THIS past week has been a complete whirlwind for those involved in Antrim's small ball with attention grabbing headlines, rumours and parodies doing the rounds.
Between radio stations mocking the current man in the hot-seat Davy Fitzgerald with a Spitting Image style comedic effect on Today FM on Thursday morning, to the BBC and RTÉ running attention grabbing headlines about a county, who without a match report on the day of a game, would struggle to crack the Top 50 in their 'most read' category.
Before we delve into the details, let's cast ourselves back to last Monday with a brief timeline of events which led up to this chaotic week, and why I believe that a solution needs to found imminently ahead of the trip to London next weekend.
Many of us who are in media are often privy to information hours before official confirmation, known as embargoed privilege. That was NOT the case on the early hours of Monday morning when WhatsApp notifications were going haywire before the cock-a-doodle-doos were echoed in North Antrim.
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"He's gone" were the theme of the unofficial, but reliable messages, that followed an apparent emergency meeting between the County Committee on Sunday evening in the aftermath of yet another defeat, which put all but the final nail in Antrim's Joe McDonagh coffin.
Like any good journalist, you prepare for the inevitable, and that is what I did whilst awaiting official confirmation from the county committee.
Not only to be quick and responsive when it comes to 'breaking news', but yours truly is also a co-host on a joint venture podcast, We Are Antrim, and amidst the chaos our crew had the newest episode ready to post.
The official line from Antrim's County officials were that 'management remained in place' and what followed was a crazy series of events that was about to unfold.
It seemed that the bubble had burst and the players slammed the lack of communication amongst other 'serious concerns' regarding the situation, demanding an immediate meeting with the members of the committee at Tuesday's training session to discuss the goings on.
The statement detailed five points;
1- Clarification on the sequence of events regarding the decision involving Davy.
2- An explanation as to why conflicting information was provided when the matter was raised.
3- An update on the status of outstanding training gear and when this will be resolved.
4- Reassurance that clearer communication processes will be implemented going forward.
5- A prompt and transparent response would be appreciated.
Safe to say on Tuesday evening, further action was taken, and the no-show of the committee, which was later confirmed to be due to a meeting with the Ulster GAA Council, caused a mass walk-out at Dunsilly, with training being cancelled.
What unfolded was another statement, this time from the Antrim GAA Chariman, Seamus McMullan, stating they would meet with the players to discuss the issues and confirmed that:
"At no point was any decision taken to remove Davy Fitzgerald from his position as senior hurling manager. This was confirmed at the County Committee meeting of 27th April 2026."
The issue is that for me, this is a far deeper issue than just a few tracksuits or the removal of a manager who – quite frankly – has a rather marmite characteristic within the Saffron County during his almost two years as hurling boss.
The season has been a total write-off since minute one, the defeat to Wexford so late-on killed any chance of changing the attitudes of the 'Davy Out' crowd, and those who backed the Clare man to turn it around, began to rapidly lose faith.
One victory in eight games this season with a home victory over Carlow, two defeats to Ulster rivals Down (a first, since 1993), and a second-half collapse in Portlaoise to all but end any hopes of the fairytale ending with Davy Fitz, it's certainly not been a season for the ages.
The thing is, the players know that, the county board know that, and Davy himself knows that.
What worries me most is not the decision, then the apparent reverse of the decision to remove Davy, it's the clear communication problem which plagues and has plagued our county for so long.
One thing I know from being close to some of these players is that without a doubt they give it their all. That's not even a conversation worth having in my opinion, tactics you can discuss and argue at length all day, but passion and effort is simply a non-negotiable.
To me, it seems glaringly obvious that the reason the playing staff felt a statement of such nature would be the only way to grasp the attention of the powers that be, is simply because there is no direct line to air and vent frustrations.
As a hurling county, we are in the top-tier not by luck, but by years of building, and when Darren Gleeson's time came to an end as the man in the dug-out, a new rebuild was needed.
Not only a new management team, but personnel on the field, losing Antrim's best hurler of the 2010's in Neil McManus did not help the cause, but the facts remain the decision to appoint Davy has to be questioned, his record speaks for itself, both the good and the bad.
He's a man with an incredible record, three Liam McCarthy medals (two as a player, one as a manager).
At Waterford he did exceptional things, an All-Ireland final for the first time in 45-years, and four semi-finals during his reign, but the squad he left was very much an ageing one, limited where they could go following his tenure.
Winning the Liam McCarthy with Clare in 2013 was no doubt his crowning moment following the 2008 final with Waterford. With his own county he went and did the business, but again the same story unfolded, a mess left behind and multiple suspensions left a bad taste in his native county.
A man renowned for taking a squad at the peak of their powers and getting them a step further, but with Antrim he saw his three best players of an era depart, leaving a squad which was far from great to try and work miracles with.
For all the faults of this week, and God there are so many, the focus needs to be firmly switched and a resolution found.
Antrim's chances of qualifying for the top two spots and a shot at glory in Croke Park in June are slim, but in a season with so many lows, it would be an all-timer should Antrim fly to the English capital and get sent packing.
Focus must remain firmly on the tie at hand, the squad's worries now must solely be on the pitch as the men who dawn the jersey don't want to be sitting in their local in ten or 20 years time squirming with any mention of their inter-county careers.
As for the County Board, please simply do better. Communication is the bare minimum for the fans and everyone involved, but playing staff should not be crying for attention.
London next Sunday is a game which could define a generation.
