By Niall McCoy
ANTRIM manager Darren Gleeson believes that the entire county has to come together if the Saffrons are to make their mark at the top level in 2021.

The Tipperary native was speaking after the conclusion of a wonderful season that saw the Ulster side add the Joe McDonagh Cup to the Division 2A title that they won earlier in October.

Both titles came at the expense of Kerry, and means that Gleeson’s team will now play in the Leinster Championship next season as well as Division One.

Donal Óg Cusack, speaking on The Sunday Game, has already voiced his concern for Antrim, but Gleeson feels that a joined-up approach could leave them well prepared to mix it with the big boys.

“That’s up to me and the county board really to sit down and discuss how we can bring it forward,” he said after the Croke Park win. The players are there and they’re willing to do whatever it takes.

“We need to get in and raise the platform again. We’re going to a higher level. I know that Neal Peden is working really hard on that behind the scenes, Ciaran McCavana, Donal Murphy, Frankie Quinn, they’ve been so approachable for us this year.

“They knew we had to raise the bar to fulfil these guys’ potential. So we’ve done that to a level and now we need to invest in Antrim again and bring it forward.

“There’s a big infrastructure stage going on in Antrim as we all know; Corrigan and Casement and Dunsilly. We can’t just look at that, we need to bring on players. Gaelfast are doing that. We need our u-17s and u-20s coming up to the level as well. If we can put that in place hopefully momentum will follow.”

Gleeson is 15 months into the job and he has made it perfectly clear that he is still on top of the commute to and from Munster as long as Antrim are willing to match his ambition.

“When I signed up it wasn’t just for a flash in the pan. We’re here and ready to go, have everything in place to do it and once we have the proper conversations now we will go at it again.

“I have great belief in this group and I’ll be coming back up the road.”

Antrim have a few things going in their favour ahead of their move back to the top level.

Of the 15 that started against the Kingdom at Croke, nearly every single player is entering what should be their prime years.

Matthew Donnelly, Eoghan Campbell, Niall McKenna, Conor McCann, Ciaran Clarke and Michael Bradley are the eldest group in the squad having played in the 2013 All-Ireland u-21 final loss to Clare, and they remain on the right side of 30. The odd player like Neil McManus and Martin Burke are past that landmark 3-0 birthday but all in all it’s a young team.

The strength of their squad was also obvious at the weekend. Conal Cunning, Neil McManus, Domhnall Nugent, Conor Johnston and Aodhan O’Brien all came in off the bench and Gleeson said that their current depth is a real advantage that Antrim maybe didn’t have in recent times.

“Conal Cunning, Conor Johnston, Aodhan O’Brien. Aodhan was a star of the (club) championship, the Antrim boys would know that, he’s been a real find for us.

“Then Neil of course. He was a steadying influence. He stood over a couple of those long frees and was fantastic. He got a nice point from play as well and then ‘Koby’ (Cunning) and Conor Johnston, they’re only at a percentage of their capacity at the moment.

“When they get up to it and are fully recovered from their injuries they’re going to be a great asset to Antrim.”

Gleeson also praised his squad for completing the set against Kerry this season. They recorded two wins in the National League over Kerry, including in the final, while they were 3-18 to 2-14 victors in the McDonagh group stages.

Murphy’s Law would suggest that they’d fumble the ball in the biggest game of the lot but despite not landing a knockout blow a few times when Kerry were on the ropes, they got there in the end.

“The tone coming into the game was we had those three wins. It wasn’t an aggregate, they were over, as soon as those matches were over, they were over.

“From the start today, Kerry came out with the right attitude that they were going to give themselves a platform to be in the game and then see would we crumble. And thank God, we didn’t.”

By Niall McCoy
ANTRIM captain Conor McCann is up for the challenge after helping to secure tier-one hurling for the county last Sunday.

The side were already guaranteed a Division One spot in 2021, but the weekend’s 0-22 to 1-17 McDonagh Cup final win over Kerry means that they will also be competing in the Leinster Championship.

“That’s going to be the challenge,” was McCann’s response when asked were they ready for the next step.

“In a few weeks we’ll sit down and try to plan ahead where we’re going. I know the management have plans in place for us. They’re in their first year of working with the team, every management in every set-up comes in with at least a three-year plan. It doesn’t get any more successful than getting promoted in the league and winning the championship.

“It’s going to be a step up but it’s one we’re happy to make and we’re going to work really hard to try and consolidate our place there.”

The Creggan man is coming up on a decade in county colours having made his debut in the 2011 Leinster Championship clash with Laois, a match they won 1-21 to 3-12. It was a great start to his Antrim career, but since then there have been plenty of lowlights, including Christy Ring final losses to Meath and Carlow in 2016 and ’17.

“Antrim are very proud of their GAA and hurling especially, the last few years we’ve struggled to come down and win these big games, no matter who it was against,” he said.

“I’m not sure what it is, whether you come down for a final and things just haven’t clicked, but the lads worked everything right– on the sideline and on the pitch, everything worked as we wanted.

“You could just see the passion and the emotion after. You could see the lads are enjoying it.”

McCann had to watch from the sideline for the final 25 minutes after being replaced by Domhnall Nugent. In that time he watched his team-mates continue to dominate but fail to kill off the Kerry challenge. He admitted it was tough viewing.

“We seemed as though we were always a couple of points ahead but we couldn’t get away. They kept clawing us back. I was relieved at the end but that second-half performance really showed where we’ve come from.

“In a point down at half time having not played that great, missed a few chances, but in the second half we got the scores we needed. You could see the impact our subs made there, we brought on four or five in the forward line and that shows the strength that’s in our panel.

“I also have to give credit to those lads that didn’t make the 26 today, the boys who’ve been pushing the team on and really driving us in training.”

McCann also praised the full-back Matthew Donnelly. In the first half and with Antrim cruising the Ballycastle man, possibly with the sun playing a part, missed a routine catch that allowed Mickey Boyle in for Kerry’s goal.

After the interval Donnelly was superb in defence and continually cleared his lines to ease the pressure on Antrim.

“I’m delighted for Mattie, he puts in serious sacrifice to play. He has a young family, travels a lot, works hard, and he was immense in that second half,” said McCann.

“He never gave Mickey Boyle a puck of the ball. He cleared up everything. He was wearing new boots there today, that must’ve been something to do with it.

“Paddy Burke had a solid game, Stephen Rooney was unreal, the boys in defence were immense. Mattie will be sitting in there enjoying it and his wee boys will be at home dancing around the house.”

As has been in tradition in recent weeks, the Antrim players laid a wreath at the Bloody Sunday memorial on Hill 16.

McCann, who had the honour of leading the tribute, said it was an important part of the day.

“Our county chairman (Ciaran McCavana) gave us a speech there before and it was very passionate.

“Antrim people are very passionate about the GAA and we respect everything that’s happened. This is an unbelievable stadium and there’s a history behind it so we thought it was a good way to mark our respects as a county and a team.”