Ruairi Ogs, Cushendall produced a power packed second half performance to overcome the challenge of St. John’s in a high scoring and entertaining Reserve Hurling Cup semi-final at Corrigan Park on Wednesday night.
The Johnnies kept in touch during the opening exchanges thanks to a goal from Daire King in the second minute when he got on the end of a long delivery to finish from close range.
Slowly the visitors began to find their range however with Joseph McNaughton leading the way and his goal in the 10th minute edged the Ruairi Ogs ahead for the second time in the contest.
Earlier Conor Flannery in the St. John’s goals pulled off a smart save to deny the visitors what looked a certain goal but slowly the North Antrim men began to find their range with Austin Birt, Paddy Magill, Patrick Sharpe and Charlie McAuley hitting some excellent points.
Points from Donal Carson and Ruairi Galbraith kept the St. John’s scoreboard ticking and when they got in for a scrambled goal after a mix-up in the ‘Dall’ defence in the 20th minute they looked to be back in contention.
The visitors would finish the half on the front foot however as Paddy Magill 0-3, Patrick Sharpe 0-2 and Joseph McNaugton added points with Donal Carson 0-2, Daire King and Peter McCallin leaving the home side trailing by six at the short whistle.
The Corrigan men needed a good start to the second half if they were to get back into contention but it was Cushendall who got off to a blistering start as Paddy Magill pointed after 10 seconds and three more from the excellent McNaughton saw them 11 ahead with 5 minutes of the second half gone.
St. John’s did respond with a couple of well struck points from Donal Carson and another from Collie McFall but the Ruairi Og’s responded with their third goal of the evening when Conor Carson punished a mistake in defence to finish to the net in the 8th minute.
The visitors were now very much in the ascendancy as Joseph McNaughton followed with goal number four, a minute later to effectively end the game as a contest though St. John’s continued to battle.
Conor Carson and Paddy Magill continued to find the target with some excellent points as the gap increased and Carson got in for their fifth goal with five minutes remaining to put the visitors out of site.
Donal Carson, Ruairi Galbraith, Luke Loughlin, Fearghal McManus and Odhran Carson added points to the St. John’s total but it is Ruairi Og’s who go forward to the decider where they will meet Loughgiel Shamrocks in what should be an excellent final.
St. John’s: 1 Conor Flannery, 2 Odhran Carleton, 3 Joe Hand, 4 Michael Darragh, 5 Michael Napier, 6 Colly McFall, 7 Jim Peoples, 8 David Robinson, 9 Ruairi Galbraith, 10 Donall Carson, 11 Peter McCallin, 12 Danaan McKeogh, 13 Daire King, 14 Lorcan Heenan, 15 Conan McKinney.
Subs: 18 Luke Loughlin, 19 Darragh McGuinness, 20 Matthew Mallon, 21 Michael Dudley, 30 Fearghal MacManus
Ruairi Og: 1 Eoin Gillan, 2 Senan Black, 3 Daire Mort, 4 Michael Quinn, 5 Padraig McKillop, 6 Stephen Walsh, 7 Charlie McAuley, 8 Alex Delargey, 9 Austin Birt, 10 Joseph McNaughton, 11 Paddy McGill, 12 Oisin Woodhouse, 13 Patrick Sharpe, 14 Conor Carson, 15 Christy McLaughlin.
Subs: 16 Ruairi Sharpe, 17 Andrew DFelargy, 19 Ruairi McCollum, 20 Matthew McCann, 21 Conan Brown, 22 Ciaran Neeson, 23 Mark Emerson, 24 Dominic Delargy
Referee: John Dornan
TO SEE MORE OF BERTS PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Antrim GAA Reserve Cup Loughgiel v Dunloy 28th August 2024
Loughgiel 1-22 Dunloy 2-14
Match report and photo album from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel
An electrically charged first half in Wednesday’s Reserve Cup would complement the distant rumblings of thunder, threatening to deliver a deluge in the already soft turf. But thankfully, for most of the sixty minutes, play would remain dry overhead…but heavy underfoot.
