ULSTER’S inter-county hurling teams are now entering the final stages of the 2022 season. A lot hinges on the remaining few weeks for counties to determine if their respective campaigns can be considered a success or not. This article will review each county’s season so far and project what each county will be hoping to achieve over the next few weeks.

Antrim: Ultimately Antrim will be satisfied with achieving their ultimate goal in relation to the National League. Beating Offaly in the relegation play-off secures their position in Division One for next year. Antrim will feel this is vital to the development of their young team and in a wider context, for the development of hurling in the County. Two wins from two has left them in a strong position in the Joe McDonagh Cup. They should push on and reach the decider of this competition. A victory in the Joe McDonagh Cup would leave Antrim very satisfied with the 2022 season and with plenty to build on moving forward.

Down: Down will be disappointed with their performance in the Division 2A final against Westmeath, but reaching the final in such a competitive division has to be viewed as a very successful league campaign for the Mourne-men.

In the Joe McDonagh Cup an excellent win away to Kerry was followed by a humbling defeat to neighbours Antrim at the weekend. The margins are very tight in the Joe McDonagh Cup. Down face a tough assignment in their next game at home to Offaly. A loss in that game could drag Down into a relegation battle. Survival in the Joe McDonagh Cup will require a few more big performances from Down over the coming weeks.

Derry: Promotion to Division 2A for next year and remaining undefeated during their league campaign will mean Derry can be satisfied with their league performance for the year. Division 2A will represent a significant step up in challenge for Derry next year.

Comfortable victories over Wicklow and Sligo, was followed by defeat to tournament favourites Kildare in the Christy Ring Cup. Kildare are the only team in the Christy Ring to have plied their trade in Division 2A this season. Kildare will reach the final, Derry will hope to win their remaining two games against London and Mayo in order to get to a second final in succession.

Donegal: Donegal just missed out on reaching the Division 2B final with a second half collapse against Sligo in the semi-final costing them their place. Despite this Donegal will be satisfied with their league campaign after finishing second in the table behind Derry.

Wins over Fermanagh and Armagh were followed by a draw against Roscommon in the Nickey Rackard Cup. It looks like Tyrone, Donegal and Roscommon are going to battle it out for the two final places available. A win over Warwickshire in the next round could set up a winner takes all final round game against neighbours Tyrone.

Tyrone: Tyrone will be delighted with their season thus far. Four wins and a draw left them top of Division 3A and ensured qualification for the league final. In the final they met Armagh where they secured a two-point victory. Promotion to 2B for next year is a clear sign of the progress the team is making.

Currently they sit top of the table in the Nickey Rackard Cup. Three wins in as many games has left them with a great chance of reaching the final in Croke Park. One win from their final two games against Roscommon and Donegal should be enough to see Tyrone through.

Armagh: A change of management halfway through their league campaign was a tell-tale sign that all was not well in the Armagh camp. Despite this, wins over Monaghan, Louth and Warwickshire were enough to secure third place in Division 3A and a semi-final berth. Arguably their best result of the year was a win in the semi-final over Roscommon but they came up just short against Tyrone in the final.

Armagh will be disappointed with their Nickey Rackard campaign so far with losses to Roscommon, Tyrone and Donegal in their first three games. They are now facing a fight to avoid relegation. They should defeat Fermanagh and Warwickshire to ensure safety and look to regroup for next year. Armagh hurling people will be concerned about the drop in standards over the past few years. A relatively short time ago, Armagh were nipping at Down and Derry, just behind Antrim, in the Ulster hurling pecking order. Now, Donegal and Tyrone have over taken them as they have regressed.

Fermanagh: Fermanagh secured promotion into Division 3A with four wins from four and a final victory over Longford.

In the Nickey Rackard Cup, a very competitive performance against Donegal will have given them belief that they can push on and compete at a higher level. Securing their place in the competition for next year will seal a very good season for the Fermanagh hurlers. They will likely have to defeat Warwickshire in the relegation play off to do this.

Monaghan: The Farney men will have targeted securing their Division 3A status for next year in the National League and were able to achieve that goal with wins over Warwickshire and Louth.

Three wins from three in the Lory Meagher Cup has left them in a strong position to kick on and reach the Croke Park decider. A victory in the Lory Meagher Cup would round off a very good year for the Monaghan hurlers.

Cavan: Cavan remain winless in 2022. Four defeats from four in Division 3B and three defeats in the first three rounds of the Lory Meagher Cup has been Cavan’s lot so far. Two games remain for the Cavan men, to finish out a challenging year.