ and that’s something we have to emulate and bring to Division Two and the Christy Ring this year.”

Neil McManus sustained a fractured cheekbone in Antrim’s hugely encouraging display against Tipperary on January 29 and the side will sorely miss his ball-winning ability and eye for a score in the early rounds of this season’s Allianz League campaign.

St Paul’s corner-back Stephen Rooney has been a real find this year while fit-again Neal McAuley, Tiernan Coyle, Ruairi Diamond and Maol Connolly offer excellent reserve options against the Exiles tomorrow.

Now in his third season in charge of London, Meath native Fergus McMahon may have lost a half dozen players from last season but has great belief in the squad he’s assembled for 2017.

“Maybe this year I’ve got the hardest working squad – and maybe that’s the best thing to have,” said McMahon, who captained London to the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2005.

“So I’m hoping to go places with this squad.”

McMahon still has a host of established names that saw London beat an out-of-sorts Antrim in Ruislip 11 months ago.

Christy Ring Allstar and Cork native Tomas Lawrence is still in defence, while Shane O’Donnell, Brian Regan, Oisin Gately and ‘keeper Eoin Kelly are also likely to see action in Corrigan Park tomorrow but top scorer and Dubliner Kevin O’Loughlin misses out through injury.

It's impossible to over-state the importance of this clash to Antrim tomorrow. Despite the lack of collective training sessions done, London appear to fancy the challenge.

“In many ways it’s probably the perfect start for us,” said McMahon. “Antrim, I’m sure, will be the standard-bearers this year. We will know straight away where our standards are.

“There’s no point in playing Antrim last in the League and going through the League and not learning anything.”

Antrim's pre-season games against Kilkenny and Tipp should stand to them tomorrow.

They'll miss McManus, but they have enough raw material at both ends of the field to get off to a winning start.

Antrim (NFL v London): C O’Donnell; S Rooney, J Dillon, Ciaran Johnston; S McCrory, O McFadden, C McKinley; E Campbell, D McKernan; P McGill, C McCann, N McKenna; C Clarke, P Shiels, Conor Johnston Subs: R Elliott, N McAuley, M Donnelly, D Murphy, R Diamond, T Coyle, M Connolly, J Maskey, C Carson, P Burke, J McNaughton