NOW that the dust has settled and the Antrim county board are reconvening to appoint the next person destined for the Saffron hurling dugout, and following the shock defeat to Wicklow, it is time for a season review, or end of year report card, if you will.
If you are an avid listener of the fantastically amazing weekly Antrim GAA podcast, We Are Antrim, with yours truly as a co-host, you will know that we took a similar approach following the Antrim footballers' defeat at Corrigan Park.
Fittingly, as this being the month of June, this will be an extension of that exam-style grading and a recap of the season that has been for both the Antrim Senior Hurlers and Antrim Senior Footballers.
I'll take this article in a similar fashion where the grades will follow a A-F ranking for both league and championship and a personal touch to my own Player of the Season from both codes.
Let's start with the big ball given the wound is still not fully healed from the collapse on the Whiterock less than two weeks ago.
Antrim Senior Footballers - League Campaign
Grade - D
Mark Doran's famous quotes prior to the Derry Ulster Championship bout were that he believed the league campaign began "too early" for Antrim due to the injuries at play as the winter began to fade and the Division Four campaign began on the final week of January.
Carlow came to town, and despite that wispy breeze in Portglenone, the air was filled with anticipation for Antrim to make their instant return back to the third tier of the national football league and unfortunately that bubble was burst when the Leinster county ran out four-point victors on that day and it was the worst possible start to the campaign.
The following week in Thurles, Antrim had the game in their grasp and victory in hindsight would have allowed a chance to clinch promotion, but a complete capitulation occurred and the Saffrons finished the game with 13-men and a bloody nose as victory was snatched late on and Tipperary secured the points with a late rally.
Game three of the league campaign might be the worst I have had to experience following Antrim over the years and it was an all-time low when Longford clinched a 13-point victory at Portglenone and the misery compiled from then on out as hopes of promotion looked lifeless after one of the worst results in recent memory.
The return of Peter Healy and Conor Hand, to name a few, was arguably the turning point and something did click in the remaining fixtures in the Division Four campaign, but despite wins over Wicklow, Leitrim, Wexford and London, the team signalled as favourites to win the bottom tier ended their campaign in mid-table and arguably it was another disastrous campaign that has set Antrim back for another season.
The form returned just in time for Championship, but a week too late, and despite the marginal chance they could have earned that second promotion spot relying on other teams' failure for your own success, that is not my idea of success. (Though if you offered it I'd have bitten your hand off).
Antrim Senior Footballers - Championship Campaign
Grade - C
Realistically there is a positive spin to be had over the Football Championship campaign and I will try my best to air that judgement, but ultimately failing to get to the final four in a home quarter-final clash where you lead by nine points in the second-half is what is classed as a disastrous sequence of events to finish the season.
Before we get back to the reassessment of the Wicklow game, let's start back at Celtic Park where Antrim drew Derry in the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the anticipation had brewed with Antrim having a puncher's chance of a result west of the Bann.
The early goal from Niall Burns that day accompanied by a great tally of Antrim scores which saw them lead for quarter of an hour had breathed hope into the Saffron supporters in the Derry sunshine that day, but mistakes were rued and before we knew it Antrim were on the end of a hefty defeat which prolonged their winless run in the competition to 12 years.
Antrim's championship campaigns are not too often judged solely on their Ulster campaign, but the extension of the intercounty season gives sides like Antrim hope of a day in Croke Park and with the Tailteann Cup that grants some hope of lifting a trophy in front of thousands at the National Stadium.
The Carlow victory was a great day at the office but nonetheless a frustrating one with Mark Doran's side collapsing in the second-half but thankfully recovering during extra-time to clinch the late victory.
The home win against Tipperary was a great day in the sun and probably the most memorable game of the season in Corrigan Park across both codes as Antrim boasted some terrific football and earned a second consecutive victory in the competition and earned a quarter-final berth against Wicklow.
Now for the assessment for the day of reckoning which took place on Saturday June 13th.
For fear of damaging the laptop with the tears that would inevitably cause sparks and flames to fly I'll keep it brief, but genuinely I cannot remember a more heart-wrenching moment than watching Antrim miss a penalty which would have earned them a 12-point lead with 15 minutes to play.
It could be the moment where the season ended and it was far from one man's fault for misplacing a spot-kick, but the sheer panic that occurred from the Antrim players in their final moments was worrying and the energy in the stands began to seep onto the playing surface and before we knew it Wicklow's comeback was truly on the verge of fruition.
Their over-reliance on goals as the statistics showed proved to be Antrim's Achilles heel and maybe the old-adage of 'take you points the goals will come' is something that the big ball can take into their stride for next season.
Disappointing, that would be my final word on the matter, and ultimately it may be the final time we see some in an Antrim jersey.
