FROM the outset of the year, Antrim’s hurlers had circled Kilkenny at Nowlan Park on April 21 as the game on which they would be fully judged.
With a number of players missing for a variety of reasons in the early part of the season and the structure of the League set to change for 2025, those games weren’t exactly treated as a free hit, but were nonetheless useful in blooding newcomers and giving opportunities to those who have been on the periphery of the starting line-up.
Last year, the Saffrons opened with a home draw against Dublin, but failed to build on it with a disappointing loss away to Wexford followed by heavy defeats to the Cats and Galway, before finding their mojo in the second half against Westmeath to retain their MacCarthy Cup status.
This time, they will have ambitions to push on. But as far as openers go, they don’t get much tougher than this trip to Noreside.
“It’s a hard place to go and I don’t ever remember coming out of it successful as a player,” said Antrim manager and former Tipperary goalkeeper, Darren Gleeson.
“We won a few games down there against different opposition, but it’s always hard to get a win against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park.
“That’s the challenge we have to start the Leinster Championship. The boys are very focussed on getting a good performance and let’s see where that takes us.”
A big plus is that injury list is beginning to ease and included in the starting 15 are the returning Elliott trio of goalkeeper Ryan and his cousins, Nigel and Sean, who are included in the attack.
Conall Bohill was one of those missing through injury and is named at wing-back, while his St John’s club-mate Michael Bradley starts at wing-forward having undergone shoulder surgery over the winter.
James McNaughton is also back, named at midfield, while Keelan Molloy and Gerard Walsh are named on the bench as they return to full fitness.
Kilkenny’s injury list is also clearing at just the right time and TJ Reid is fit to take his place at full-forward, where he will have Ryan McGarry for company, while Mikey Butler and Mikey Carey have also returned to the defence.
Many will take a cursory glance at Leinster and conclude that the May 26 meeting between Antrim and Carlow at Corrigan Park is already the relegation play-off in all but name, but there is a drive within the Antrim squad to be competing at the other end of the table and finish at least third to advance into the All-Ireland knock-out stages.
Antrim will arrive in Kilkenny as rank outsiders to cause an upset but as mentioned, they are an ambitious group and won’t be overawed by their surroundings, especially when it’s considered they performed well in League games there in 2021 and 2022.
Championship is of course a different animal and therefore, a good start to the game this week is crucial as in the meeting between the teams last year at Corrigan Park, allowing the Cats to grab early goals set the tone as they had the game wrapped up by half-time.
The challenge is to bring a good intensity and leave themselves in it for as long as possible and if they manage to do that, then who knows.