CHAMPIONS Loughgiel brushed aside Ballycastle by double scores in this Antrim Senior Hurling Championship semi-final at Cushendall, setting up their fourth final in-a-row.
Manager PJ O'Mullan was in bullish mood after the game, obviously upset by some pre-match suggestions that his side were stale and on the slide.
"We let our hurling do the talking today in response to those folk who had questioned our ability," he said.
"We are well aware that no trophies have been won yet, but we were delighted with our performance and are eagerly awaiting Sunday's final, our 10th in 11 years, against Cushendall in Ballycastle."
Their 12-point winning margin gave some idea of their superiority against a McQuillan's side which, apart from the opening 10 minutes, caused very little threat.
They had cruised into a three point lead after Kieran Kelly popped over two points in the opening minute and Ciaran Clarke tapped over a second minute free.
But by the 11th minute, three Liam Watson points and Eddie McCloskey and Donal McKinley scores, both in the 10th minute, had it level.
An injury to the 'Castle corner back Dermot Donnelly forced management into changing their plans, although they did continue with their defensive set up throughout, and from there to the break the Shamrocks hit six points to lead 0-11 to 0-6.
The second-half was dominated by the champions, as midfield pair Tony McCloskey and Mark McFadden were in total control.
The Town managed just two pointed frees from Clarke in the early stages as the floodgates opened.
Four more points in the third quarter saw the champions ahead by seven and, despite Peter Dallat smashing home Ballycastle's only goal in the 13th minute, the Shamrocks remained unfazed.
It became one-way traffic in the final quarter.
An 18th minute goal from Mark McFadden followed by a litany of points including three from the hurl of Liam Watson - starting his first championship game this season - moved Loughgiel clear as the game hurtled to its inevitable conclusion.
Before the dust settled, Watson put the tin lid on it with a late goal, the impact of which saw the Town's 'keeper Ryan McGarry red carded, and just to rub it in, Odhran McFadden and Watson had injury time points for their expected double scores victory.
The outstanding players were Odhran McFadden in a strong half-back line, while Eddie McCloskey and Declan Laverty were the pick of the forwards.
RUAIRI OG, Cushendall were trap-to-line winners in this Antrim Senior Hurling Championship semi-final at Loughgiel.
They broke first, were caught briefly after nine minutes and went on to lead by three at the break.
They lengthened their stride on the resumption, increasing their advantage to seven after the same number of minutes and ended in a flurry for a five-point success and the passport to this Sunday's final.
Dunloy had closed the gap to three, but points from Karl McKeegan, Shane McNaughton and Conor Carson, in the final minutes, saw the Cushendall men through.
Dunloy perhaps can count themselves unlucky as two first-half efforts following Eoghan Laverty's 11th minute goal, came to nothing.
Paul Shiels came close as his effort skimmed the post, while Ronan Kearney made a great save from Nigel Elliott minutes later.
Corner-forward Laverty's goal, set up by Shane McNaughton, gave the Glensmen a three-point advantage, increased to five with a couple of Conor Carson specials.
A great individual Paul Shiels goal at the start of the second quarter and Dunloy were right back in it.
But Neil McManus, Laverty and Shane McNaughton points, with a response from a Kevin McKeague free and another Shiels effort, left them three back at the break, 1-5 to 1-8.
Cushendall midfielders, Eoghan Campbell and Paddy McNaughton, who always controlled that area, knocked over early second-half scores and when McKeegan deftly tapped over frees in the sixth and seventh minutes, they were ahead by a mile. The Dunloy fightback was inspired by a Gareth Magee goal from a penalty, the goalkeeper firing past the three-man wall in the 11th minute.
When substitute Paddy Doherty and Liam Richmond tapped over points, it was back to just two at the end of the third quarter.
The Ruairi Og side moved up another gear in the closing stages and with man-of-the-match McKeegan tagging on three points, along with McNaughton and Carson efforts, Paul Shiels' injury time point came only as a consolation.
McKeegan, who began in the half-forward line and moved back to midfield when things got tight for a period in the second half, had his own thoughts on the game.
"This was a physical battle rather than a free-flowing game,'' he said.
"We perhaps fought the harder and after a good start always managed to control the game.
"We were flying after the restart but Dunloy certainly came back at us after Magee's penalty goal."
The assistant administrator in Gallagher's, who at 35 years of age is the proud possessor of five championship gongs, was delighted to get yet another shot at the title.
MATCH STATS
Loughgiel: DD Quinn; P Gillan, N McGarry, R McCloskey; James Campbell, Johnny Campbell, O McFadden (0-1); T McCloskey, M McFadden (0-1): J Scullion (0-4), D Laverty (0-2), E McCloskey (0-3); D McKinley (0-1), S Casey, L Watson (1-7). Subs: D McCloskey for Casey, B McAuley for T McCloskey, B McCarry for McKinley, M Scullion for James Campbell. Ballycastle: R McGarry; D Donnelly, M Donnelly, P McLarnon; E McAlonan, J McShane, KB McShane; C Boyle, N McAuley; S McAfee, S McGarry (0-1), C Clarke (0-4); S McCaughan (0-1), P Dallet (1-1), K Kelly (0-2)
Subs: M Dallas for KB McShane, C McCurdy for McAfee.
Referee: G Duffy (St Gall's)
Cushendall: R Kearney; M Burke, A Graffin, R McCambridge; P Burke, N McManus, D McNaughton; E Campbell (0-1), P McNaughton (0-1); P McGill, C Carson (0-3), K McKeegan (0-7); S McNaughton (0-3), R McGrady, E Laverty (1-1)
Subs: E McKillop for McGrady; A Delargy for P McNaughton, S Delargy for PMcGill, A McNaughton for E Laverty Dunloy: G Magee; M McClements, J McKeague, O Quinn; K Martin, C McKinley, K McKeague (0-1); S Dooey, P Shivers; P Richmond, L Richmond (0-1), P Shiels (1-5); K McQuillan, C Cunning (0-1), N Elliott (0-1).
Subs: S Dowds for K Martin, P Doherty (0-1) for S Dooey, C Cunning for O Quinn Referee: Owen Elliott (All Saints)