Allianz Hurling League Division One relegation playoff
Antrim v Offaly (Saturday, 3pm, Navan, live on TG4 YouTube)

IT’S do-or-die for Antrim’s hurlers in Navan on Saturday as they take on Offaly in the Division One relegation playoff.

The Saffrons completed their Group B campaign with a heavy defeat at Tipperary on Sunday that left them with five defeats from as many games.

It wasn’t the thrashing in Thurles that left them in this position, but the defeat to Laois previously that was a de facto relegation semi-final, so there is no more room for manoeuvre as they go up against a Faithful side that lost all five of their games by an average of 17 points.

Antrim did fare better in their first four games and could well have avoided defeat in all prior to Sunday’s dead rubber at Semple Stadium, but missed opportunities and a very poor showing when the pressure was on against Laois leaves them in this position.

Darren Gleeson rested some key personnel at the weekend, but will hope to have a relatively clean bill of health for Saturday’s game that will decide whether they remain in Division One for another year, or drop back to 2A in 2023.

Offaly won the Walsh Cup game between the counties back in January in what was a similar display to the Laois game for Antrim as they were dismal in the first half and while rallying in the second period, ultimately had given themselves too much to do.

Michael Fennelly’s side have enough weapons in attack to cause problems if Antrim aren’t on it with Luke O’Connor and Eoghan Cahill their chief scorers throughout the League.

With such a big prize on offer and both sides scrapping for their lives, it is going to take will as-well-as skill to prevail.

It’s a case of winning by any means necessary and if that requires a turgid 70 minutes, then so be it.

Saturday is about the result and not the performance as in a dog-eat-dog battle, the Saffrons must bare their teeth as it will be the difference between preparing for games against the big boys or starting all over again.