With three goals and twenty points between the sides before the break, supporters were entertained to a blistering game of hurling, refereed by Seamus Shannon. Shannon would get to work twenty seconds after the throw in as Loughgiel’s Eoin McGarry picked up a foul as he worked his way towards the goals at the clubhouse. Ryan McKee would send that wide but Maol Connolly would keep the pressure applied with the first point in the game at under the two minutes.
Dunloy would send their puck out deep into Loughgiel’s half for a goal mouth scramble that was well diffused by Loughgiel’s full back line but Dunloy’s Nicky McKeague would receive the outbound sliotar for a turnover that put Dunloy on the scoreboard with their first point.
A worrying threat around the edge of the square, Dunloy’s Decky Smith would cast a long shadow into Mark Christie’s goals and with just two and half minutes in, Smith struck a well angled sliotar to beat Christie and register his first goal of the evening.
Unphased by the early goal, Loughgiel waited patiently and Darragh Patterson would point from a Finn Henry pass and then at six minutes in, Patterson would assist Eoin McGarry with Loughgiel’s goal.
Dunloy would reply with a useful point from Tom McFerran, as he took possession in his own half around the forty-five metre mark and running into Loughgiel’s half, floated a high ball to bring scores level at 1-02 apiece on the Fridge Raiders scoreboard.
Loughgiel would now drift two points into the lead as Nicholas McNaughton delivered from a Conal McCloskey pass and a determined Finn Henry going to ground, kept possession and successfully pointed on recovery.
But Dunloy’s Smith would be a handful at almost exactly ten minutes in, when a high dropping ball originally meant to point, fell going wide but Smith got an angle on the sliotar and dropped it in past Christie for his second goal.
With just a point between the sides, Loughgiel inched ahead again with points from McNaughton and McGarry, both from the low side of the pitch but Dunloy would apply the pressure at the other end and it would be keeper Christie that would bear the brunt with a fine save but the turned over sliotar would earn Dunloy a penalty as they pressed again into the thirteen metre box. Dunloy’s McKeague stroked the sliotar down the line towards a waiting Christie and a solid save denied Dunloy another goal.
Loughgiel would now start to move ahead over the next four minutes with four points, three from McNaughton and one from Eoin McGarry as Damien Quinn scooped up the rewards from a brave block, offloading to Finn Henry and onto McGarry.
With just over eighteen minutes on the clock, Dunloy’s Aodhan McGarry would make good of a free for a throw ball, bringing scores on the scoreboard to Loughgiel 1-10 Dunloy 2-03 and with four minutes elapsing, Loughgiel’s Darragh Patterson would take his point from a McNaughton offload before Dunloy picked up another throw ball free. Aodhan McGarry was on shooting form and delivered another score over the bar.
Loughgiel’s Quinn was right back in the front line action as he turned over a Dunloy ball towards Eoin McGarry who inched the Shamrock’s up another point but Dunloy would reply when referee Shannon spotted a foul on Aodhan McGarry. McGarry took his point to bring the gap back to just four points before Loughgiel’s Patterson and McNaughton pointed and with four on the clock, it looked like Loughgiel would carry that into the break but a dropping ball into Loughgiel’s square was directed into the back of Christie’s net by Decky Smith. Shannon consulted the umpires at the road end and a decision of a square ball resulted in a disallowed goal. Smith though would take Dunloy into the break just five points adrift behind Loughgiel as he pointed from twenty metres out from an assist by Nicky McKeague.
In the second half, Dunloy’s Smith would pick up where he left off, with his point stemming from a delivery onto his stick from a diagonal ball coming in from Conor McKinley.
The pace of the game had by now eased up and settled into almost twenty-five minutes of trading points, Dunloy picking up half of their scores from frees. Almost from the whistle, Dunloy started to roll on substitutions well ahead of Loughgiel and it would eventually be Dunloy’s number 18, Ryan Mort that would point two in quick succession to offer the Cuchullains hope of closing the gap but there was a sense of urgency about that as the clock had no more than two minutes of extra time added. A final free for Dunloy was dropped in and fired to the net by Chrissy McMahon but saved by keeper Christie who was partially blocked by a body and swept away by an industrious Daniel McPeake as Shannon blew for full time in this round two match, leaving the scoreboard to register Loughgiel 1-22 Dunloy 2-14.
