Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship – Round 5

Antrim 4-24 Westmeath 1-19

Sunday 28 May

Brendan McTaggart reports from Cusack Park, Mullingar

Job done.  Antrim travelled to Mullingar knowing their fate in the Leinster championship was on the line, but they were masters of their own destiny and after a sensational second half, it was job done.

Trailing by two points having played into the wind in the first half, Antrim manager Darren Gleeson looked a frustrated man walking off the Cusack Park pitch at the short whistle.  Antrim had controlled much of the first half and held a seven point lead after 20 minutes.  The home side kept Antrim to just one point in the time that remained of the first half and scored 1-7 themselves.  The Saffrons reduced to 14 men with referee Kevin Jordan giving Ryan Elliott a black card for an infringement in the build up to the Westmeath goal.

That and numerous decisions in the first half had the vocal Antrim support outraged and Antrim looked all at sea.  The game and momentum changed in the opening exchanges of the second half.  The Saffrons came out rejuvenated with Gleeson’s words ringing in their ears and put in a performance for the ages to run out 14 point winners and leave a Westmeath team who defeated Wexford just seven days ago, chasing shadows.  Two goals in either half with Conal Cunning and Conor Johnston before Eoin O’Neill and James McNaughton late in the game.  Cunning finished with 1-9, his last point something that should be shown to every young player with aspirations to play the game.  Seaan Elliott and Keelan Molloy covered every inch of the Cusack Park turf, Molloy with an outrageous block late in the game that saw him being picked up by Gerard Walsh and embraced such was his bravery.  Mick Bradley put in another top performance and has been Antrim’s Mr Consistency this year while James McNaughton’s second half performance was more like we’ve been used to seeing from the Loughgiel man.  A special mention should be reserved for Neil McManus however.  If the rumours are to be believed and this was his last match in the Saffron jersey, then what a way to go out.  He has been Mr Antrim for years and through thick and thin.  A man that owes Antrim hurling nothing and gives everything.  A man that should never have been on the pitch given the extent of his injuries but you just knew he was never missing this game.  A massive influence, a leader, a legend.  He deserved this game and performance to end an illustrious career.

Despite Antrim scoring the opening point of the game through a free from Cunning, Westmeath looked sharp.  They held a two point lead with Ciaran Doyle, Davy Glennon and Jack Galvin all finding their range.

The first Antrim goal came in the eighth minute with James McNaughton picking up the loose ball and finding Cunning who finished superbly.

The scores were tied when Antrim struck again in the 13^th minute.  Bradley with the delivery where Cunning broke the sliotar into the path of Johnston.  He pulled first time and the net rippled.  Antrim turned the screw and added a further four scores in as many minutes. 

Seven clear and with the home side on the ropes, Westmeath scored their first point for 15 minutes and began to find their range. 

Four points separated the sides when Westmeath scored their only goal of the game.  An error in the Antrim defence and O’Brien capitalised.  He passed to Owen McCabe who was through one on one with Ryan Elliott.  The Dunloy man brought McCabe down but the Westmeath forward managed to get his shot away to score the goal.  It was a double blow however with referee Jordan giving Elliott a black card.

While Antrim struggled, Westmeath reaped in the mayhem.  Another four unanswered scores gave them a 1-12 to 2-7 lead at the short whistle.

Half time came at the right time for the Saffrons.  Gerard Walsh was deputising between the sticks and they reorganised their defence.  They needed a change on mindset in the second half and they came out a different team.

Inside the opening 60 seconds they were back on terms on the scoreboard and by the third minute of the half they were back ahead.  They were turning the screw on the Westmeath defence and forcing turnovers while defensively they held the home side to just four points in 31 minutes of hurling.  Between times, they were running riot.  McNaughton, McManus, Cunning, Seaan Elliott all finding scores to put Antrim eight points clear with five minutes of the 70 remaining.

The third and fourth Antrim goals came inside two minutes at the death, the first of those from substitute Eoin O’Neill all but sealed the win.  Burke finding Molloy who found O’Neill in space.  He rounded his man with a side step and bore down on goal, making no mistake when one on one with Noel Conaty.  The fourth goal came from an interception by Seaan Elliott and he passed to McNaughton.  The Loughgiel man took his tally to 1-3 and his goal a reward for an excellent second half performance.

