17 February 2011
One of the features of being a county which is genuinely competitive in both codes means that we occasionally get a day when both our senior teams are in meaningful action. That is on the cards this Sunday when our hurlers entertain Clare in headquarters while our footballers hit the road and play Laois, both in Division 2 of their respective hurling and football leagues.
When both teams are in action, there is no more satisfying feeling than a double Saffron victory. That last happened in 2008, early in the season when our hurlers picked up the Walsh Cup in beating Offaly in a rain soaked Casement, and at the same time our footballers were accounting for Micko's Wicklow in Aughrim in the opening round of the Division 4 league campaign (remember Division 4? Only two years ago but Antrim footballers have come a long way since then.)
Laois got off to a great start to their Division 2 campaign with a big victory over Meath. Antrim are getting used to the step change which separates Divisions 3 and 2, and following defeat to Kildare, the lads are determined to get something out of this one. It will be a difficult task but there is no shortage of commitment from this group of players.
Our hurlers have yet to record a victory over Clare in the league. Sunday’s match programme contains an article looking back on previous encounters including the one from 2010, when we fought very well only to lose out by a point. Last weekend saw Antrim hurlers opening their league campaign with a hard earned win over Kerry in a match Dinny rightly predicted would not be easy. Since then training has continued at a high level and the mood is positive heading into this game.
Neither of these matches falls into the comfortable zone and we will probably be regarded as outsiders in each fixture. Wouldn’t that make a Saffron double all the sweeter?
Brendan Mulgrew
PRO
