By Michael McMullan

A CHAMPIONSHIP exit usually lingers over the winter months, but not in the case of Sleacht Néill’s dual players who get back on the horse this Sunday.

Five weeks after their gut-wrenching county football final defeat to neighbours Glen; Sleacht Néill put their Ulster hurling title on the line against rivals Dunloy.

For Brendan Rogers, who had played 11 weeks in a row across both codes, he is happy an Ulster GAA proposal to bring the Senior Hurling Championship forward after their football exit was rejected.

“It would’ve been tight going for the bodies,” he said, adding how the squad have been refreshed by focussing solely on hurling for the last four or five weeks.

More than any aching limbs, having the time to mentally translate defeat into getting revved up for Sunday, a third clash in five seasons between the hurling heavyweights.

“We didn’t have to worry about turning it around in the day,” Rogers points out. “We could do it over two sessions. We took that approach and it removed that whole final from the psyche and it’s a credit to the management with how they handled it.”

From one code to the other has been a way of life. Not just on their magical story at senior level, but it’s something they have been used to, even on their journey along the underage production line.

“When you have the hurling, you can just flick the switch, focus on something else and you have something to take your mind away,” he said.

“You don’t have that time to lick your wounds. Fortunately we have another sport where we don’t have to wait 12 months to redeem ourselves in terms of performances.”

Michael McShane has indicated he is planning without captain Cormac O’Doherty, who picked up a shoulder injury in the closing stages of their county final win over Kevin Lynch’s.

Should be miss out, Rogers could be assigned the free-taking duties after he notched their last one that day after O’Doherty’s departure.

“It comes into the radar a bit more prominently,” said Rogers, who reveals he is one of a handful of players who hone their skills form the placed ball before training.

“I am glad it was something we did work on all year, casually, so that hopefully it will pay off now.”

Looking at Sunday’s opponents, Rogers watches games in the Antrim Championship via the live stream and “hand on heart” felt it would again by Dunloy to emerge.

“They were fairly convincing in the way they went about their business,” he said, while pointing out the advantage of sitting down, leisurely to watch a full game.

“You get to see a different view point, instead of studying a team. You get to see a full game and clips don’t do it justice at times. How key a score was, or who was a big player for the big moments.”

Rogers commented on Dunloy’s goal-scoring record and how they were the most clinical team this year.

“You get more goals in hurling, but that’s a significant amount (nine of the 12 goals scored across five championship games) from the inside line and they are the most marked line.

“I was watching and that, hand on heart, if there was team to come out (of Antrim), then it would’ve been Dunloy.”

Brendan Rodgers of Sleacht Néill