Hurling & Camogie

Tough calls ahead as Ulster counties come again

Dunloy club-mates Ryan Elliott and Keelan Molloy are among the Antrim players in the mix for Irish News Allstar awards. Picture by Seamus Loughran
Dunloy club-mates Ryan Elliott and Keelan Molloy are among the Antrim players in the mix for Irish News Allstar awards. Picture by Seamus Loughran Dunloy club-mates Ryan Elliott and Keelan Molloy are among the Antrim players in the mix for Irish News Allstar awards. Picture by Seamus Loughran

THE chat may have cooled by the time all was said and done, but 2022 was the first time since the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship was rather awkwardly ditched that a conversation about its re-emergence gathered any kind of momentum.

Voices grew louder as a result of Down’s exploits in pushing hard for a spot in Division One of the National League before retaining their Joe McDonagh Cup status for a second year in succession.

Although Christy Ring success eluded them, Derry shrugged off some of the difficulties of years gone by to seal promotion to Division 2A, neighbours Donegal just missing out on joining them while Fermanagh moved out of the League’s bottom tier and secured another year at Nicky Rackard Cup level in 2023.

Tyrone toppled Armagh in the Division 2B final before backing that up with Nicky Rackard glory – a triumph made all the more poignant weeks later when Red Hand hero Damian Casey, scorer of 0-14 against Roscommon, tragically passed away in Spain.

Of course it is Antrim who still lead the way, reflected by the number of nominations for this year’s Irish News Allstars. Given the level at which Darren Gleeson’s men were operating, the final 15 could well be Saffron-heavy.

Although they finished up winless in Division 1B, another campaign going toe-to-toe with some of the best around has clearly improved Antrim as – barring a shellacking in Tipperary, when Gleeson tinkered with his line-up – they were competitive in every other game.

Valiant performances against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park and Waterford at Corrigan Park went unrewarded, while Dublin continued to keep the Saffrons at arm’s length, leaving west Belfast with a four point win in February.

It was a devastating one-point loss in Laois that ultimately did the damage, leaving Antrim in need of a relegation play-off victory over Offaly to save their skins, before proving once more that they are a level above the rest when it comes to the Joe McDonagh Cup on the way to a second title in three years.

The totemic Neil McManus - despite refusing to be drawn on his inter-county future in the wake of All-Ireland Championship defeat to Cork - remains a real leader for a largely youthful group, and still has a huge part to play if he chooses to stay on.

Midfield Keelan Molloy is a thorn in the side of any county he comes up against, as the Rebels discovered to their cost during a scintillating first half showing from the Dunloy man.

Pacy half-forward James McNaughton is another around whom Antrim’s future success will surely be built, while the likes of Ciaran Clarke, Seann Elliott and Conal Cunning continue to show they have the pace and guile to mix it with the big boys.

Antrim’s comprehensive Joe McDonagh Cup victory over Down in Ballycran may have dampened talk of an Ulster Championship return, but the Ardsmen were undoubtedly one of the stories of the year.

After a decade of frustration, consolidation was achieved in their first crack back in Division 2A, before streaking to the top of the pile this year after impressive wins over Carlow, Meath, Westmeath and Kerry. They fell short at the final hurdle in Thurles, the Lake County wreaking revenge at the home of hurling, but it was a campaign to be proud of.

Built on solid foundations, with Stephen Keith arguably the best goalkeeper in Ulster, while the likes of John McManus, Tom Murray, Caolan Taggart and Conor Woods are a match for most at the back, victory in Kerry went a long way to securing their Joe McDonagh status for another year.

Daithi Sands might be the one Down man who could stake a claim for a starting spot among the Antrim forwards, while Ballela’s Ryan McCusker – despite commuting from Sligo for much of the year – regularly displayed the quality he possesses.

On a year to remember for Ulster hurling, albeit one tinged with incredible sadness, some tough decisions lie ahead for the voting public.