Ulster Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: Antrim v Donegal (today, Celtic Park, 3pm)
ANTRIM’S joint hurling boss Neal Peden has heaped praise on DJ Kane after his motivational talk prior to last weekend’s epic promotion victory over Carlow.
The Down football legend was charged with training the Antrim hurlers in pre-season and was brought back into the fold before last week’s shoot-out.
Speaking at Monday night’s Ulster Senior Hurling Championship launch at Belfast’s Balmoral Hotel, Peden revealed that Kane’s rousing speech gave Antrim the edge they needed to secure promotion back to Division 1B.
“DJ has climbed the mountain and lifted the trophies,” said Peden. “He’s not a hurler; but it’s not about the hurling. It’s about trying to give players that wee mental edge.
“I’m always impressed with DJ. There’s an air about him and he’s been there.
“When he spoke you could see that the players were listening...
“You’re just trying to get that extra inch out of everybody, and that’s why DJ was brought in. It’s not about the managers, it’s about who can help to get the best out of these players. If it’s going to help, why not do it?”
After the highs of last weekend in muddy Newry, Antrim's attentions turn to the Ulster Championship.
Over the last number of years the provincial series has fallen into disrepair.
No longer carrying the prestige it won’t once did, the Ulster Council has decided to run the competition off over a two-week period between the end of the NHL and before the various All-Ireland tournaments rather than its tradition June slot.
Peden admitted Antrim would have preferred a couple of weeks break to re-charge and “get some energy back into the players” ahead of their Christy Ring opener against Carlow on Saturday April 22.
But today’s semi-final clash with Donegal at Celtic Park is an opportune time to give some squad members a chance to stake their claim for a slot in Antrim’s strongest XV.
And the Ulster champions have some good options in reserve.
Tiernan Coyle, Odhran McFadden, Daniel McKernan, Maol Connolly, Paddy McGill and James McNaughton haven’t had a lot of opportunities to impress this season.
So Donegal, Division 3A winners last weekend, will be facing a highly motivated side this afternoon.
“The League was our major goal, and thank God we won it,” said Peden.
“So, for us, the Christy Ring is our next major concern. That’s not saying we’re dismissing the Ulster Championship. We’re playing in it and we’ll give it our all.
“But it has come at a bad time. I don’t know what the answer is [to the Ulster Championship] because it wasn’t working.
“Do you put it before the League? I don’t think that will work either. You have to put it somewhere. But we’re out against Donegal and we’ll be there.”
The St John’s clubman added: “There will be guys we can give some game-time to and it’s only right we give them a chance and see what they can do.
“You need strength in depth because we’re going to get injuries and we need to fill those places.
“The only way we can do that is by giving them time on the pitch.”
Peden has been a member of the “four-headed beast” managerial team [including Terence McNaughton, Dominic McKinley and Gary O’Kane] since the middle of last season.
Despite declarations to the contrary, the four-man team was persuaded to continue in the role in 2017 and they have already achieved their key objective of getting back into Division 1B next season.
“People call us the four-headed beast but we work well and we get on well, and it’s good when we come together and it’s good we’re not always together.
“We’re from different backgrounds, we’re all from different clubs and we’ve all competed against each other.
“We talk things through an awful lot. We do have our disagreements and that’s natural. But we think it out and try and pick the team that’s going to get us a result. Each week is different.
“If we can move Antrim forward, incrementally, hopefully we can leave the team in a better place.”
Peden played for the county hurlers during the 1980s. He went to play in America in ’88 and missed out on the ’89 team that reached the All-Ireland final.
A bad knee injury finished his inter-county career in the early 90s but he was later recruited by former Saffron boss Jim Nelson as a selector in 1993.
“The Ulster Championship was amazing back then, the publicity, and the crowd that went to watch the games.
“People wanted the Ulster title and it was competitive. Down were very competitive and there wasn’t much between us. Derry won a couple too and because it was competitive that got people coming to watch the matches.
“But if it’s not competitive people don’t want to go and see it. That’s why I was pleased to see Armagh stepping forward [gaining promotion to Division 2A last year].”
Donegal will present an interesting challenge to Antrim this afternoon. Davin Flynn and Lee Henderson are among a fine crop of hurlers in the county and the side are used to playing at Celtic Park.
After surging to the League title last weekend by beating Tyrone by 22 points, Donegal would take great pleasure in giving the champions a bloody nose.
But pulling off a major upset will probably be beyond them.
