National Hurling League – Division 1B
Antrim v Kildare
Sunday 8 February
Venue: Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge, Kildare
Time: 2pm
Brendan McTaggart looks ahead to Antrim’s league match against Kildare in Newbridge.
After last Sunday’s contest with Clare, Antrim league campaign goes on the road again. A trip down to the Lilywhites and a second meeting with Kildare in 2026. Antrim won’t need reminding of their first meeting, coming away with a defeat to Kildare in the Walsh Shield semi-final in what was horrific weather to be playing hurling in. It was so bad, you wouldn’t put your dog out in it but, it’s a match that will act as an eye opener, if it were needed, that this Kildare side aren’t to be taken lightly.
The 2025 McDonagh Cup winners have played just one match in the league so far, coming up short against Dublin with 14 points between them by the final whistle. For a team cutting their teeth in this Division for the first time in a generation (or two), 46 years to be exact, that could be seen as a respectable enough result. Ronan Hayes with the Dubs two majors as they ran out 2-19 to 0-10 victors.
Jack Sheridan did the lions share of the scoring for Brian Dowling’s men, all but one of his nine points coming from placed ball as he showed exemplary form from frees, just like when these two met in the Walsh Shield. They managed just one point from open play in each half however, Gerry Keegan the other man in Lilywhite who managed that fete.
It was a tough lesson last Sunday in Cushendall for the Saffrons who came up against a Banner side who were in no mood to be on the end of another Antrim shock. Once Brian Lohan’s men went through the gears, they purred like a well-oiled machine. Their ability to pass under pressure, delivery a direct hurl pass to hand and their touch was a real eye-opener for anyone who might be looking for that type of thing. It was something that certainly caught my eye. This as well as the physicality that they brought both in and out of possession. It was far from a ‘dirty’ game of hurling but Clare’s ability to stop the man in possession legally, standing them upright and forcing a turnover just had to be applauded, much as it hurts me to say.
If we’re being realistic about it, getting a result against Clare was always going to be the dream scenario. Clare are a side who are hurting after losing their All-Ireland crown in 2025, they have aspirations for winning the Liam McCarthy Cup never mind the league. The 2024 All Ireland winners looked like men on a mission from the first whistle. Relentless to the point where they oozed professionalism. They came to do a job and they certainly done that.
For Antrim’s part, they fared much better in the second half. Some may look at that and think Clare took their foot off the gas put trust me when I say, the Banner never once looked like they were going to ease up. Antrim played with one or two men inside and packed the midfield but such was Clare’s organisation and strategy, they looked like they always had a spare man. The work rate, the intensity, the mindset and the player buy in to what they are trying to achieve had to be commended. A side who are considerably further ‘down the road’ than what Antrim are and where Antrim want to be.
The introduction of Conor Johnston, Jack McCloskey and Keelan Molloy certainly gave the Saffrons more zip in the middle third while the direct running of Seaan Elliott, all be it fleeting, gave a strong Clare defence something to think about.
When I spoke with Seoirse Bulfin during the week, he felt like the Saffrons showed Clare too much respect in a first half that they were far from happy about: “We stood off them too much, it was almost like ‘this is Clare, the All Ireland champions from a few months ago’ and the lads were caught on their heels a little but look we got them in at half time and tightened things up a little. We played much better in the second half.
“We are looking for consistency. We played well against Wexford and the second half against Clare. We want to keep fighting and battling in games, we could have folded at half time but the lads did well in the second half.”
Sunday’s match represents Antrim’s best opportunity to get their first points of the league campaign and as Seoirse told us, it will be a tough game: “They are the Joe McDonagh Cup winners and there’s no bad teams wins that competition. They are at home so that’s a massive advantage for them and this is a massive game for both of us.
“We’ll have learned a couple of things from that game (Walsh Shield) just like they would have on us. That was a game we really should have been winning, I think the wide count in the second half was something like 14 to two, it was a match we should have been putting to bed but look, that was a different competition.”
With Molloy, Johnston and McCloskey all getting game time against Clare, Bulfin said they are getting close to something to where they want to be. “Gerard Walsh and Niall O’Connor are back from suspension and Jonty (Conor Johnston) and Keelan (Molloy) got minutes. Conal Bohill isn’t far away either so we’re starting to shape.”
Against Kildare four weeks ago, it was the Saffrons first outing in 2026. A match against a Kildare side riding the crest of a wave in their own backyard is far from an easy task. It will be a massive game with a win for either side kick-starting their campaign and going a long way to sealing their fate for next season. The same work rate and intensity shown against Wexford and for half of the Clare game will be the expectation for the full 70 plus minutes in Newbridge. If that happens, the result will follow.
The last time they met….
Kildare snatch win at the death over Saffrons
Dioralyte Walsh Shield
Semi Final
Antrim 2-10 Kildare 0-17
Sunday 11 January
By Brendan McTaggart
Antrim fell to a one point defeat on Sunday afternoon to bow out of the Walsh Shield at the hands of Kildare. The Lilywhite’s stages a late comeback of sorts, registering the final three scores of the hour to win by the minimum as the Saffrons were left to rue their profligacy in front of the target.
In a second half where they would reach double figures in wides, it was a period just after the three-quarter mark where Davy Fitzgerald side hit four wides in succession in less than five minutes that proved to be decisive in the end. Kildare were certainly wasteful themselves in the first half but they saw out the game at the death with a purple patch that was the winning of the game…..
TEAMS
ANTRIM: Domhnall Nugent; Ryan McNulty, Eoin McFerran, Ruairi McCormick; Gerard Walsh, Joe Maskey, Sean McKay; Eoin O’Neill, Ryan McCambridge; Scott Walsh, Paul Boyle, Sean Duffin; Jack McCloskey, Conal Cunning, Joseph McLaughlin
Subs: Niall O’Connor for S McKay (30); Seaan Elliott for J McCloskey (39); Conor Johnston for J McLaughlin (39); James McNaughton for E O’Neill (44); Cormac McKeown for S Duffin (53)
Scorers: C Cunning 0-6 (6fs); J McLaughlin 1-1; J McCloskey 1-00; E O’Neill 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; C McKeown 0-1
KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Evan O’Briain, Rian Boran, Dan O’Meara; Paul Dolan, Cian Boran, Daire Guerin; Alan Goss, Cathal McCabe; Caolan Smith, Gerry Keegan, Tim Ryan; Jack Sheridan, Muiris Curtin, James Dolan
Subs: Jack Travers for T Ryan (41); Darragh Melville for J Dolan (47); Liam O’Reilly for E O’Briain (51); Michael Owens for D O’Meara (51); Tom Power for G Keegan (53)
Scorers: J Sheridan 0-10 (10fs); G Keegan 0-2; M Curtin 0-2; P Dolan 0-1; J Travers 0-1; L O’Reilly 0-1
Referee: Kyle Watters (Offaly)