Championship hurling is the pinnacle says Antrim’s Bulfin

A LINE has been drawn under Antrim’s league season ahead of Saturday’s visit of Down marking the start of their championship campaign.

That’s the view of manager Davy Fitzgerald’s right-hand man Seoirse Bulfin, who was part of Clare’s 2013 All-Ireland success.

Bulfin was also part of Fitzgerald’s management team in Waterford and Wexford, coming on board in Antrim after stepping down as Westmeath manager last season.

Antrim were pipped by late goals against both Down and Wexford during the league.

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“We wanted to stay in 1B and we managed that,” Bulfin told Gaelic Life.

“A lot of people on the outside looking in might say, ‘Jesus, you know, they didn’t have a great league’.

“If the whistle was blown 30 seconds earlier in two games, we’d have finished with six points.”

As it turned out, defeats made the Antrim camp look in the mirror more to review games.

“In victory, many of the glitches can be glossed over.

Bulfin said while their defeat to Kildare was disappointing, the Lilywhites deserved credit for their advances in hurling in recent seasons.

He also was full of praise for the progress Down had made, having also coached against them before coming on board with Antrim.

“Add to that the fact it’s a local derby,” he said of their defeat in Newry, “anything can happen and Down were well-worthy of their win.

“Maybe a draw would have been a fair result. Had we been cynical maybe and pulled them down, it probably would have been a draw.

“You live and learn from those sorts of games. Had we won them by a point or two (Down and Wexford games), we wouldn’t have been forced to look at things as much as we would have maybe since then.”

Judgement time

The defeat was parked in Bulfin’s eyes but championship is where teams are judged.

“It’s a brand-new competition,” he said. “It’s no different to having played well against Carlow in the league.

“When Carlow come up in the last round of the Joe McDonagh, that (league) game will be long forgotten by Carlow and Antrim.

“The league is a great competition, don’t get me wrong, but, ultimately, championship hurling is the pinnacle of the inter-county season.”

Antrim used their recent overseas training camp to push the reset button on their season.

“It gave us that chance to regroup,” Bulfin continued. “I’ve come up against them in the last couple of years, but with the positivity, week on week, and the willingness to work has been great. There hasn’t been one negative word.”

There was the disappointment after the Kildare game but that was diffused by training the following week with the group putting their collective shoulder to the wheel.

“Without being too blasé about things, it’s a really happy place to be, it’s a very, very enjoyable place to be,” he said.

“There’s good craic, there’s good spirit there. That was the one thing that really struck me, good days and bad days, that sense of enjoyment and fun.

“The fact it’s a really positive culture to be involved in, and it has never really waned, which I think is important.”