Antrim and Down still searching for their first points

THE two top-ranked hurling teams in Ulster are still searching for their first positive result after three rounds of championship action.

Antrim and Down have nothing to show for their efforts after three rounds of action in their respective competitions, and with only two games remaining, relegation could be in the pipeline for both teams.

Down slumped to a disappointing 2-24 to 0-20 defeat to Westmeath on Saturday, leaving Ronan Sheehan’s side firmly rooted to the bottom of the table and now they face a must-win game against Kerry.

All isn’t lost: while their championship has been a damp squib thus far, particularly after doing so incredibly well in the league, they can take a giant step towards salvaging their Joe McDonagh status if they hit their potential at home to Kerry this Saturday at Ballycran. The Kingdom are a familiar foe and they met as recently as two months ago, the Ardsmen edging an epic encounter on a scoreline of 0-28 to 1-23.

In their final round clash, Down will take on the same Kildare side they’ve already beaten twice this season – in the opening round of Division Two bookended by a league final triumph, but if they fail to overcome Kerry, that game will be immaterial as Down will already have been relegated.

Davy Fitzgerald’s Antrim, meanwhile have lost their three games to date by an average of almost 15 points and they face an away trip to Galway this Saturday. It’s a big ask, and realistically their Leinster Championship could come down to a winner-takes-all clash against Offaly on the final day (unless Offaly upset the applecart against Wexford).

The Saffrons will be hugely disappointed with their 3-25 to 0-19 defeat to Dublin last weekend, a poor performance compounded by a straight red card to talisman James McNaughton, who otherwise had a decent game and is now set to miss their date with Galway.

It will take a seriously improved performance to have any chance of plotting an upset against the Tribesmen, and already one eye is on their final round encounter against Offaly.