By Niall Gartland

FORMER Antrim star Eddie McCloskey believes that Michael McShane has earned his appointment as the county’s new senior hurling manager.

The Ballycastle man has been chosen to replace Davy Fitzgerald, who stepped down from the helm in May after two seasons at the helm

McShane boasts an impressive CV at both club and county level – he led Derry club Sleacht Néill to a remarkable nine Derry titles and four Ulster championships, while in 2022 he also delivered a Nickey Rackard Cup to Tyrone during his three-year stint at the Red Hand County.

In recent years he oversaw the U20 hurling team of his native Antrim, leading them to a Leinster preliminary quarter-final last year and this year’s Leinster B title, having been eliminated from the top tier by Meath.

Eddie McCloskey, a key figure on the Loughgiel team that won the All-Ireland Senior Club Championship title in 2012, believes that McShane is a natural fit for the role.

“I don’t have much of an opinion on it, but Michael deserves it. He’s put in the time with the Antrim U20s, and everyone seems to be crying out for an Antrim man at the helm. He has a fantastic background team with him if he brings the same people from the U20s, and he knows the players.

“Everybody within the county seems to have got what they wanted — a homegrown manager in Mickey. It’s an appointment that makes the most sense. I wish him all the best, and I hope he does well, that’s for sure.”

McShane will step into the role vacated by former Clare hurler Davy Fitzgerald. Relations between Fitzgerald and the Antrim County Board had become strained in the aftermath of Antrim’s Joe McDonagh Cup defeat to Laois. The controversy prompted Antrim GAA to issue a statement denying reports that the Clare native had been dismissed and subsequently reinstated after concerns were raised by members of the squad.

While Fitzgerald certainly wasn’t a universally popular figure within the Saffron County, McCloskey suggests that it was always going to be difficult given the unavailability of key players between injuries and retirements.

“I do feel for Davy in a way. Everyone around the county was quick to put the knife in, but if you look at it, he lost a lot of quality players during his term. Neil McManus went, ‘Coby’ [Conal Cunning] was out, those are two of our best forwards – and Eoghan Campbell is out this year. You have to look at the facts: we lost a lot of key players. So what do people expect? We’re not suddenly going to win the Liam MacCarthy just because Davy Fitz is in charge.”