ANTRIM wing-back Declan Lynch can see the merit of a tier two competition that would allow his county to extend their championship summer but warns that a “Mickey Mouse token gesture” would be a waste of time.
Division Three and Four counties will play in lower tier of the new two-pronged model unless they reach the final of their provincial championship. Lamh Dhearg clubman Lynch acknowledges that Antrim are not in a “position to compete for the Sam Maguire” and feels that playing at a lower level could help his county develop.
“At the minute and in the foreseeable future, Antrim aren’t in a position to compete for the Sam Maguire so if it (the second tier) is going to extend our summer, then we are happy to play in it as long as it’s delivered right and it doesn’t become a Mickey Mouse token gesture to the so-called weaker counties.
“You need to be given the proper exposure and platform in Croke Park with some of the bigger games and if that’s done right I could see it working but there would need to be a big effort put into it to ensure it doesn’t become a Tommy Murphy Cup-type competition.”
Since 2009, the year Antrim last reached the Ulster final, the Saffrons have played 32 Championship games, winning 10 and losing 22. But since 2013, the county’s fortunes have dipped with just three wins in seven campaigns.
Over the last five seasons, Antrim have lined out a dozen times in the Championship and lost all but two. Only once has the Saffron summer been extended into July.
Lynch hopes that a well-constructed tier two competition would give the county the framework to compete at an appropriate level and the foundation to give emerging players the championship exposure they need to progress.
“The Qualifiers are good,” he said.
“Last year we beat Louth and then we got a good draw at home, if we can call it that, at Corrigan Park against Kildare, one of the so-called bigger teams.
“We saw the gulf in class between the two counties so if we can extend our summer in tier two and get more games that would bring the county on.
“But it needs to be done right, it can’t be just one or two games and then your summer’s over because if that’s the case then you would want to have your crack at playing one of the bigger teams.”
His reference to the county’s “so called” home venue of Corrigan Park is another issue that needs to be rectified before Antrim begin making real progress. Last year the county played their ‘home’ Ulster Championship game at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds and hosted Kildare in the Qualifiers at the home of the St John’s club.
“Casement needs to be addressed, a decision needs to be taken,” said Lynch.
“We’ve been waiting far too long. It’s past a thousand days now that it’s been sitting there and there’s a generation of players who could miss out on it.
“I’ve played there and I want to ensure that I am able to play at Casement Park again because it’s a tragedy that some of our young stars growing up in Antrim haven’t got the experience of playing at Casement Park.”