Loughgiel Starting Panel and Scorers
Mark Christie, Ciaran McKay, Daniel McPeake, Connor Dickson, Damien Quinn, Ben McGarry 0-01, Conall McCloskey, Finn Henry 0-01, Ryan McKee, Nicholas McNaughton 0-08 (4f), Darragh Patterson 0-04, Odhran McFadden, Eoin McGarry 1-03, Maol Connolly 0-04, Donal McKinley, Tiago McGarry 0-01
Dunloy Starting Panel and Scorers
Gabriel McTaggart, Cathair McCloskey, Karl O’Kane, Reece Cunning, Kevin McKeague, Conor McKinley, Daire McMullan, Ciaran Elliott, Ciaran McQuillan, Tom McFerran 0-01, Aodhan McGarry 0-07f, Barry Scott, Nicky McKeague 0-01, Decky Smith 2-02, Anton McGrath 0-01, Ryan Mort 0-02
Photos from Wednesday’s game can be found in the photo album by clicking on the link here:
Saffron Gael’s Brendan McTaggart met up with new Antrim’s new hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald yesterday at Dunsilly to check out his thoughts on taking over the Saffrons…
Davy with Tony Shivers and North Antrim chairman Paddy Gray at the Ballycastle v St Enda’s game on Saturday evening
There are times in life where you realise, you’re in the presence of something special. On Sunday at Dunsilly, a 20 minute official interview and the same again off the record, I got to see first-hand what makes Davy Fitzgerald tick.
It went from being a run of the mill, standard interview to a passionate insight into what Clare native wants to bring to the Saffrons and how he plans to go about taking Antrim hurling to the next level.
“It’s been a busy two weeks. I’ve had to look at the backroom situation and that’s had the majority of my attention for the last two weeks” started Fitzgerald. “It’s a learning process just at the moment. It’s evaluating everything and seeing where we’re going, what we’re going and who’s going to be involved.”
The rumour mill has been in full flight surrounding who Davy would bring into his backroom team and despite being pressed, he had a glint in his eye when he said: “I wouldn’t be telling you either.” Famously guarded when dealing with the media, Fitzy was joking from the work go and while he was giving nothing away in regards details, he did say: “People have got to trust me and who I pick. Will it suit everyone? Probably not. But I’m there to pick the people that I want to work with. I know what I want and people will have to trust me on that.
“I’ve been putting a lot of thought into it. There are no favours or getting someone in for the sake of getting them in.
“I’m coming up here (to Antrim) a good bit of time. I have a fair idea on who I want and if I’m doing this job, I have to be trusted with that, to make the best decisions possible to help me achieve what I want to.
“There are a certain type of people I need to get to help me achieve that.”
Fitzgerald got tongues wagging throughout the hurling landscape in the country after his ratification and before. He told us that he did turn down an offer from Waterford to stay on and while there was a definite plan to take a break, after speaking with the Antrim county board he was sold: “I stepped down from Waterford, I was offered another two years down there, I declined it. I took the summer off, it was my first time having a June and July off with Daithi Og (his son) and it was grand.
“The only persons I spoke to were Antrim. I had so many clubs coming to me, looking to give a hand here and there. I just didn’t want to and because I have a lot of friends up here – I travel up and down here for a number of years I said we’d have a conversation. Did I expect anything to come from it? If I’m being truthful, no. But their enthusiasm, Seamus (McMullan) enthusiasm was undeniable. There’s been progress made in Antrim over the last number of years but their vision, their goal and desire to make this happen, it really caught my attention.
“I’ve been hearing it for years: “ah they’re great up there”. Not many people get off their backside and get up to do something about it and I thought now was the time, it was now or never.
“I talked to my family at home, spent a good few days talking it over and the logistics of it. I wanted to see if they could come up some of the time and we came to an arrangement. We have two years and I have an option of a third if I want it.
“Sharon (Davy’s wife) knows that I like it up here, I love coming up. This is my chance to finally see, can we help out. Can we do something. I’m sick of people talking about it, at least I’ll be able to say that I gave it my all.”
