Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Group Stage – Game 3
Antrim 1-18 Dublin 3-32
Saturday 11 May
Brendan McTaggart reports from Parnell Park, Dublin
It’s the hope that kills you. As Dublin tore Antrim apart in the second half, playing like a prime Limerick, the realisation of the the Saffrons hopes if not expectations being trampled over began to sink in.
It was a hard watch in that second 35 minutes. When the P.A. announced four additional minutes at the end of the game it felt like our emotions were being toyed with.
Antrim travelled to Parnell Park buoyant and confident. They left with a plethora of questions remaining unanswered and their championship hopes hanging by a thread.
It was supposed to be different. The euphoria of that infamous Wexford victory feels like a long, long time ago right now.
For what it’s worth, that hope that I speak of was still prevalent going into the final quarter. Maybe just slightly outside of touching distance, Antrim trailed by six points in the 58th minute after Seaan Elliott fired over his third point of the game. It was a brilliant score and roused the sizeable Antrim support in attendance. The Dublin response was emphatic to the point where it was a savage knockout blow. By the time Conal Cunning fired over his fourth free of the match in the 65th minute, the home side had recorded 2-3 to take the game away from Antrim. They cruised through the time that remained as Antrim looked for goals to try and get some sort of way back into the game, it was just never for coming.
The game started in the worse possible fashion for Darren Gleeson’s men with Paul Crummey scoring the opening goal of the game with barely 10 seconds on the clock. The sliotar coming into the edge of the square from a Conor Burke delivery and Crummey managed to get a hand up to deflect the sliotar beyond Ryan Elliott.
Antrim did recover and started busily in that opening quarter. They were getting plenty of ball into the full forward line but nothing was ‘sticking’ to make an impact on the scoreboard.
With Donal Burke and Sean Currie imperious, Dublin opened up a 10 point lead as early as the 23rd minute. Antrim’s attacking unit flattering to deceive with a number of missed frees – admittedly from long range and efforts dropping short doing little to help their cause.
The Saffrons goal came in the 28th minute through James McNaughton. It came at the end of a superb piece of play that involved swift and precise passing, Nigel Elliott involved twice in the move with Ryan McGarry and Eoghan Campbell. McNaughton still had plenty to do and showed the same willingness and determination that we seen against Wexford to get his half yard of space before finding the back of the net.
The hope was there again and rekindling thoughts of pulling a win out of the bag.
The home side led 1-13 to 1-6 at the break and with whatever wind blowing in their favour, Antrim made a bright start to the second half. Indeed, by the time the clock ticked into the 40th minute the difference was reduced to four with Keelan Molloy (2), Nigel Elliott and Gerard Walsh all finding their range.
To get anything in Parnell Park for those in Saffron, you need an element of luck. Lady luck seemed to not only dessert us, she laughed in our faces for the next couple of minutes. Antrim were looking more like themselves. There was an air of deliverance coming but twice the sliotar came back off the upright in two separate attacks from Coby Cunning. The second hitting both uprights before falling to the nearest Dublin defender.
The sides were evenly matches for the next 15 minutes or so, Antrim starting to score in bunches with Eoghan Campbell, Walsh and Cunning on target while Donal Burke, Currie and Fergal Whitely were keeping the scoreboard ticking for the Dubs.
Antrim’s undoubted score of the game came in the 58th minute when Conall Bohill rose superbly to claim the sliotar above the Dublin challenges and laid his pass into the path of Seaan Elliott. The Dunloy man fired over to reduce the deficit to six and Antrim had their tails up.
That was as good as it got.
Dublin found another gear thereafter, almost riled at the thought of these Antrim upstarts coming to their patch and trying to get the win, Dublin purred and Antrim wilted.
Their second goal came from the brilliant Brian Hayes after good work from substitute Ronan Hayes put him through on goal. Points followed from Donal Burke (free) and Currie before Donal Burke scored his sides third major of the game. A sumptuous strike from a placed ball that caught those on the Antrim line by surprise.
That hope was disintegrated and crumbled upon the pristine like surface of Parnell Park.
Dublin unloaded the bench, their challenge never waivered. Antrim lobbed high ball to the edge of the square, hoping for a break. That break never came.
20 points the difference by the time referee Kevin Jordan called for an end to the Dublin exhibition in the closing minutes. Antrim trudged off the Parnell Park pitch deflated and bewildered at what had just happened.
It is the hope that kills you!
TEAMS
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Niall O’Connor, Ryan McGarry, Paddy Burke; Gerard Walsh, Conor Boyd, Conall Bohill; Seaan Elliott, Eoghan Campbell; Nigel Elliott, Keelan Molloy, James McNaughton; Conal Cunning, Niall McKenna, Aodhan O’Brien
Subs: Joseph McLaughlin for A O’Brien (47); Paul Boyle for K Molloy (50); Fred McCurry for C Boyd (55); Christy McGarry for N McKenna (61); Sean McKay for C Cunning (65)
Scorers: J McNaughton 1-2; C Cunning 0-4 (4 f’s); S Elliott 0-3; E Campbell 0-3; K Molloy 0-2; G Walsh 0-2 (1 f); N Elliott 0-1; Fred McCurry 0-1
Dublin: Sean Brennan; John Bellew, Paddy Smyth, Paddy Doyle; Chris Crummey, Conor Donohue, Eoghan O’Donnell; Brian Hayes, Conor Burke; Danny Sutcliffe, Donal Burke, Sean Currie; Fergal Whitely, Cian O’Sullivan, Paul Crummey
Subs: Ronan Hayes for P Crummey (47); Darragh Power for D Sutcliffe (60); James Madden for C Crummey (65); Jake Malone for C O’Sullivan (65); Sean Gallagher for B Hayes (68)
Scorers: D Burke 1-11 (1-9 f’s); S Currie 0-5; C Burke 0-4; P Crummey 1-00; B Hayes 1-00; C O’Sullivan 0-2; J Bellew 0-2; R Hayes 0-2; D Power 0-2; C Donohue 0-1; D Sutcliffe 0-1; F Whitely 0-1; S Gallagher 0-1
Referee: Kevin Jordan (Tipperary)