Brendan McTaggart reflects on the day that was in Mullingar as Antrim defeated Westmeath

A trip to Derry the evening before travelling to Mullingar seemed good at the time.  Looking back, it wasn’t really the best preparation for a five and a half hour round trip.  Sunday was a cracking day from start to finish.  Sunday drivers, Delvin drinkers and Stripper Patricia by Chris de Burgh.  The GAA road trips never fail to disappoint and no, I knew nothing about Patricia and her stripping tendencies.

A day I’d relive a hundred times over.  Well, maybe not some of the refereeing decisions in Cusack Park but we’ll maybe not go down that rabbit hole.  I’m sure he called what he seen and I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for the Kilkenny and Wexford game being delayed by ten minutes.  I’m sure of it.  But that’s all I’ll say about that matter.

The game itself?  Clint Eastwood was wearing a Saffron shirt again.  The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  Thankfully The Good was excellent with The Bad and The Ugly fleeting.  That being said, for the last ten or so minutes of the first half I’m confident I wasn’t the only one with a Saffron persuasion who had lost the run of himself. 

Before a ball was struck in the Leinster Championship, this match was already touted as the relegation play-off.  Antrim were doing their dirty best to make a mockery of that prediction against Dublin and Wexford while Westmeath themselves had done what many felt was the impossible – come back from 17 points behind to win.

Before that result between Wexford and the Lakesiders, I would have been confident of travelling to Mullingar and getting a result.  Even with our, let’s just say, not so positive record in Cusack Park.  But it takes something special to come back from 17 points down, to do it in intercounty hurling is unbelievable-jeff. 

A solid start with a Coby goal and a wee Johnty swing of the hurl soon after and Antrim were in control.  My thoughts turned to Twitter and maybe a cheeky look and see how Kilkenny and the Yella Bellies were getting on.  The Antrim lead stretched to seven and the nervous excitement that fills me before games had suddenly calmed.  Quite the odd sensation when watching Antrim in recent times but it felt like Darren Gleeson’s men were following the Saffron Script.

Then came the moment of questionable judgement.  Not from the players but my thoughts on the man in black.  Owen McCabe was through on goal, Ryan Elliott comes out and takes him down.  McCabe manages to get his shot away and the umpires raise their flag.  Goal.  Right?  Well, yeah.  That’s fine.  But Ryan was given a black card and the goal stood.  Surely it’s one or the other?  Black card and penalty or goal and nothing?  Either way, Gerard Walsh found himself in goals for ten minutes and Antrim scrambled.  Westmeath’s score of 1-4 without reply was not part of the Saffron Script and my nerves had returned in time for half time.

If ever there was a good time for a break, Antrim found it in Mullingar.  They were against the ropes and in need of major reorganising and reorganise they did.  The start of the second half was sublime, the remainder of the second half was similar.  Antrim made light of the numerical disadvantage and played hurling from the Gods.  Some of their attacking play was simply breath-taking, movement sensational and defensively rock solid.

Westmeath has introduced Niall Mitchell to the edge of the square.  A man-mountain of a hurler and his duel with Gerard Walsh was quite the subplot to the contest and one you could tell the Antrim man was relishing.  The home side searched for him but all they found was big Gerard at his dominant best.

The points racked up and the Antrim lead widened.  The nerves started to calm again with the end in sight.  A brace of goals to lift the Saffron voices in the crowd and seal the victory.  Super Sam with another finger waving celebration while James McNaughton’s imperious second half was deserving of his major.

Job done.

Relief?  Not quite sure if that was the overriding emotion at the final whistle.  Yes, there was a tinge of relief to avoid dropping into the McDonagh Cup but there was also relief that Antrim produced the goods when they needed to.  A relief that they performed to their ability when the chips were down.  This was a massive game for Antrim hurling now and for the next five if not ten years.  There’s a need for Antrim to establish themselves in the top tier of hurling and another year playing in the Leinster Championship will go a long way in doing so.

A hat-tip to one Mr Darren Gleeson.

We all know the job he has done with the Saffrons and the ‘shop window’ side in the senior set-up but he’s looking beyond that.  To the minor and u20’s to ensure the processes are in place so the conveyor belt of talent continues to thrive.  If progress is to continue, this is the steps that’s needed to take and Gleeson is the man to oversee these structural changes.

Where he’s taken Antrim in the four years he’s been in charge, the journey they’ve been on.  The journey we’ve all been on has been phenomenal.  Emotional ups and downs, akin to that of the wildest rollercoaster but the highs we’ve experienced outdo the lows that have come.

With the county season coming to a close in the joyous scenes in Cusack Park, a quick thought turned to the club season.  A brief chat and joke with Neil McManus about what lays ahead but for now, thank you to Darren and his team of backroom staff and players for the last few months.  From the league and Kilkenny in Corrigan where the wind swirled and howled to a sun kissed Mullingar and everything in between, those people have given everything they have for us and our county.  Enjoy your break.

Aontroim Abu