It wasn’t hard to conclude from our conversation that the new Antrim manager is a devoted family man. How he spoke regarding his family and reverence surrounding them, to make a decision like this was going to be a team effort but in the past, it always has been: “When I went to Wexford, the love I endured down there was incredible. My family, the way they were treated – incredible whether we won or lost. I’m hoping, and it’s something me and Sharon has spoken about, I’m hoping that when people see the that I’m giving it my all then we’ll have the same situation here.
“I can’t say that I’m a magician. I can’t say that we’re not going to get some of the beatings that we’ve got away from home over the last number of years. We have made progress here at Corrigan – great. But we need to be better than that when we go away from home and that’s one of my goals.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen straight out but I have a plan, an idea of what I want to do but when you’re trying to change something and bring new ideas, you have learn those ideas. When you’re learning those ideas, you might be a small be slower on the field – when you have to think on something it takes a split second longer. That’s going to happen. I’d expect that the commitment levels will be off the charts but the game stuff we’ll be looking to bring in will might take that small bit longer to get it to where it needs to be. Once we’ve done it enough, that split second of time will be gone and it will become easier.
That might mean that we will be beaten by a team or two that we shouldn’t or some of the top teams will get us but I’m hopeful that in the long run, fairly soon, not saying it’s four or five years down the road, sooner than that, we’ll be consistent. Playing the way we want to.
“Consistency is a big part of what I’m looking at and to get a style of play and to get something that gives us an identity. I want people to look at us and know that this Antrim team are going to be hard working, they’re never going to give up. I want us to have that identity.”
The new Antrim manager was impressed with the surroundings at Dunsilly, stating that they have all the tools they need but he needs another ingredient: “Things are definitely going in the right direction but I have to see joined up thinking all the way down the line. That’s a big thing.
Davy in his playing days with Clare in 2005
“I’m not coming in here saying I’m going to sort out underage structures but I hope to be asked my opinion. I hope that we get the best people. Personally, myself and it’s my opinion only, we shouldn’t be putting positions out for nomination. We should be going out for the best people we can get for our squads. That’s my own opinion and it could be totally different from those in the county board but my opinion is we should be getting the best people for our squads and then we should all be in line of how we hope to play, how we coach and how we go about that.
“I don’t need to hear about people saying what needs to be done. Don’t give me that crap. Get up and do something about it. Get onto Seamus or get onto someone and say you want to be involved, you want to help out. I’m sure from talking to him that, trust me, this lad is willing to listen. If we all join up together and get the best structures in place, it can all be inclusive.
“There’s so much good stuff being done in clubs but it needs to be bigger than that. We need the best people we can involved here. There is good people and I like people who are constantly thinking outside of the box. You won’t evolve if you don’t. I don’t manage the same way I did six, seven or eight years ago, you have to evolve in hurling like the way you have to in life.”
Inevitably, styles of play came up in conversation. Davy went and gave me a masterclass in how he went about the 2024 championship with Waterford before dispelling myths surrounding his tenure with Wexford: “With Wexford, I played a plus one. Some people looked on that as an extra defender. It’s not. Anyone who knows anything about hurling knows it isn’t. For three quarters of the game it’s attacking up front with seven, eight and nine players.
“If you tell me that Limerick or Clare played with a straight 15, they never did. People are delusional if they think 15 v 15 hurling is out there. I’m going to see what suits us best. I want the players to play in a way that they have decisions to make may that be hand pass ball, long ball, dink ball, scoring from distance, I want them to have those decisions.
If you get the ball and just lump it down the field all the time, you get a scrum between four or six people. That was ok back years ago and people might like that but that’s not me. I want to see the skills in the game.
“There’s 110 dead ball situations in a game of hurling. 40 puck outs either side, 25 frees and seven or eight side lines. I want to see us be the best we can be in that. That takes a lot out of a game of hurling and people maybe don’t think of that.
“Did the people of Wexford care that I played a plus one? Yeah, maybe some of the older boys from the ’96 team but you look at the record. We won a Leinster Championship; we should have won an All-Ireland. We gave ourselves opportunities and that’s where I’d rather be. I’d love to see a heap of Antrim people coming down to Croke Park on a big day, that’s where I’m coming from.
