Two down, one to go: Antrim face into All-Ireland journey

Cassie McArthur hit three points to help Antrim retain their Ulster title on Sunday. They now set their sights on the All-Ireland journey. She spoke with Michael McMullan…

EVEN the manner of how Cassie McArthur critiqued her Ulster performance tells you about the Antrim mindset. There is ambition. Always room for more.

When Sinead McGill bagged Derry’s second half goal, it was McArthur points that helped steady the ship.

Playing on her home pitch, there was still the regret of two wides in the closing stages. A better option needed taking.

“It’s definitely something that I’m sure the managers will touch on and it’s something I can improve,” she said. Spoken by someone with ambition.

The Saffron squad are the same. Retaining the Ulster titles was one of the boxes to be ticked from their pre-season meeting.

Topping Division 1B was another. Tick. Winning the league final. Tick. They’ll rub shoulders with the biggest guns next year.

“Now we’re focusing on winning the (All-Ireland) Intermediate which will be a very tough task,” McArthur said, “but it’s definitely what we’re aiming towards.”

After a few years of chopping and changing management, the waters are calm. Carl McCormick and Martin Coulter came on board. The stall was set. Everyone bought in and stepped aboard.

There was no lightbulb moment this season. No turning point. Just a commitment from day dot.

“From the start of the year, we’ve all bought into the process that the management have put in place,” McArthur said of their progress.

“I think everyone has gelled well together as a team. I think we’re definitely improving in every game. In every training session, the intensity just increases. We’re really, really enjoying playing together at the minute.”

Not everyone enjoys sitting on the bench. The Antrim camogs interviewed by Gaelic Life this season have all said the same. Cassie is no different. Starting jerseys are handed out on merit.

“I think there were girls disappointed in Sunday past and rightly so,” she added.

“Week in, week out, you don’t know if you’re going to start but it’s a good thing.

“Without the competition, we wouldn’t be sitting with two pieces of silver at the minute because constantly we’re pushing each other on.”

When fresh legs were needed on Sunday, players were brought in off the bench. In a matter of minutes, Janey McIntosh and Orlaith McAllister had chipped in with scores. An impact. Every successful team needs the extra percentages.

It’s McArthur’s third season on the panel. The All-Ireland junior success of 2022 was her bridge from an All-Ireland winning minor team.

“I think you always want to play up at the top level,” she said of the long-term ambition.

“Our aim is to win an intermediate championship to get back up to senior. I’ve been here three years but I think that has stood to me because the first couple of years it’s a big step from minor to senior.

“It takes a while to get used to that standard because you are playing against the likes of Corks, Tipperary, it’s where you want to be.”

From playing Laois in a minor B All-Ireland, the first year in senior was an All-Ireland Senior quarter-final against Tipperary. The top grade.

“Tipperary were in the running for the All-Ireland so it was a tough ask but I definitely notice a massive change between minor and senior,” she said.

“It’s very hard to just fall into that. It definitely takes a couple of years I think, to get the experience playing against the higher standards of camogiers. The commitment is at a next level compared to minor.”

McArthur is from Armoy and played hurling with the boys in Naomh Pádraig. Without any camogie and with u-14 as the ceiling, it was time to pick a club.

It was always going to be Dunloy, the club of her first cousins. And it’s been camogie since.

“Daddy, he’s mad about it so was always camogie growing up,” she added.

In the Antrim camp, McArthur has been operating in an inside forward line with Katie Molloy and the currently injured Caitrín Dobbin. Maeve Kelly was the third assassin on Sunday.

Picking through the bones of their Ulster final, McArthur dwells on the 13 wides. On another day it will come back to bite. It’s an area for improvement.

Without really wanting to pick out names, it’s hard not to factor in Róisín McCormick. Accurate and making plays.

“The subs coming on as well, the fresh legs projecting that bit of energy and it definitely made an improvement,” she added.

“It set us apart then at the at the end.”

Derry’s attack threatened but Antrim settled and their use of the ball allowed them to play on their own terms.

Now it’s All-Ireland time. The Antrim camp is a close-knit one. They’ve put in the hard yards since their first gathering. Their targets – two down, one to go. The biggest one.

“We’ve all bought in and understand that to win at this level we all need to train and play together,” McArthur summed up of a united camp.

“Honestly, it’s a brilliant group of girls to be training with. You look forward to training every night and it’s very seldom that we have a flat session.”

If they get to Croke Park in August, they can put their hand up for a third piece of silver. For now, it’s time to put the head down and the shoulders to the wheel.

For McArthur, those two missed chances in Dunloy last Sunday keep her grounded. The next ball is always the most important one.

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