The final whistle blew and the Antrim celebrations started.  Mixed with a hint of relief but nevertheless, this performance felt like a defining moment for this side.  It was as good as I personally can remember Antrim playing and to do it under the circumstances they were faced makes it all more sweet.  The Leinster Championship will see the Saffrons in 2024 while Westmeath will play in the McDonagh Cup after Wexford pulled off a shock result in Kilkenny.

TEAMS

Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Paddy Burke, Ryan McGarry, Niall O’Connor; Gerard Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Conal Bohill; James McNaughton, Michael Bradley; Keelan Molloy, Niall McKenna, Conor Johnston; Conal Cunning, Neil McManus, Seaan Elliott

Subs: Daniel McKernan for C Bohill (11); E O’Neill for C Johnston (61); Rian McMullan for N McManus (70); Joe Maskey for N McKenna (70+2); Domhnall Nugent for C Cunning (70+3)

Scorers: C Cunning 1-9 (7fs); J McNaughton 1-3; C Johnston 1-1; E O’Neill 1-1; N McKenna 0-3; S Elliott 0-2; N McManus 0-2; N O’Connor 0-2; K Molloy 0-1

Westmeath: Noel Conaty; Darragh Egerton, Conor Shaw, Johnny Bermingham; Tommy Doyle, Aaron Craig, Robbie Greville; Jack Galvin, Charlie McCormack; Davy Glennon, Eoin Keyes, Niall O’Brien; Owen McCabe, Joseph Boyle, Ciaran Doyle

Subs: Niall Mitchell for C McCormack (41); Peter Clarke for A Craig (48); Derek McNicholas for C Doyle (59)

Scorers: C Doyle 0-7 (4fs 2 ‘65s); D Glennon 0-4; N O’Brien 0-3 (1f); O McCabe 1-00; J Boyle 0-2; J Galvin 0-2; J Bermingham 0-1

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Tipperary)

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship round-robin 4

Galway 5-29 Antrim 1-22

Antrim left Pearse Stadium today with a lot on their minds after taking a nineteen point beating from Galway in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in their penultimate game in the Leinster round-robin game. However  events on the other side of the country, where their final game opponents Westmeath staged a remarkable comeback from 16 points down to beat Wexford was very much in their thoughts as well.

The midlanders remarkable comeback means that Antrim must now beat the Midlanders in Mullingar next Sunday to stay in the Leinster championship, instead of getting a draw, which had appeared to be the likely scenario. If Antrim do manage to pull off a win over the Lakelanders, and already qualified Kilkenny beat Wexford in the last game, then Wexford will find themselves relegated to the JoeMcDonagh Cup, while Antrim and Westmeath will remain in the championship.

During the first half of Sunday’s game Antrim had battled well and were in contention for most of the first-half, but as Galway upped the pace in the lead to half time they stretched their lead and were in complete control by the half time whistle as they lead by 2-17 to 1-07

Antrim got away to a great start as Eoin O’Neill ran at the Galway defence before passing to Niall McKenna who was brought down by a Galway defender and Conal Cunning fired home the resultant penalty. Conor Cooney and Evan Niland came back with points to cut the gap to a single point but Enda Og McGarry hit Antrim’s first from play to put them 1-2 to 0-4 up, but when Galway rattled off the next five on the spin, with Cooney and Niland hitting two apiece and Padraic Mannion also on target the picture was slowly changing

Antrim responded with points from Conor Cunning and Keelan Molloy but on 28 minutes, but things began to slip for the Glensmen when a Ronan Glennon’s shot for a point came back off the post and the loose ball was whipped to the net by Conor Whelan. When Paddy Burke replied with a point to reduce the gap to four, things didn’t look too bad but Galway came strong in the final minutes as Niland, Cooney, Kevin Cooney and Declan McLoughlin all sent over points before Whelan delivered a killer blow as he drilled the ball to the net to put his team 2-15 to 1-7 ahead at the break. .

To their credit Antrim kept battling after the restart but they missed a couple of early scoring chances while at the other end Conor Cooney, Joseph Cooney and Declan McLaughlin all found the target.

James McNaughton did get Antrim away in the second period with a points on the run, but they were hit with a third goal straight after as a good move resulted in Kevin Cooney blasting home.

