Match report from Nuala Graffin from Portglenone. Photos from Kiara Klicked.
Antrim’s U15 Academy girls delivered an impressive performance in their latest outing on Saturday in Portglenone, securing a convincing win over Meath in a well-contested match. A welcome break in the recent poor weather meant conditions were ideal for camogie, and the Antrim squad took full advantage.
Photo courtesy of Kiara Klicked
From the first whistle, the Bathshack sponsored Antrim Academy team showcased excellent teamwork and determination, with cohesive play evident across all areas of the pitch. A standout feature of the game was the spread of scorers — an impressive tally of ten players got on the scoresheet, underlining the depth and collective strength of the squad.
Photo courtesy of Kiara Klicked
The Antrim management team were full of praise for the players, noting the significant progress being made within the academy setup. Saturday’s win is a clear sign of the development and potential within the group as they continue to build momentum.
The girls now turn their focus to their upcoming fixture against Kildare, which will take place in Kildare in the coming weeks. Details regarding the game to follow.
You can see more photos from Kiara Klicked by following the link…
Leinster Hurling Championship – Round 5 – Sunday 25 May
Antrim v Offaly
Venue: Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore
Throw in: 2pm
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)
Brendan McTaggart looks ahead to Antrim’s winner takes all contest with Offaly in the Leinster Championship…
Antrim’s 2025 season hinges on 70 minutes in the Faithful County on Sunday afternoon with the threat of dropping down to the McDonagh Cup looming large.
Given the nature of the Leinster Championship, there has been an air of inevitability about this with both sides struggling thus far. It’s a winner takes all scenario and one that in the recent past, this Antrim team have generally come out on the positive side of the result. If we cast our minds back to games against Offaly in a relegation play off in 2022 and more recently, defeating Carlow under similar circumstances at Corrigan Park last year in what was Darren Gleeson’s last game in charge of the Saffrons. Those with any sort of Saffron coursing through their veins will be hoping that this side can rise to the challenge one more time.
Having already faced Offaly this year, Davy Fitzgerald and his backroom team will have a fair idea on what they are due to come up against on Sunday afternoon. It was largely an afternoon to forget back in February with the Faithful men coming away with a 15 point win but it’s fair to say Antrim didn’t acquit themselves to the best of their ability or compared to anything they have shown in most outings under the Sixmilebridge man’s tenure. It was 70 minutes littered with individual errors and mistakes but that was the beginning of the Fitzy era where we have been told on multiple occasions, there was a chance it could have got worse before it got better.
I said in a preview after that Offaly game that perhaps Antrim as a county don’t have the players to play the game Fitzgerald is looking to bring. Fitzgerald’s response to that was something that has made plenty of airtime over the intervening weeks and months. Just to clarify, this wasn’t a dig at the Antrim manager, merely an observation. I knew how long he was in the job at the time, what he was trying to do, perhaps I was a little early with the observation but it’s still one that hangs over this season. But, I am an Antrim man through and through. I have travelled the length and breadth of the country following them through Kehoe Cup’s, Walsh Cup’s, Division 2 campaigns, Christy Ring Cup’s, McDonagh Cup’s, Promotions and disappointments and as I have said to Fitzgerald himself, there won’t be a happier man alive to be proved wrong if, if not when, he turns things around. He has the perfect chance to stick two fingers up in this journos direction on Sunday afternoon.
Keelan Molloy has recovered from injury and will surely make a appearance at some stage
The team itself has been named and while James McNaughton and Keelan Molloy have made welcome return from suspension and injury, neither make the starting 15. I’d be surprised if one, possibly both men are named in the 15 before throw in while there is also places on the subs for Jack McCloskey after his excellent performances for the U20s, the young Shamrock has that x-factor about him that could be the ace in the saffron pack.
Despite that defeat in February, Tullamore holds better memories in the recent past. Antrim have defeated the Faithful County in league and McDonagh Cup on their travels while it at O’Connor Park where they achieved promotion back in 2020 – defeating Kerry in a rescheduled league final.
Sunday is a massive task, make no mistake about it. Offaly as a county are on the crest of a wave with success both provincial and at the All Ireland stage at underage. They have the cogs in motion and are reaping the rewards of hard work put during Michael Duignan’s time as county chairman.
For Antrim to get anything from this game and maintain their Liam McCarthy status, they’ll have to play to a standard that they have shown briefly throughout this season so far. They showed against Kilkenny for long periods and briefly against Wexford that when they get it right, they are a match for anyone.
It will take 70 minutes of that and more. All roads point towards Tullamore, it’s time to get our Saff on one more time.
James McNaughton, who is eligable again after serving a one match suspension, has not been names on the starting fifteen, but it will be a surprise to most of us if he doesn’t start
Cross & Passion’s victory in Tuesday’s Thompson Cup at Owenbeg completes a clean sweep in hurling for the Ballycastle college. Having won the McNamee, the Gallagher Cup, the Forresters Cup and the Mageean they collected the Thompson Cup at Tuesday’s blitz tournament. The north Antrim school beat St Pat’s Maghera in the first round by 1-08 to 0-03, St Louis Ballymena by 4-03 to 1-01 in the second round and St Killian’s Garron Tower in the semi-final by 3-05 to 0-02.
In the final they took on St Mary’s Belfast and won by 5-03 to 1-03 in a game where Oisin O’Connell played well at centre back, Iarla Gillan at midfield, Sean Johnston at wing half and Conrad Bailey at full forward.
