Brendan McTaggart takes a look ahead to this weekends Bathshack senior hurling championship quarter finals.
This weekend sees the senior championship enter the knockout stages with two ties that catch the imagination. Sunday will see two of north Antrim’s big dogs facing off with Loughgiel and Ballycastle playing in Pearse Park, Dunloy but the contest that really catches the imagination and whets the appetite is on Saturday evening and Rossa playing St John’s.
The Belfast ‘Big Two’ or the Auld Firm of the Westies – you can make your own mind up who’s who in that Great Divide but Naomh Éanna will play host to one of the most anticipated games involving two city sides in long and many a year.
Firstly, why the game is being taken to the Hightown Road feels like a bit of a crazy decision. Both sides have the facilities to host, it feels like the logical decision would have been to toss for the venue or even play it at St Paul’s or Sarsfields. I’m not privy to any of the discussions surrounding the decision making, I just think that taking two sides across town on a Saturday afternoon feels like a bit of an own goal.
Anyhow, Naomh Éanna it is and to put that to one side, this contest has all the ingredients to be an epic tie. Looking at Rossa, after winning the league for the first time since 1996, expectations were high. In a group with Cushendall, Loughgiel and Carey Faughs, the Shaw’s Road men would have been eyeing a scalp and an outside chance of a direct path to the semi-final’s.
I got to two Rossa games so far in the championship. The home game against Cushendall showed their grit and determination despite the loss of Eoin Trainor for a second yellow card. The wind was blowing a gale and it took a couple of brilliant goals from Neil McManus to give the Ruairi’s a winning start. Looking back at the game and while it was a close contest, it was a game that it never felt like Cushendall were going to lose. Rossa were excellent and there could be an argument to say they were unlucky to not get anything out of the game. Trainor’s dismissal had a massive impact but the performances of Deaglan Murphy, Gerard Walsh, Aodhan O’Brien and Stephen Beatty along with the desire and buy in to what they are trying to do would have given them a great foundation.
Against Loughgiel, trailing by one point at half time, they were well set. But the Shamrock’s start to the second half was the winning of the game. An error from netminder Donal Armstrong, getting caught in possession and Paul Boyle’s goal a couple of minutes later knocked the wind from their sails. Armstrong is an assured performer between the sticks and an error like that is totally out of character but a reminder that against the best teams in the county, you can’t take your eye off the ball.
10 points separated the sides by the final whistle, again Rossa showed plenty to give them plenty of encouragement. Tommy Morgan coming off the bench and having an impact along with the usual suspects i.e. Walsh, O’Brien, the Murphy’s while Declan McCartney also had a good game.
St John’s started the campaign with a draw in the Hightown Road against Naomh Éanna. A sign of the progress being made by the Glengormley side and possibly a sign of St John’s being slow starters to a championship campaign.
They played Ballycastle in Dunloy and they blitzed the McQuillan’s in the opening half. The intensity, tempo and aggression they played with, Ballycastle couldn’t live with it and by the time they settled into the game, St John’s had a sizeable lead.
Conor Johnston and Oisin MacManus were excellent with Donal Carson also catching the eye but it was their hunger and workrate in rucks that was the overriding memory from that game.
St John’s home tie against Dunloy would see the winner of the contest taking top spot in the group. In truth, it was a game that the Cuchullains never looked like losing after a first half where they played some seriously good hurling. St John’s couldn’t get to grips with Dunloy but they showed their fighting qualities in the final quarter. Again, Donal Carson was a threat along with Shea Shannon. Ryan McNulty and Conal Bohill were the pick of the St John’s back six while the length of Domhnall Nugent’s puck outs was always a threat.
Who wins this one could well come down to which of the versions of each side shows up on the day. Rossa were impressive against Carey in their third group match, putting up a big score and a game like that is exactly what they will have needed after the disappointment of the games against Cushendall and Loughgiel. They will have to keep tabs on the scoring threat of Conor Johnston, Aaron Bradley and Oisin MacManus while looking for more out of their own attack. In their first two group games, Rossa were reliant on Deaglan Murphy’s frees and there’s no doubt they’ll need more from their other forwards if they are to get anything from this one.
Ballycastle, bizarrely, will be playing in Pearse Park for the third time in this years championship. The Town will be hoping for third time lucky and certainly praying that lightning doesn’t strike for a third time in the same place. Against Dunloy and St John’s, the start to each game was their ultimate downfall, leaving themselves too much to do by the time they finally settled into the game.
Throughout the league, one of the main facets of the McQuillan’s game was the movement of their attack. Tiernan Smith and Neal McAuley forming an excellent partnership while Seamus McAuley has been pivotal in midfield. Conor Boyd has been a rock at the heart of the Ballycastle defence while Cian Baudant and Cathair Donnelly have also impressed.
The addition of Niall McKenna to the Ballycastle ranks for the 2025 season was a massive boost to their attack. McKenna has been living in the area for some time and his debut season in black and amber was going well until the championship campaign began. Struck with a back injury, it remains to be seen if the county star will make the squad for Sunday’s showdown.
One player who has been making a long awaited comeback from injury in the last two games is Ciaran Clarke. Coming off the bench against St John’s to score a goal and getting on the scoresheet in their win against Naomh Éanna, again off the bench, seeing Clarke in black and amber once again is a welcome site for all at Ballycastle club. He will be pushing hard for a starting place in the 15 against Loughgiel.
The Shamrocks had been making serene progress through the championship with a big win against Carey and a mighty second half performance against Rossa putting them in a great position for their game against Cushendall.
That game itself was, for 99% of it, controlled by the Shamrock’s. It’s that 1% that let them down. Six ahead at the end of the hour, how they contrived to grab defeat from the jaws of victory is mind boggling. The game itself wasn’t without controversy but, putting that to one side, Loughgiel should really have seen that game out. Inexperience at the end cost them, leaving Joseph McLaughlin free to receive a short ’65 and then Ryan McCambridge with no red shirts near him to receive a pass 30 yards from goal. The masters of their own downfall.
That’s the negatives out of the way. For the positives, it was as good a performance from Loughgiel since they beat Dunloy in the 2023 semi final. The addition of Ben McGarry to the half back line and Enda Og McGarry settling into a full back slot has helped the Shamrock’s back six while Ryan McKee and Ruairi McCormick have formed an excellent midfield partnership full of work rate and running. Roan ‘Rosie’ Fitzgerald had an excellent game against Cushendall and has been well worth his starting place in the games I’ve witnessed him in this championship campaign, really progressing after a strong u21 championship.
After the drama and shenanigans at the end of the Cushendall game, the nature of that defeat, having a game so soon after is the best possible scenario for the Shamrocks. They’ll want to get the frustrations of that game out of their systems and to have it now and not in another two weeks is the perfect remedy.
A match against a Ballycastle side who will feel like they still have something to prove to themselves has got banana skin written all over it and if Loughgiel don’t come into this one in the right frame of mind, the men in black and amber will be more than obliging to make them pay.
Prediction time…
The first of the championship but it’s better late than never. Starting with the Belfast Derby, I think there’s a kick in St John’s yet. When it comes to games of this nature, they have so much experience and getting more bodies back at the right time. Ciaran Johnston potentially making the squad after picking up an injury in training. I fancy Loughgiel to see off Ballycastle with a bit to spare. I just think that the hurt of that game against Cushendall is the ideal scenario for them right now and Ballycastle may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time against