Joe McDonagh Cup
Antrim vs Meath
Venue: Pairc Tailteann, Navan – Throw In: 3pm
Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)
By Brendan McTaggart
We go again. The Allianz National Leagues has come and gone and after the hugely debatable ‘club month’ of April, the Saffron hurlers are back in action on Saturday as they begin their participation in the inaugural Joe McDonagh Cup.
A competition created for smaller counties with a huge carrot dangled for the victors or a substantial pot of gold at the end of the McDonagh rainbow. Entry into the Liam McCarthy Cup at the Preliminary Quarter-Finals against the third placed team from the Leinster or Munster competitions.
A trip to Pairc Tailteann lays ahead on Saturday and a meeting against the Royal County. Meath off of Christy Ring ‘fame’ from two years ago where we had count back, phantom points, dodgy score boards, CCCC meetings and a replay. Carnage in Croker but ultimately a defeat. A defeat along with a loss against the same opposition in the Walsh Cup between last Christmas and the New Year means Antrim are without a win against Meath in their last three meetings. A sobering thought.
Just to give us grounds for optimism, despite relegation the Saffrons have played very well this term. A battling and largely competitive league campaign means Antrim can come into the Joe McDonagh Cup with more than just hope on their side. Saturday begins a series of five matches that represents a real opportunity for Antrim on a national level but as team manager Dominic McKinley told us, it could just as easy go the other way: “This is going to be a seriously difficult competition. We’re coming up against teams that are all around our level. We could win the five matches but on the other hand we could quite conceivably be beaten in them. It is that close between all the teams involved.” McKinley added: “We need to be up for this right from the first match and with very little recovery time between the matches is going to be a big ask on the players. It’s demanding on smaller counties and we’re obviously hoping to avoid injuries but it’s something we’re looking forward to.”
Preparation wise, it’s been tough for the Antrim management. April was dedicated to club only giving the Saffrons very little time to schedule a warm up match. Logistically and geographically it wasn’t possible meaning the last time Antrim took to the field was against Laois in the Relegation Play Off. They have been training with the U21 squad since after a two week break and Woody says that its time to look at the scheduling for the month of April again: “It just hasn’t worked if we’re honest. We need to get all the people who are involved in this sat down and a new plan brought up. Bring in all the major stakeholders and get ideas thrashed out. This hasn’t been ideal for us as county managers and the clubs and this isn’t a problem solely in Antrim either. All the teams involved in the McDonagh Cup have been faced with the same issue but we have to work with the hand that we’re dealt with.” McKinley continued: “The County Board have been fantastic once again and the only negative has been the lack of challenge match but when you’re starting a championship on 5th May its never going to work.”
Antrim are close to full strength for Saturday with Arron Graffin the only player carrying an injury (hamstring). The Cushendall man is rated as doubtful for the weekend but Woody told us that he has seen enough in recent club matches for further optimism: “Young Joe Maskey is a player we’ve been keeping an eye on. He’s still developing but he’s got his shoulder to the wheel and putting the effort in. He’s going in the right direction and it’s starting to show. We’re working with him to make sure that he can reach his full potential. He and the likes of Nigel Elliott, Gerard Walsh, Ryan Elliott and Dan McCloskey are developing into very good hurlers and the likes of Donal McKinley coming in showing the right attitude is adding to the squad as well.” McKinley continued: “These run of matches will aid these boys development you can be sure of that. They are coming up against boys that will be playing at a similar or higher level and this will push their development further. This can only be good for Antrim hurling and ultimately the clubs will benefit that in the long run as well. We’re still reliant on the older heads within the squad when it comes to these matches but the younger lads are learning on their feet and it’s good to see their development moving along.”
Antrim joint manager Dominic ‘Woody’ McKinley – Pic by Dylan McIlwaine
When it comes to matches against Meath, there isn’t much more to be added. Woody and the rest of the Saffron management team know what they are coming up against and know what the players will have to do to leave Pairc Tailteann with a winning start to the McDonagh Cup: “We’ve been through a lot against them in recent times. They’ve beaten us the last couple of times with one point between the sides so we know it’s going to be difficult. They have Kilkenny men Martin Comerford and Michael Kavanagh in the backroom team now so that will add to their game but it’s going to come down to small margins. We need to make sure that the attitude of the players is spot on and control what we can. If we do that then we won’t be far away.”
Antrim will have been helped by playing in a higher league this year and should be enough to give them the edge on Saturday. Meath present a ghost of past failures and the Saffrons will be eager to exorcise those demons. Although I don’t expect any landslide victories, I do expect a winning start for Antrim ahead of a hectic five weeks.