“I will respect people’s opinion, there’ll never be a problem with that, but I’m also entitled to my opinion and how I think we should be playing. I want that support.”
Davy with Clare in 2013 when he became one of a unique group of men to have won an All Ireland title with his county and then go on managed one
Outside of hurling, the Antrim manager is looking to grow and sustain a culture. He added: “I believe that Antrim GAA can create a culture that will help young people evolve and grow into better young people. I believe that we can have more values and that can help with their home life. I believe our young people and senior team can do things that they’re not doing at home. This can be bigger. Antrim GAA have the chance to be a leader in certain areas and I hope I can help. I have a vision on how that can happen.
“Kids these days, they’re on their tablets and phones too much. I want to create a culture where they’re putting their phones and tablets down. I want them to be tidying up the changing rooms, don’t be leaving it to the caretaker. Tidying up around the field where we have so much pride in our facilities and making sure that we’re leaving the place in the same condition we found it. Those things, that culture, can be taken into home life also. Make you better as a person at home. Have talks on specific things, be it gambling or drugs, I want to see talks on different things. I want to have an impact on things outside of hurling. A happy home leads to a happy mind and helps to create a good hurler.”
Ultimately, Antrim have brought Fitzgerald in to get them to the next level. Progress has been made and an appointment of such a high profile manager is a massive step. Is it a risk? I think it’s one worth taking. Davy is right in that, hurling has evolved. Antrim hurling may need to evolve too. Fitzgerald concluded by adding:
“People need to stop worrying about styles and look to us getting competitive. Do you want people to continue saying: “ah they’re a great bunch up there”? I’ve no interest in that. I’m up here to change that, to get competitive. Let’s try and get to that next level.”
A couple for the McTaggart family album as Davy poses for pics with Brendan’s daughter Caoimhe and his dad Malachy
In a very convincing win over Ardoyne played at Rasharkin, the home side made it very clear that they are serious contenders for this year’s Junior Hurling Championship.
Ardoyne were first off the blocks with a point from play by Paddy Heaney after several wides from Rasharkin.
Declan McKay got Rasharkin into gear with a lovely point from a sharp angle before sharp shooter McKeever rifled over the next two points for Rasharkin. Paddy Heaney was the anchorman for the North Belfast men as they strove to keep in touch, with Padraig McGreevey playing his part with a goal that was a fitting end to a great solo run through the Rasharkin defence by Sean Searle. However, with six different players getting their names on the scoreboard for Rasharkin, it was looking ominous for Ardoyne as the short whistle was blown.
Half-Time: Rasharkin 2-14 Ardoyne 1-06
Dan Moore opened the second half for Ardoyne with a point that sparked a revival for Ardoyne as they outscored Rasharkin by 2-04 to 0-05 in the third quarter of this game. McKeever was in form though and he kept the scoreboard ticking over for Rasharkin. Matt Killen has been a regular goal scorer for the Northenders this season and again he was on target but his goal at 15 minutes into the second half marked the end of any meaningful resistance from Ardoyne.
The final quarter exposed Ardoyne’s lack of experience at this level of competition as Rasharkin corrected their sights and put on a display of accurate shooting for which Ardoyne, despite several outstanding saves from Agnew, did not have the answer on the day.
Rasharkin will move on with confidence, while Ardoyne will hope that with several key players back on board that they can regroup as both teams move on to the next stage of the championship.
Full-time: Rasharkin 5-29 Ardoyne 2-10
Rasharkin: Liam Tunney Daniel Doherty Conor Doherty Conaire Donaghy Ruairi O’Boyle 0-03 Aidan McKeever 0-01 Tiernan O’Boyle Shane Hasson Conor McFerran 0-01 Caolan Maria Emmet McFerran 0-01 Declan McKay 0-02 Conor McKillop 1-03 Donagh Quigg 1-04 Conor McKeever 1-14 James O’Mullan Terry McGregor 2-0 Brian Og O’Neill
Ardoyne: JP Agnew, Paul O’Halloran Micháel McGreevy Eamon Mac Lochlainn Sean Searle Kealan McCallan Diarmuid Martin Dean Goodall 0-01 Paul McGuigan Paddy Heaney 0-03 Dan Moore 0-01 Padraig McGreevy 1-03 Aran Stewart 0-03 Matt McKillen 2-0 Caolan Wallace, Enda Slattery Piarais O’Neill, Padraig O Deorain Connor O’Neill Cormac Curran Jonathan Larkin Ciarán Gaston
Despite a personal haul of 1-14 from former Antrim County player, Derssie McClean, Gort na Mona had to settle for a share of the spoils in this keenly contest Junior Hurling Championship encounter against Lamh Dhearg at Enright Park on Saturday.