TO SEE MORE OF BERTS PICS FROM THE THOMPSON CUP CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Glenariffe travelled to Carey on Sunday and came away winners after a fifteen point win over the home side in Ballyvoy. In a repeat of last year’s Intermediate final the Oisins had too much for a Carey side who are still short a few regulars from last years’ side. On top from the start the Oisins found their scores much easier come by, with corner forward Alex O’Boyle dominating the scoring from frees and from play. O’Boyle hit four in a row in the first five minutes in reply to two for the Faughs from Conor McBride. The next next seven points all went to the visitors five of them from O’Boyle and two from Orrin O’Connor before Conal McGlynn broke the sequence with a pointed free from distance, and after Orrin O’Connor got his third point for the Oisins , Callum Cane came back with one for the home side. Seven ahead at this stage the visitors finished the half with points from Seanie McIntosh and Odhran Gillan to go in at the break leading by 0-13 to 0-4
Sean McBride turns away after scroing Carey’s second goal.
A Calum McIlwaine point at the start of the second half increased the Oisins lead to ten, but Carey hit back with point from Conal McGlynn and when Patrick Butler got in for a goal shortly after they were back in the game. Three points from Calum McIlwaine, Alex O’Boyle and Oliver Kearney pushed the gap out to eight again, before Carey found the net again, this time through full back Sean McBride, who had moved up to the edge of the square. Shea Hunter added a point from out on the wing and suddenly the gap looked manageable, but the Oisins hit back right away with a well struck goal from Michael O’Boyle and three more points, two of them from Alex O’Boyle and one from his brother Michael, and when Seanie McIntosh grabbed goal number two there was no way back for the home side.
Action from the half time games
TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
It was a chastening defeat on Saturday afternoon for Antrim hurlers as Galway ran riot at Salthill. 28 points the difference by the time Thomas Gleeson blew the final whistle, six goals conceded and it could have been more. The Tribesmen ran riot as the Saffrons crumbled.
Of the 6-27 scored, just nine of that came from placed ball with Conor Cooney, Conor Whelan, Tom Monaghan and Brian Concannon starring.
Antrim started the contest superbly and for the opening 25 to 30 minutes, they were well in this game. The movement, passing, precision of pass, it was all there. The only thing that was missing was the accuracy in front of the target. Five wides in the opening 15 minutes, a couple dropping short in the same period of time but by the 18th minute Antrim trailed by just one point.
Three points separated the sides going into the 30th minute when the home side finished the half with a flourish. Concannon with the first goal in the 31st minute, a quite brilliant finish to the top corner after strong work by Conor Whelan.
The lead was stretched to seven when Anthony Burns found the net for a second time. Getting on the end of a long ball, he had space and time to pick his spot and fired to the bottom corner of Ryan Elliott’s net.
Antrim’s frustration was compounded even further when Declan McCloskey was sent off for an off the ball incident in the second minute of injury time. A decision that clearly incensed the Antrim management team.
Galway went into the half time break with an 11 point advantage, a man extra advantage and with whatever wind there was blowing at Pearse Stadium, they had it at their backs for the second half.
It was always going to be an uphill task for the Saffrons but any thoughts on a resurgence of sorts was put to bed in the opening seven minutes of the second half. Further goals from Concanon and Burns with points from Monaghan and Conor Cooney stretched the lead to 20 points in the blink of an eye.
Antrim kept their scoreboard ticking through Joseph McLaughlin frees and later Gerard Walsh but the Saffrons rarely looked like getting in behind the Galway defence to test Darach Fahy between the sticks.
The fifth Galway goal came from substitute Declan McLaughlin, Concannon with an outrageous assist as the Tribesmen relentlessly dismantled the Saffron defence.
26 points separated the sides when Antrim managed to breach the Galway defence. Niall McGarel with the finish after the initial run and shot from Paul Boyle was well saved from Fahy but the Glenarm forward was on hand to fire home the rebound in the 67th minute.
The Galway response was to find the back of Ryan Elliott’s net for a sixth time. Kevin Cooney with the finish as the home side coasted home.
Overall, a disappointing performance from Antrim and while it’s safe to say those six or seven minutes before and after half time had a major say in the outcome of this game, there is work to be done ahead of what is a season defining game in Tullamore next Sunday.
Actually it could have been all over as Offaly led Wexford for the vast majority of their fourth round game in Wexford Park and it took a late Lee Chin goal to seal the home side’s win. Had Offaly held on then Wexord and Offaly would both have been on two points, and even Antrim had beaten the Faithful county next week to leave them on same points, their goal difference is so inferior it would not have matered.
TEAMS
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Stephen Rooney, Niall O’Connor, Paddy Burke; Declan McCloskey, Conor Boyd, Conal Bohill; Gerard Walsh, Sean McKay; Ryan McCambridge, Eoghan Campbell, Nigel Elliott; Joseph McLaughlin, Eoin O’Neill, Cormac McKeown
Scorers: J McLaughlin 0-7 (6fs); G Walsh 0-3 (3fs); Niall McGarel 1-00; E O’Neill 0-2; C McKeown 0-1
Galway: Darach Fahy; Joshua Ryan, Fintan Burke, Darren Morrissey; Seán Linnane, Gavin Lee, TJ Brennan; Cianan Fahy, Ronan Glennon; Tom Monaghan, Kevin Cooney, Conor Cooney; Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon, Anthony Burns
Scorers: C Cooney 0-11 (9fs); A Burns 2-2; T Monaghan 0-6; B Concannon 2-00; Declan McLaughlin 1-1; K Cooney 1-1; C Whelan 0-2; R Glennon 0-2; D Morrissey 0-1; S Linnane 0-1
