CREGGAN Kickham’s dual player Conor McCann is ready to embrace a “hectic” club championship schedule and says county managers will probably be “holding their breath” that their respective squads return to duty unscathed.
While there have been murmurs of discontent among a few Antrim clubs over the tight time-frame, especially for dual players, more calendar space could be freed up if the Stormont Executive follow the south’s roadmap and allow contact training and games from mid-July and not July 31.
Creggan Kickhams are one of a number of dual clubs in the county and if they are successful in both codes they could be forced to play seven championship matches between August 9 and August 30.
That’s why virtually every club will be hoping for a mid-July start to give some space between championship fixtures.
Despite the heavy workload, McCann is not complaining about the schedule and currently can’t see a way around the condensed nature of the games, especially with county finals already overlapping with inter-county’s return to training on September 14.
Some clubs feel the county championship should be extended to the end of September, even though the Antrim senior hurlers and footballers are on the cusp of promotion in the National League.
McCann said: “I wouldn’t like to be in the County Board’s shoes that had to come up with a fixture list in that space of time. God forbid, if there are matches called off or a player in a team tests for Covid – you saw the AFL player from Tyrone, Conor McKenna, testing positive at the weekend. Something like that could throw everything off.
“I think the county board is doing all they can, and as things move forward there might be a few gaps that open up. As long as players are looked after, fitness-wise and injury-wise, and are given time to recover.
“You see in English soccer players are coming off injured. We’re also coming in at Championship pace as well.”
McCann, who is also captain of the Antrim senior hurlers, estimates that Kickham’s have nine starters on each squad at the club.
“The fixture list is going to be tough. I knew before it came out that it was going to be hectic for everyone,” he said.
“Our chairman and our senior members are very, very good who have a good working relationship and the hurling and football managers work well, which is good. But there’s going to be a stage where they’re just going to have to sit down and look at it all and plan as best we can. There’s no way around it.”
The Creggan footballers – managed by Gerard and Thomas McNulty – open their championship account against Portglenone on August 2 and three days later face Ahoghill in the group stages before turning their attention to the Intermediate hurling championship against Carey on August 9.
Naturally, McCann would be reluctant to sit out any championship games.
“You can’t go in taking opposition lightly any more. It would be quite hard to avoid complacency if you’re trying to avoid using certain players in different games as you could lose the way the team is playing.
“When you’ve a squad playing regularly together you know exactly how you’re set up. It’s going to be tough but there’s a big part of me who is looking forward to it too because we’ve obviously missed it. I think there is going to be a real buzz and excitement around the Championship. Nobody really knows how it’s going to turn out or what teams are going to come through.”
Given the tight time-frame, it could be county managers Darren Gleeson (hurling) and Lenny Harbinson (football) who suffer most when the players who travel deep in the club championships return for county duty.
A lot is riding on the outcome of Antrim’s Division Two play-off final with Kerry – should the GAA make room to conclude the National Leagues – while the footballers are potentially two wins away from hauling themselves out of Division Four for the first time in three years.
“We’re trying to prepare for a League final and you just hope everyone comes through,” said McCann.
“I think county managers will be just holding their breath hoping their players come back fit. And I know the footballers have a couple of big fixtures too.”
Despite the doom and gloom of last month and whether there would be any football or hurling played in 2020, McCann never lost hope games would return.
During lockdown McCann gave a helping hand to the club’s community festival by putting on a virtual coaching session.
“The club came together and decided to put on a range of events: cooking, coaching sessions, history events and there was a concert on Saturday night. It was just to give everyone a bit of a lift,” he said.
Meanwhile, club stalwart Gerard McLarnon, who suffered the ravaging effects of Covid19, has made steady progress since leaving hospital earlier this month.
