The future of Antrim hurling

Antrim u-21 manager Johnny McIntosh

JERRY Wallace may have left Antrim in bizarre circumstances earlier in the summer but u-21 boss Johnny McIntosh believes the Cork native has left something of a legacy behind him after his brief stint as senior manager.

Wallace was keen to put a development squad in place at u-21 level with minimal crossover between the minor and senior sides, with the view that young players can develop at their own pace in the u-21 grade.

“It is a lot to ask a player to come out of minor and play senior and for all that came out of the Jerry Wallace period, he has left a legacy behind. He was serious about making the u-21s competitive and he has probably inspired me to try and do that,” said McIntosh.

Antrim were humiliated by Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final and on Saturday they face Clare at Thurles for a place in this year’s decider. While a competitive performance is McIntosh’s priority, he is also working for a change of mindset within the county towards the u-21 grade over the next few years.

“We have a young squad, I think we only lose two or three in the next year so hopefully we’ll get to do more work with them next year and get them into a mindset and make ourselves more competitive,” said the Glenariff club man.

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday August 23. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here