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Colum Thompson writes:
To some, exiting The Championship after a ten point defeat at the hands of Wexford wouldn’t be considered progress but to understand the forward steps which have been taken by Antrim hurlers in 2013 you need to scratch the surface. I’ve been an Antrim fan since the 1980’s when my father used to take me to matches. My earliest memory of being at an Antrim match was in 1988 when we beat
Dublin in
Casement
Park to qualify for Division 1 of The National Hurling League for the first time in our history. I was in
Croke
Park for the epic victory over Offaly in 1989 and the final with
Tipperary as well. Over the years I’ve watched Antrim claim the scalp of Kilkenny, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Offaly, Wexford,
Dublin and
Waterford , granted there have been more lows than highs but there have been great victories and moments to cherish for Antrim hurling people.
Sadly for Antrim 2012 was the worst year that I can remember for our hurlers. When Jerry Wallace was appointed manager at the beginning of the year many people were optimistic and his reputation as a coach and his achievements with
Cork all pointed to a manager on the way to the top of the game. The 2012 League started well with a 3-18 to 2-15 home win over Wexford and Laois were also beaten and Division 1B status was secured. Antrim were strong favourites to account for Westmeath in the opening round of The Leinster Championship but the wheels fell off in Mullingar and the season descended into farce after that. Wallace resigned after comments made in the media, returned as a selector under interm manager Jim Nelson and resigned again a few days later. This circus situation damaged morale in the camp and no doubt had a negative effect on the players and resulted in a crushing 32 point defeat to
Limerick in the qualifiers. We were at our lowest ebb as a hurling County and in many people’s eyes at the end of 2012 we were below the likes of Carlow and Westmeath in the pecking order.
So what could realistically be expected from Antrim in 2013? What genuine hurling people wanted to see was improvement, commitment and an end to the negativity that surrounded the panel in 2012. Kevin Ryan was appointed as manager and quickly set to work. He selected Neil Mc Manus as captain which signalled his intentions for the year. Despite selecting a number of young and inexperienced players Antrim had a positive league campaign defeating Carlow twice as well as putting in creditable performances against Limerick, Offaly and
Dublin . Division 1B status was retained which is vital for the progression of the team. In The Championship we gained revenge on Westmeath but disappointingly as favourites fell to Laois who went on to push
Galway all the way. Our Liam Mc Carthy campaign ended with the defeat yesterday to Wexford in
Wexford
Park by ten points. The result is an unfair reflection of the game, the score at the end was Wexford 3-18 Antrim 0-17. We matched The Slaneysiders for long periods and with fifteen minutes to go we were within touching distance of causing an upset. The key factor in the game was Wexford’s ability to get goals and this was the difference between the teams.
As I have said what could realistically be expected in 2013? Well we retained 1B status and won another match in The Leinster Championship. Progress however cannot be judged solely on results, we have blooded young players who have stood up and been counted. Jackson Mc Greevy, Matthew Donnelly and Conor Mc Kinley have proven that they are good enough to play at county level. Players like Neil Mc Manus, Aaron Graffin, Paul Shiels and Neil Mc Auley have made the transition from being excellent hurlers to now being the leaders on the team.
If the panel and management stays together then there is no reason why Antrim won’t improve again in 2014 but the expectations should remain realistic. What is considered success should be relative, we are not going to win The All Ireland in 2014 but would it be a bigger achievement for Antrim to beat say a Wexford or Offaly in The Championship than for Kilkenny to win The All Ireland? They may be taking small steps but Antrim hurlers are on the march again and it is down to all of us to come out and give them the support that they deserve.