Three points in quick succession lifted Antrim spirits but Galway’s fourth goal wasn’t far away and on 47 minutes, Tom Monaghan got in and fired home his team’s fourth goal from a narrow angle.

James McNaughton had a great shot at goal saved by the Galway netminder, and though the Loughgiel man pointed the resultant 65, the intensity of the game was fading a bit. With next weekend’s game in their minds both teams made a raft of changes which killed the pace of the game, but Galway still had a goal in them, and Liam Collins got his side’s fifth major with a fine finish.

One promising thing in the final minutes was Daniel McKernan, who was making his return after a long absence through injury, came on and hit  three good points for the Saffrons, and the Sarsfields man should be available for next week’s crucial decider in Mullingar

GALWAY: E Murphy; J Grealish, G McInerney, D Morrissey; P Mannion (0-2), D Burke, F Burke; J Cooney (0-2), C Mannion; R Glennon, E Niland (0-8, 2 frees, 2 65s), C Cooney (0-7); K Cooney (1-2), C Whelan (2-0), D McLoughlin (0-4).

Subs: T Monaghan (1-2) for C Mannion (7), TJ Brennan (0-1) for F Burke (head injury, 15, not reversed), C Fahy for R Glennon (48), A Tuohey (0-1) for D Burke (53), L Collins (1-0) for C Whelan (53), J Ryan for J Cooney (62)

ANTRIM: T Smyth; P Burke (0-3), G Walsh, S Rooney; R McGarry, C Boyd, N O Connor; K Molloy (0-1), E Og McGarry (0-1); E O’Neill (0-1), C Cunning (1-3, 1-0 pen, 0-2 frees), N McKenna (0-1); D Nugent (0-1), J McNaughton (0-4, 1 free, 1 65), C Johnston (0-3).

Subs: P Boyle for G Walsh (HT), J Maskey (0-1) for D Nugent (50), D McKernan (0-3) for C Cunning (50), S Walsh for K Molloy (55), A Bradley for E O’Neill ( blood sub, 62, not reversed), C McKernan for P Burke (64)

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)

The Antrim fans left Corrigan Park last Saturday with mixed feelings after drawing with Dublin, who earned themselves a share of the points due to a point deep in injury time. There was great disappointment at conceding that late score, after leading for the majority of the game, but also a sense of relief when you thought back on the opportunities that the Dubs missed through the game.

Seaan Elliott moves out to midfield in Saturday’s team to face Wexford

The Saffrons looked set to take the win the game when they went six points clear early in the second half, despite facing a stiff breeze, but they lost their way a little as Dublin took control around the middle of the field. Antrim could not win a ball in middle third as Dublin clawed their way back. When they visitors hit the front with just ten minutes to go it looked like was going to be the same old story, but the men in Saffron showed great character to battle back. When substitute Paul Boyle put them ahead in injury time we all held our breath, hoping they could hold on, but it wasn’t to be and O’Sullivan’s late point meant it ended all square.

We all knew going into this Leinster campaign that the nature of these physically punishing games would most likely take its toll on the Antrim team and so it has proved when Nigel Elliott went off early with a foot injury, an injury that will probably keep the Dunloy ace out of action for the remainder of the campaign.

Gerard Walsh once again plays in the half back line

With Niall McKenna already out through injury Antrim are robbed of two ball winners in the half forward line. When excellent midfielder Michael Bradly went down injured in the final minute at Corrigan last week, it looked like he would join the casualty list as well, but the Johnnies midfield star has been named on the starting team for Wexford Park. In fact there is only one personnel change in Saturday’s line up with Joe Maskey coming in for the injured Elliott. The defence is the same as started last week, when all of them showed well, but there is a positional switch at midfield where Seaan Elliott comes out to join Bradley. James McNaughton, who started alongside Bradley against Dublin move out to the left half forward position, while Maskey is on the forty and Keelan Molloy on the right. Last week’s full forward line of Conal Cunning, Neill McManus and Conor Johnston remains the same as last week.

James Mcnaughton moves from midfield to wing forward

Playing away from home is a hard task for any team and Saturday’s game will be no different. Wexford are formidable opponents, who will start as firm favourites, despite last week’s defeat to Galway. However if Antrim show the fight, determination and skill they displayed last week they are more that capable of getting something out of this game and give manager Daren Gleeson the bragging rights over his good friend Darragh Egan.