Allianz Hurling League Division One, Group B
Kilkenny v Antrim (Nowlan Park, Sunday, 1pm)
THE challenge of mixing it against the best is what every hurler desires, and Antrim get that chance again on Sunday when they hit the road to Nowlan Park to face Kilkenny in their opening Division One, Group B fixture in the Allianz Hurling League.
Last year, the Saffrons turned many heads with heir League performances as they consolidated their top-flight status with a game to spare thanks to a thrilling opening win over Clare and then snatching a draw against Wexford.
Between these results there was a rather disappointing loss against Dublin, but a very spirited showing against Brian Cody’s Cats preceded that despite the hosts pulling away down the stretch to run out 1-28 to 3-15.
That game will give Antrim cause for optimism this week as they return to the banks of the Nore to face Kilkenny, but the challenge is nonetheless daunting as they get set to face one of hurling’s heavyweights.
“It’s two different scenarios,” said Antrim manager Darren Gleeson.
“Last year we were going to Kilkenny after a good win at Corrigan against Clare, but this time you’re going into your first game against Kilkenny cold. Neither team knows where they are at, so you would be a small it apprehensive of it.
“We hurled for about 15 or 20 minutes there last year and brought it back level after a poor start.
“Kilkenny ran out seven or eight-point winners in the end and no-one likes to be beaten by seven or eight points.
“It was an ok performance, but it was what it was last year. We have to focus on our own performance going into this one.”
Tickets for Sunday’s clash of Kilkenny and Antrim are now on sale online and in selected Centra and Supervalu stores. Tickets must be pre-purchased, no tickets will be available on the day at the ground. Click here to purchase https://t.co/PlV5Q5XbbC… pic.twitter.com/obUAaCSixd
— Kilkenny GAA (@KilkennyCLG) February 2, 2022
Gleeson has far from a clean bill of health for this opening fixture with a number of players ruled out with a variety of injuries.
Damon McMullan will go for shoulder surgery early next week on a long-standing problem and the tenacious corner-back’s absence will be felt.
Conor McCann’s dual exertions with club and county last year means the Creggan man is still working his way back to fitness, while Domhnall Nugent is in a similar position.
The Walsh Cup games also saw David Kearney and Conal Bohill pick up strains, while Matthew Donnelly (broken thumb) and Shea Shannon (hand) are also set to miss out this weekend.
“There are things that have to straighten out, but that’s the same for every squad,” Gleeson accepts.
“The panel will be finalised before the start of the League, but unfortunately we have a lengthy injury list, some of them we inherited from the club season and others during the Walsh Cup.
“But look, that’s why we are looking for depth in the squad and we saw 30 players during the Walsh Cup, so you’d be happy with what you are looking at.”
Kilkenny will also be missing some familiar faces with the Ballyhale Shamrocks contingent that includes TJ Reid, Eoin Cody, Joey Holden, Richie Reid and Adrian Mullen getting ready for next weekend’s All-Ireland Club final against Ballygunner.
Still, there is no shortage of quality replacements in the Kilkenny ranks with some established stars filtering back in and new talent emerging as Cody continues to plot his county’s route back to the top.
“Brian has been slowly rebuilding the panel away from the great team of the last few years,” Gleeson noted.
“He has a lot of stalwarts there and you saw Walter Walsh coming back in there against Wexford in the Walsh Cup; Richie Hogan is going again; Cillian Buckley is back playing and they have some fine new players: Paddy Deegan and Huw Lawlor who they have discovered over the last few years, so they have a host of talent, so he (Cody) won’t be too worried about the Ballyhale lads.
“Brian always focuses on who he has at his disposal and doesn’t make any excuses for that.”
Cillian Buckley challenges Domhnall Nugent during last year’s game. Buckley is back to help lead the Kilkenny charge again this year, while Nugent is one of many Antrim injuries heading into the League
The redrawing of the Division One groups means that Antrim will face some fresh challenges this year, with Waterford and Tipperary taking the place of Clare and Wexford in Group B.
Their addition probably strengthens the quality in the group, meaning that points this year may be even harder to come by as Antrim aim to pick up some results to ensure they remain at the top table in the League.
Division One hurling is a must for Antrim to progress, especially considering they have dropped back into the Joe McDonagh Cup in the Championship after defeats to Dublin and Laois last summer.
It will be a challenge to get results, but then the same was said at the beginning of the League last year with Antrim defying many pundits’ predictions by picking up five points out of a possible 10.
That outcome proved that when Antrim perform, they are well equipped to hang with the top teams but anything less than their best will not do.
“Since we started the project a couple of years ago, what we wanted was to be playing League matches at Nowlan Park, O’Moore Park and Semple Stadium,” Gleeson stressed.
“That’s what’s in front of us so we have to relish that. You play it like a League in that you have five chances see how good we are to hurl in the division and just take every game on its merit.
“It’s something to look forward to for the players and management to go to Nowlan Park.
“This is about establishing Antrim in Division One for the long-term. That’s something that needs to happen to keep the standard high that the players are playing against. They want to play against the best players.
“Waterford are probably the second-best team in Ireland over the past two years and Dublin seem to be the form team coming out of pre-season: 2-29 to 0-19 against Wexford (in the final) and 3-29 to 0-19 against Galway is impressive stuff. We have them on Saturday week, so it’s a tough start, but it is what it is.”
Eoghan Campbell challenges John Donnelly in last year's meeting between the teams
Antrim’s pre-season consisted of three games in the Walsh Cup and while all three against Dublin, Offaly and Galway ended in defeat, they were more than useful exercises despite some up and down performances.
The best display game in game three against Galway a fortnight back and that suggested a gradual improvement in performance after a good start against Dublin fizzled out at the beginning of January and a hugely disappointing opening half against Offaly improved greatly after the break.
Performances rather than results are the order of the day in January and Gleeson is hopeful that having the benefit of a good pre-season - something that wasn’t possible last year with restrictions - will stand to the when the season begins for real at Nowlan Park on Sunday.
“At the start of 2020, we had a pre-season but then with Covid we haven’t had one since and the players have badly needed it,” he stressed.
“The three matches were welcome and great, but pre-season is used to get ready for the National League and Joe McDonagh.
“Performances were far from the level of what we wanted, but you have to put an asterisk beside it and say that we are in the middle of training with the focus on the upcoming League, and that is going to require a lot of energy to stay at that level.”
Kilkenny will be hot favourites to claim the points and rightly so, but for Antrim, remaining competitive throughout will be the minimum ambition.
Tickets
Supporters are reminded that Saturday’s game, like all Allianz League fixtures this year, is all-ticket and they must be bought in advance as there will be none available at the ground or cash accepted at the stiles.
Tickets can be purchased online via Ticketmaster or at SuperValu, Dairy Farm and O’Neills in the Kennedy Centre.