Footballer of the Season - Ryan McQuillan (Con Magee's Glenravel)
It did end in a disappointment but for me there were many players who stood out, and many players of that calibre who will be here for years to come with shouts for Dominic McEnhill, Conor Hand, Niall Burns or Eoghan McCabe – all of whom can make a case, but for me I think the big game player – particularly in the Tailteann Cup – was Ryan McQuillan.
The Glenravel man was truly a standout and managed to tally 4-23 during the campaign this season for Antrim with his goals coming in every round of the championship, including a terrific brace against Tipperary in Round 2A.
Overall the forward was a breath of fresh air, and someone who stood out and hopefully will continue to do so in the coming years.
Antrim Senior Hurlers - League Campaign
Grade - F
Antrim hurling is without a doubt the stronger code in the county and one that has more attraction when it comes to opinions and spectators and that can be attributed to playing in the top division and competing for a chance at sitting at the same table as an All-Ireland champion every so often.
The job Darren Gleeson left for Davy Fitzgerald to take over two years ago was not the almighty rebuild that the Clare man often cites it as since his departure from the role, but it cannot be understated what losing some key stars and having to blend a number of new players can do for the quality.
What can be understated is the serious boredom that often has become a sticking point for fans wanting to turn up and cheer on their beloved county.
The facts are that one win in the Division 1B this season secured the status for Antrim but it was certainly a low-point and when you look at Davy's appointment in hindsight, even after year one anyone could see it was not going to work in the second season.
Defeats to Kildare, Wexford, Clare and Dublin accompanied with an embarrassing loss to Down and make no mistake, regardless of how well Down played that day in Pairc Esler or the great job Ronan Sheehan has done, Antrim losing to a fellow Ulster County is embarrassing to say the least.
A solitary victory over Carlow, and consistently failing to hit the 25 point margin (for me is crucial if you want to win in the modern game) all is part of the problem which plagued the Saffrons throughout the campaign.
The league campaign was uninspiring, boring and poor overall.
Antrim Senior Hurlers - Championship Campaign
Grade - D
A really disappointing Joe McDonagh Cup campaign followed the dismal league showing with the first two games virtually spelling the end of any chances of a trip to Croke Park.
Four weeks separated Antrim's defeat at Pairc Esler and in terrific fashion Davy Fitzgerald's side managed to out-do themselves when they succumb to a second consecutive defeat, this time at Pearse Park in Dunloy, but it was a lightning strikes twice moment as Daithi Sands found the net late into injury time and Down earned a double victory over Antrim for the first time since 1994.
And despite a positive first half a week later, Antrim would be put to the sword by Laois with a late rally of goals which all-but spelt the end of championship hurling for the Saffrons in 2026.
There was a positive end for the Clare man to enjoy a successful patch with victories over London, Westmeath and Carlow but despite some impressive showings – notably the Carlow game – it was too little too late and it was about maintaining their status as a Joe McDonagh Cup side and not falling into the Christy Ring for back-to-back demotions.
But that is simply not good enough for a county like Antrim, you can look at a team like Offaly who have gone on to become a competitive side amongst the hurling elite, and much of that same Offaly side were the team which the Saffrons overcame to avoid relegation from Division 1B.
The final three games felt like a team with the hand brake off and they certainly were able to score and hurl with a whole lot more release than they had in the full season prior. The next steps are imperative and the County Board need to do their homework as another misstep could be detrimental to the next decade of Antrim hurling.
Ryan McCambridge gets the nod for 'Hurler of the Year'
Hurler of the Season - Ryan McCambridge (Cushendall)
It has not been a memorable year in any sense of the word for the hurling panel, but that does not mean there are no bright sparks and shining stars that wowed at times during the season.
The obvious choice would be Seaan Elliot, the Dunloy man enjoyed a terrific scoring campaign and it is certainly not to be sniffed at when you're taking fistful of scores against top opposition every game, but if like me you see Seaan on a regular basis during the club season and know the talent he possesses, the season was average by his own standards.
One man who really stood tall and in particular showed the makings of a great Antrim partnership that maybe was put together too late into the Davy Fitz reign was Paul Boyle's midfield partner – Ryan McCambridge.
A consistent ball winner, an aggressive and tenacious tackler and someone who was a driving force in the Antrim midfield throughout the majority of the campaign providing a constant threat on both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.
When name-checking a player for the Hurler of the Year, it often has to be one that gets bums out of seats to be so bold, and when the chips were down in most games Ryan McCambridge certainly did not break and if anything he prevented whitewashes in some games throughout the season.
A final thought on the season. Both codes failed to meet their objectives, but for the Antrim Senior Footballers it is a fresh start in year one under Mark Doran and I think positive signs are there if you look for them.
As for the small ball, it is a chance at a restart with Davy Fitzgerald's grey cloud evaporating at the end of May, and Antrim can hopefully build for the future with a long-term project for success in mind.
