Hurling & Camogie

Antrim hurlers will leave nothing to chance as Joe McDonagh final beckons

Darren Gleeson has made a fantastic job of the Antrim hurlers in 2020 Picture: Seamus Loughran.
Darren Gleeson has made a fantastic job of the Antrim hurlers in 2020 Picture: Seamus Loughran. Darren Gleeson has made a fantastic job of the Antrim hurlers in 2020 Picture: Seamus Loughran.

Joe McDonagh Cup: Meath v Antrim (today, Navan, 1pm)

DARREN Gleeson would beg to differ – but the Antrim hurlers already have one foot in next month’s Joe McDonagh final.

It’s exactly this kind of casual chat swirling around the county that every manager dreads.

Let’s lay out the permutations ahead of today’s trip to Navan.

It would take an incredible 27-point swing in Carlow’s favour to deny Antrim a place in the December 13 decider at Croke Park – a curtain-raiser to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling final.

Given Antrim’s brilliant form, their hosts today having nothing to play for and the demoralising picture the table paints for Carlow and you can see why it would be truly incredible if the Barrowsiders somehow pipped the Ulstermen.

Carlow themselves should take care of business away to Westmeath this afternoon, both games throwing in at 1pm, but it’s unfathomable to imagine Antrim leaving Pairc Tailteann after 3pm today without claiming their third win in four games.

Asked earlier this week was he tempted to give some squad members a run-out against Meath, Gleeson was emphatic in his answer.

“No, it’s full tilt,” said the Tipperary native.

“I’ve told the players this and I don’t mind saying it in public either: if you’re pulling on an Antrim jersey, you earn it. There are no jerseys handed out any more. It’s not a token gesture.

“We played two in-house games in the last 10 days and we’ll pick the team based on that and what we’ve done so far in the Joe McDonagh.”

Antrim’s exploits under Gleeson have gone slightly under the radar especially given the storied successes of Cavan and Tipperary in football.

But when you dig down into the Antrim hurlers’ season, they have performed heroically since the resumption of the inter-county circuit.

In an epic 13-period towards the end of October, Antrim clinched promotion back to Division One, absorbed a host of Covid-related cases, hammered Westmeath in their Joe McDonagh opener and drew upon on their reserves to snatch a late draw down in Carlow.

They showed all the traits you demand in a successful team: character, desire, togetherness and skill.

And yet, Gleeson continues to bob under the media’s radar.

Liam Sheedy spent part of his sabbatical away from the Tipperary job with Antrim, offering himself as a sounding board to joint managers Terence McNaughton and Dominic McKinley. He also persuaded Gleeson, a double All-Ireland winner with Tipp, to accompany him up the road, to lend a hand on the training field.

He stayed involved under Neal Peden in 2019 before the St John’s man moved upstairs to a Director of Hurling post in the county. After being drafted into Sheedy’s backroom team to deliver yet another All-Ireland for Tipp that same season, Gleeson was handed the reins in Antrim.

In the initial stages, there was uncertainty over whether he could be a number one.

Not long into the job, it was clear he was more than ready to raise standards.

An observer described Gleeson's managerial style as one of “directness and honesty” as well as pastoral.

His professionalism and man-management skills are believed to be second to none.

He doesn’t court the press either. In his post-match briefings, he is always understated.

He embarks on a 700km-round trip three times per week and squeezes everything out of each visit. After a thrilling club championship in Antrim, Gleeson got real buy-in from his 32-man panel, undoubtedly helped by the manager’s evangelical belief in creating a meritocracy.

If you play well, you keep your jersey. It’s that simple. A classic case-study is Ciaran Clarke.

The Ballycastle forward was a late substitute in Antrim’s promotion play-off win over Kerry in mid-October but once Covid hit the camp he started against Westmeath and bagged 2-8.

Clarke hasn’t looked back since.

The only thing that will rule out any players ahead of today’s trip to Navan is tired limbs or injury. Otherwise, Meath can expect to face the best of what Antrim has to offer.

The full-back and half-back lines have invariably stayed the same. There have been a couple of tweaks in the middle of the field while competition for places in the Antrim forward line is genuinely impressive. If one drops out, it’s like for like.

Michael Bradley and Niall McKenna have impressed on the flanks while James McNaughton’s penetrating runs and score-taking have been glowing features of the side this autumn.

In previous seasons, captain Conor McCann was primarily seen as Antrim’s reliable ball-winner on the edge of the square, an assister, but not necessarily a prolific scorer.

Since their season resumed, the Creggan Kickhams man has notched a stunning 5-8 in four games with Conal ‘Koby’ Cunning, Eoin O’Neill, Dan McCloskey, Clarke and the versatile Aodhan O’Brien jockeying for positions.

To intensify competition for places Conor Johnston of St John’s is likely to see some game-time against Meath today and Cunning is close after missing a couple of outings. Neil McManus is not far away from a full recovery after straining a hamstring but may not be risked today.

Meath are winless in three outings, losing their games by four, one and 10 points. Antrim should have two feet in the final by the end of play today.