WITH pre-season now officially underway, Antrim hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald admits there is much work to do ahead of the Saffrons’ trip to Croke Park to face Dublin on January 25.

The restructured Allianz Hurling League has Antrim in Division 1B, a change from last season when Division One was made up of two equal groups of six that were drawn out, and a good start is crucial if they want to make a push for promotion.

It’s as attractive a fixture Antrim’s players and fans could ask for as they get a run-out at HQ but it is also the first opportunity for Fitzgerald to see how his players perform in a competitive game.

That is down to another deviation from the 2024 season with the scrapping of pre-season competitions like the Walsh Cup.

There are likely to be a couple of challenge games in the build-up, but nothing compares to competitive games and therefore, it’s all eyes on Dublin at the end of next month.

“It’s tough,” the Clare man said of the pre-season competitions being shelved.

“We have one challenge game, maybe a second one, but not a whole pile of time to work on what we are working on.

“I’m aware of what they (GAA) are trying to do, but is everyone sticking to what they are trying to do? There are a lot of questions to be asked.

“You still need to do a pre-season to avoid injuries down the road, but the problem is, you are into (League) games straight away.”

During the tenure of Darren Gleeson, Antrim made significant strides to establish themselves in the top tier in League and Championship, but there is a clear ambition to take it further.

Fitzgerald has his own philosophy of how he wants his teams to go about their business and installing those methods will take time.

Certainly, he believes he can help Antrim take that next step but has reiterated his stance that although it would be most welcome, success won’t happen overnight.

Still, he is happy with how the players have responded in the early days and feels that in time, the hard work will all pay off.

“I’m very impressed with the lads and their attitude,” he confirmed.

“They are very open to making changes and there might be more than a few small changes. I think they know it (success) is not going to happen straight away when you have to make changes.

“I was able to point out certain aspects of their play that are just not going to work and they were able to grasp a lot of what I was saying.

“There is a lot of work to be done, but I just want people here to stay with us. This is a project and I will improve it, 110 per cent. How can we do? Never say never.

“They have stuff in them, but it’s just important we stay with it. You will see a difference in a while - that’s for sure - but we know we have work to do. Can I do it in three, four or five months? I don’t know.

“When you are making changes, you have to think about stuff. When you are thinking, your reactions are slower but if you stay with it, it will all come naturally and then things will happen for you. We have to make those changes as we will not win doing certain things we are doing.”

The new bainisteoir says he will carry a panel of 36 or 37 players with the names to be confirmed in time, but it’s very early days of his tenure as he gets to know those he will be working with and vice versa.

He was quick to praise the work carried out by his predecessor, Gleeson, but has his own ideas of what way he wants to drive things forward.

It may be a case of stripping everything back and then building it back up and to do that, it will take time.

However, the first objective is to ensure Antrim does not fall back in the interim, to ensure they remain at the top table as it is from there they can take those strides forward.

His term is for two years with the option of a third and he admits is may take that full period to bring Antrim to where he believes he can get them to.

“I think Darren Gleeson did an absolutely top-notch, phenomenal job, but there are still changes I want to do and for that to happen, it’s just going to take us a small bit of time,” he stressed.

“I want a small bit of time because I’m only looking back at what they’ve done. We’re only just putting the plan in place and December 7 is when we start.

“The most important thing we have to do is first, consolidate what we have and then build. You never know where two or three years might take us and that’s what I’m hoping. Can we do it in one? I’m not sure.”