Allianz Hurling League Division One, Group B;
Laois v Antrim (O’Moore Park, Sunday, 3.45pm, Live on TG4)
 
THE situation is quite simple for Antrim this Sunday: win in Portlaoise and they will be playing Division One hurling for another year; lose and it is into a relegation playoff with the bottom team of Group A.

Once again, it comes down to a showdown with the old nemesis that is Laois and it would be fair to say Antrim’s record against the O’Moore County has not been the best in recent times.

Yes, there was the League victory at Corrigan Park last year, but that was something of a dead rubber game with Antrim already safe and Laois unable to move off the bottom, but when the heat was turned up at Parnell Park last summer, Antrim came up short and dropped out of the Leinster Championship.

Both sides are yet to pick up a point in this year’s League, but Antrim have been much more competitive in their games - the four-point defeat to Dublin their heaviest, while Laois have endured some difficult afternoons after a fairly decent start against Tipperary as they have shipped 33 and 17-point defeats to Waterford and Kilkenny since.

That Antrim have performed better against the same opposition will fill many with hope, but it’s also absolutely meaningless unless scoring difference comes into play.

That won’t be the case with a decisive result on Sunday and that has given this game something of a knockout feel despite another round of fixtures still to come as head-to-head is the initial tiebreaker in the division.

Last weekend, Antrim could, really should, have taken something out of the Waterford game, but it wasn’t to be and now it all rolls onto this Sunday that could see them achieve their objective with a game to spare.

“We just move on - it’s a league and we’ll be judged at the end of it,” said manager Darren Gleeson after the Waterford defeat.

“Laois will be waiting for us and that will be a ding-dong game so let’s see what happens.

“On March 20 (after the final fixture) we will know where we are at and if it comes to it, you go into play the bottom team in the other group so there are lots of opportunities, but we need to take one soon.”

It has been something of a frustrating campaign for Antrim so far with last-gasp goalkeeping heroics denying them results against Kilkenny and Waterford, while they ultimately paid the price for some errors against Dublin in a game they really ought to have taken something from.

At the top, small margins determine games and had a few things gone their way, could easily be challenging for a playoff place at the top.

That highlights just how far they have come, but also proves the last few miles are the hardest, yet they know they must remain in the main race and not drop back down to Division Two that would represent a major setback - arguably worse than their relegation in the Championship.

“It’s very frustrating, but they are a great bunch and trying so hard,” said Gleeson of his players after watching a chance for a draw against the Decies disappear.

“Anything we are putting to them, they are taking it in. It’s just execution in these games, but we have to be realistic: Waterford are in the top two or three teams in the country. They’s be thinking All-Irelands and we’re in the Joe McDonagh. There are positives there but it’s hard to find them at the moment.

“A team goes down to 14 men and you’re at home, seem to have a good rhythm and need to make it count.”

Laois manager Seamus 'Cheddar' Plunkett consoles Gerard Walsh after last summer's Championship meeting between the sides
2Gallery

Laois manager Seamus 'Cheddar' Plunkett consoles Gerard Walsh after last summer's Championship meeting between the sides

Undoubtedly, the performance against Waterford was better than against Dublin, but they must raise it again this weekend as games against Laois take a life of their own.

It is almost always a dogfight and will require a 70-minute performance as a slow start in last year’s All-Ireland Qualifier/relegation playoff left Antrim with a mountain to climb and while they nearly pulled it off, in the end it was Laois who moved on and stayed up.

Paddy Purcell, Ross King, Stephen Maher, Cha Dwyer, Willie Dunphy, PJ Scully and Jack Kelly are all familiar names, while Ben Conroy will be available again after serving suspension.

Antrim will certainly be without Niall McKenna who will be sidelined for the remainder of the League with a knee injury, while Shea Shannon is another on the long-term list, although there were also positives on the injury front against Waterford with Ciaran Clarke and Conor McCann making impacts off the bench.

“Every squad gets injuries and we have other ones there,” he stressed.

“Shea Shannon has a double nose break in a college match last Sunday and he has an operation ahead of him.

“These things happen and that’s why you have 32 or 33 lads in your squad. Niall knows it’s an opportunity for him to get into a stronger shape over the next six weeks and the Championship waits for him there.”