Hurling & Camogie

Chasing club success has hampered Antrim progress: Gregory O'Kane

Keith Carmody (Kerry), Gregory O’Kane (Antrim), Conor Phelan (Kilkenny) and John McGrath (Tipperary) pictured at the Hurling/Shinty International launch at Croke Park in Dublin  
Keith Carmody (Kerry), Gregory O’Kane (Antrim), Conor Phelan (Kilkenny) and John McGrath (Tipperary) pictured at the Hurling/Shinty International launch at Croke Park in Dublin   Keith Carmody (Kerry), Gregory O’Kane (Antrim), Conor Phelan (Kilkenny) and John McGrath (Tipperary) pictured at the Hurling/Shinty International launch at Croke Park in Dublin  

FORMER Antrim stalwart Gregory O’Kane believes that some players have become more interested in chasing club success and need to be given a reason to want to represent the county again.

The Dunloy man has witnessed the Saffrons’ slide down hurling’s pecking order in recent seasons with 2017 set to bring another Christy Ring Cup campaign following their failure to exit the lower tier this year.

O’Kane, who will jointly manage the Ireland Hurling/Shinty team that faces Scotland this weekend, suggested that the progress of club teams like Cushendall and Loughgiel Shamrocks in recent seasons may actually have hampered the county’s progress.

He said that, for some, it appears to have highlighted a clearer path to success than anything that exists with the senior county set-up.

O’Kane also hit out at the apparent myth that a high profile manager from outside the county may come in and solve their problems.

“We have to take stock,” said a frustrated O’Kane.

“We have to look at where we are at, where we are going. We just need to revamp everything probably. We need people to get a reason to play for Antrim again. Our club structure is as good as any county.

“We compete in All-Irelands, we win All-Irelands at all levels, junior, intermediate and seniors since 2012, so in that regard I just feel that in the last few years the pride has maybe gone out of the Antrim jersey and players are more committing to the club scene.

“We need to get going on that aspect and we need to find a reason for people to play for Antrim again.

“People would see a better chance of winning an All-Ireland club title with their clubs; Dunloy, Cushendall, Ballycastle or Loughgiel so it’s easier for them to commit to their clubs. That’s the difficult point and a problem for Antrim.”

Asked if he felt the success of Cushendall and Loughgiel on the All-Ireland scene in recent seasons has perhaps hurt the county team, O’Kane nodded.

“Absolutely, players are only human, where they see success that’s the avenue they’ll go down,” he continued.

“If you get a handier route to success... I’m not saying the club is a handy route to it, but what I’m saying is with your club you are not gone every weekend.

“If you are a county hurler you are gone probably every weekend from Walsh Cup in January right through to the summer. So definitely you would find that players would be looking at their clubs more for success.”

O’Kane said the idea that a golden bullet to reinvigorate Antrim hurling exists in the form of a well known hurling figure from outside the county is wrong.

“We were always looking for this iconic figure to come in and save Antrim,” he said.

“People, clubs, everybody just needs to take stock and say, ‘What am I doing to improve Antrim hurling?’ If you are not doing it then you can’t pass it on...

There’s plenty of good people in Antrim and people who could be doing more that are not doing more, and then you need the high profile figure to give it another kick on.”

O’Kane added he would have expected that the redevelopment of Casement Park would have been ‘well advanced at this stage’.

“It’s been disappointing and it’s been unfortunate the way it’s worked out but hopefully we’ll get it up and running and we’ll get it over the line,” he said.

“Probably the politics... like, everybody starts to play politics with Casement and it’s a hard place to be and I feel that has probably knocked it too.”

O’Kane is jointly managing the Ireland Hurling/Shinty team with Jeffrey Lynskey, the All-Ireland minor-winning Galway manager of 2015. They have revealed an 18-man panel which will travel to Bught Park, Inverness for Saturday’s international, though there are no Antrim players involved and just one from Ulster, Donegal’s Danny Cullen.

“We are caught with the club this year in Antrim. Loughgiel won the championship,” said O’Kane.

“Neil McManus would probably be involved, but he travelled last year. Aaron Graffin stepped back last year.  Neal McAuley has a young family so he couldn’t commit this year. They would probably be in if it had worked out differently.”