14 May 2011
This weekend sees the beginning of the summer championship season proper (Roscommon accounted for New York last Sunday), and as the luck of the draw would have it, Antrim’s hurlers and footballers are both in action in what are the highest profile games of weekend in the respective Leinster hurling and Ulster football championships.
On Sunday the footballers travel to Donegal in a game we’ll have a look forward to tomorrow. Before that the hurlers hit the road to O’Moore Park to play Laois. It is a fixture which has already been played out once this year when Laois claimed two league points which damaged our chances of pushing for promotion. That day Antrim started very poorly and Laois raced into a five point lead before Neil McManus struck a series of frees to bring us back into the game by half time. Laois started the second half in similar fashion and this time round, with the second saffron comeback of the day in full flow, captain Eddie McCloskey was unfairly red carded and from then on the game ran away from Antrim.
Two years ago the entry into the Leinster Championship kicked off with a game against Dublin, on the big stage of Croke Park as part of a double bill with the Dubs footballers playing Meath. Antrim missed a series of goal chances that day and didn’t really compete in the second half of the game. Last year in Parnell Park our hurlers competed all the way against Offaly but had to settle for a draw following a beyond last minute point from Shane Dooley. In extra time Antrim were spent, and Offaly progressed.
Michael Herron told the county website this week that it is time Antrim won a Leinster hurling championship match. Maybe the lower profile nature of this game will suit Antrim – although Laois have won the last two competitive outings between the two, surely there is no psychological hang up in travelling to O’Moore Park? The sounds from the Antrim camp this week are very positive, the team named is a very strong one despite a few remaining injuries, and we know the store Dinny Cahill puts by Championship hurling.
This time tomorrow evening we should be anticipating a second round match with Wexford.
Good luck to our hurlers, let’s hope they kick off a winning Antrim weekend tomorrow night.
Live update from the game will appear on the Club Aontroma twitter feed, www.twitter.com/@clubaontroma
Laois V Antrim, O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, 7pm Saturday.
Extra time will apply if necessary.
Aontriom Abu!!!!
