A crucial clash beckons for the champions St John’s

By Michael McMullan

REIGNING Antrim Senior Hurling champions St John’s face Ballycastle on Saturday in Ballymena in Round Two of the group stages.

Manager Gerard Cunningham highlights the importance of coming out on the right side of the result with knock-out hurling just around the corner. In a group of four, the bottom team will bow out of the title race.

After drawing with Rossa, the champions must win to give themselves a chance to meet the goal that they’ve held since the start of the season.

“We had a target at the start of the year to be going up to Loughgiel for the last group game with the chance to top of the group,” Cunningham said.

“If we can go out this weekend and beat Ballycastle, it is still in our hands.”

The draw with Rossa proves that anyone can beat anyone in the race for the Volunteer Cup.

“One defeat does knock you, it puts you in trouble,” he added.

“If we don’t win this weekend, we have to go up to Loughgiel and win.”

That’s when the title race heats up and Cunningham admits his side has needed time to come to terms with hurling as a group once again.

The Johnnies were missing half of their team at times during the league and have only recently began hurling collectively again.

“I did expect us to be rusty because a lot of our lads needed the 30 minutes to get up to speed,” he said.

“It was going to take them a half to get up to speed and get their sharpness back in.”

The important factor was staying within four points during the first half of their Rossa game.

Cunningham believes his side got stronger as the game went on. In the end, they had to settle for a point in a game they could’ve won.

WE DID IT…St John’s overcame years of disappointment to land their first Antrim Senior Hurling Championship since 1973. Photo: The Saffron Gael

“I do think if I had played for another two or three minutes, we would have won it,” he said.

“We were on top in terms of our fitness. If you look at the first half compared to the second half, a point probably was a fair result for both teams but we could have stolen it at the end.”

It was a magical 2025 as St John’s climbed back to the summit of club hurling in the county. They marched on and finally came up short against Sleacht Néill in the Ulster showdown.

Going into this year, the buzz is still around Corrigan Park and there is a huge appetite for hurling again.

“In previous years, whenever we played our first round of championship, there wouldn’t have been a big crowd at the game,” he said.

“You could see against Rossa, there was a big crowd at it. Maybe it was because it was Rossa in the derby but people were looking forward to the start of the championship.

“There is a buzz about the hurling but that does bring pressure as well because obviously of what we did last year.

“People are probably expecting it again this year and it’s just not that easy but they are looking forward to the hurling matches.”