Allianz National Hurling League – Divison 1b
Antrim v Dublin
Saturday 25 January
Throw in: 5:15pm
Venue: Croke Park, Dublin
Brendan McTaggart looks ahead to Antrim’s opening Allianz National Hurling league match of the 2025 season as they travel to the Capital to take on Dublin.
A new year, new hurling league campaign and a new management team. There’s plenty to be optimistic about with a hurl and sliotar within the Saffron County as Davy Fitzgerald’s rein as Antrim hurling manager goes under the spotlight.
With no pre-season competitions this year, denying Fitzgerald the chance of having a look at his panel as a collective in action, they’ve been busy with challenge games. Matches against Limerick, Down and Derry have given Fitzgerald and his backroom team the chance to cast a ruling eye over the side he has inherited. A side that is now without the talents of Neil McManus, Conor McCann and the injured Conal Cunning.
From being at the Derry match, I did notice a couple of returnees. Namely Ryan McCambridge and Conor Johnston. Both had eye catching club championship campaigns with St John’s Oisin Donnelly also drafted into the squad, another who caught the eye during the championship. There are a number of injury concerns though and when we spoke with Davy Fitz, he gave us an update: “Seaan Elliott is going to need game time. He’s only back and hasn’t really trained for four or five weeks. Paul Boyle, that was only his second bit of field action (against Derry), still out. Gerard (Walsh) is just back (vacation), Keelan Molloy is still out.
“That’s four lads I’d certainly like to have had available.”
The Sixmilebridge native has made full use of the games arranged. Travelling to Limerick before hosting Down and Derry on Tuesday and Friday last week. Regarding where he sees the panel in what he’s trying to implement, Fitzgerald said: “We played a different 15 on Tuesday night and a different 15 tonight. Two or three of that team out there tonight might play against Dublin.
“I’m happy enough. The only thing I wouldn’t be happy about there is we went eight points up and we went back to doing stuff we’ve been doing for the last two or three years. It’s frustrating but we’re only four or five weeks into trying to do what we’re doing. We’re changing a lot of things and I can see patches of where we’re doing a lot of right things and then we’re overplaying at times when I don’t want it overplayed but listen, they have decisions they have to make. We’re not in a position where we can make the right decision all the time but in order for us to be competitive, we have to play a certain way and do certain things” Fitzgerald continued: “We’re only at the beginning of that process. It’s going to be frustrating but are they giving everything? Yeah. Are there patches of play that are really good and they’re making the other teams hit the ball long? Yeah, but we’re not doing that consistently. We’ve a lot of work to do.”
With the leagues restructured, Antrim have games against Westmeath (home), Offaly (away), Waterford (home), Carlow (away) and Laois (home) after this weekend. A week break between the Westmeath and Offaly games before a bye in the last round of fixtures on 22 March. It’s a hectic schedule and one that the Saffrons will have to hit the ground running. The Clare native was under no illusions as to the goals for the 2025 league: “We have to maintain and stay in our Division. That’s our number one goal. But we have to learn as much as we can this year and then hopefully into championship and next year, you’ll see improvements.”
Croke Park under the lights, delightful stuff. It’s hard to beat any match on the Jones Road down Drumcondra way but when you throw the floodlights into the mix, it’s something special.
As Storm Éowyn subsides and thoughts turn to the Dublin match, memories cast to recent matches against the Dubs. A chastening defeat in Parnell Park during the Leinster championship last year came after a brilliant display against Wexford while there was just one point between the sides at Corrigan Park last year in the league. Fitzy said that he’s fully aware of the challenge ahead but is keen to look for improvements: “I saw Dublin play Limerick. They were on fire. They won by six, it’s a big ask. I’m very happy with what we’ve done but look, Dublin were in a Leinster final last year. Are they in a different position to where we are? Maybe.
“If this team keeps working as hard as they have been working and keep working on the things that we’ve identified, I’d expect you will see a difference in Antrim in the next number of months.”
When they last met….
Saffrons Sunk by Brilliant Dubs
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Group Stage
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 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.
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