The draw was enough however to secure them second spot in the group ahead of Saturday’s opponents on score difference but the Hannastown men will also go through to the quarter-final.
Lamh Dhearg will be disappointed they didn’t see it out after leading by four with ten minutes remaining and two as the game edged into time added on but conceded two late frees which the mercurial McClean converted to give his side the draw they needed.
Patrick McCaffrey was first to register as he pointed he Gorts ahead in the second minute but Adam Murray brought the sides level with his first free of the day.
Points from Thomas McCaffrey and Nathan Gibson edged the home side back ahead and Odhran Waldron replied for the visitors but at this stage the scores dried up for a time as both sides wasted chances.
It would be nine minute before Adam Murray added his second of the day to bring the side’s level again and a further seven before Dessie McClean made his first contribution of the evening to edge Gort na Mona ahead for the third time.
McClean had taken 16 minutes to announce his arrival but he would go on to have a massive influence on the game and would ultimately provide the scores to give his side a share of the spoils.
He added two more converted frees with Odhran Waldron and Mark Finnegan replying for the Hannastown side before McClean weighed in with two more as Gort na Mona enjoyed the better of the exchanges.
The Mona Bye Pass men might well have had a goal at this stage but wasted a good opportunity but they made their next opportunity count and after Ryan McCamlinn saved from Tiernan O Cadhlaigh, McClean gathered the rebound and fired to the net.
Lámh Dhearg responded well with three points on the bounce from substitute Evan Stanley – who had replaced the injured Ryan Diamond – and a pair of Murray frees, but another from McClean left the hosts 1-9 to 0-9 ahead at the interval.
It was the Red Hands who made the better start to the second half as Murray pointed a free before Padraig McHugh was adjudged to have fouled Gerard Smyth with referee, Piaras McCaffery pointing to the penalty spot and Finnegan hammered the resulting free to the corner of the net.
Dessie McClean levelled matters again with Odran Waldron edging the visitors ahead once more before Lamh Dhearg got in for a second goal in the 38 minutes as a long ball broke to Waldron and he fired home despite the best efforts of Gort’s goalkeeper Caolan McCrory.
Waldron extended the gap out to four and it looked like the points would be heading up the road to Hannastown but Gort na Móna replied through three McClean frees and a fine effort from Thomas McCaffrey to draw level once more with time almost up.
Two more from the excellent Finnegan looked again to have sealed the win for Lamh Dhearg as McClean as Murray exchanged further score to keep the gap at two.
There would be a final twist in what had been an excellent contest as Gort na Mona were awarded a late fee which McClean converted and then another free was moved forward for dissent with McClean becoming the Gort’s saviour.
McClean finished with 1-14 to his name and 13 of those points came from the placed ball as his side now have a home quarter-final against Ardoyne to look forward to while Lámh Dhearg will head to Davitt’s
Gort na Mona: C McCrory; J Connolly, P McHugh, L Dixon; G McKenna, Neil Henry, N Gibson (0-1); J Hicks, T O Cadhlaigh; D McClean (1-14, 0-13f), T Morton, T McCaffrey (0-2); Niall Henry, P McCaffrey (0-1), M McMullan.
Subs: J Monaghan for Niall Henry (36), D Hughes for L Dixon (45), M Carlin for M McMullan (55).
Lamh Dhearg: R McCamlinn; N McGarry, A McGuigan, C Camlinn; T McKenna, R Diamond, D Murray; C Boyd, F Mervyn; A Murray (0-6, 5f), M Finnegan (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-2f), O Waldron (1-4); M McGarry, G Smyth, C Lappin.
Subs: E Stanley (0-1) for R Diamond (22), O Lee for M McGarry (51)
