GOLDEN CHANCE…Cahal Carvill and his Armagh teammates have a chance to make history

In 2011, when Antrim faced Armagh in the Ulster final, the starting side fielded by the then manager Dinny Cahill featured 11 changes to that which faced Limerick a week later in the All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers.

How Ulster’s hurling landscape has changed – particularly in Antrim. While Armagh’s semi-final win over Down three weeks ago may have slightly raised eyebrows, it certainly wasn’t the shock it was in 2011 when the Orchard county defeated the Ardsmen to reach the decider for the first time in 65 years.

The thought that Antrim might make 11 changes to their Christy Ring Cup final line-up for Sunday’s Ulster final at Owenbeg is enough to send Antrim supporters into a cold sweat – assuming of course that you could actually find an Antrim supporter who cares enough about losing their grip on the Ulster Championship in the first place.

Making 11 changes probably wouldn’t even be an option for the Antrim management, even if they wanted to. Speaking to Antrim co-manager Dominic McKinley at Tuesday’s Ulster final media launch, he was still unsure as to who he and the rest of the management quartet would have available for Sunday as they hadn’t got back together again since the Ring Cup defeat.

Armagh will smell blood of course. Simply put, they will never have a better chance of beating Antrim to win an Ulster title. Antrim have faltered all season and are on the back of a demoralising defeat to Meath, a side that Armagh beat by double scores, 0-26 to 1-10, in the League earlier this year.

They will have noted Antrim’s propensity for mistakes under pressure over two games at Croke Park – but also their ability to rack up scores when given a bit of room a la the Ulster semi-final against Derry.

While Antrim should collect their 56th Ulster title on Sunday, it’s no foregone conclusion. Armagh will look at the performances of Kildare, Down, Roscommon and Meath this year and ask ‘why shouldn’t we win?’ They will also look at the last two Ulster finals which have both been won by a single point against Down and Derry.

Armagh will also have noted Antrim’s tendency to switch off during games; and their habit of allowing sloppy mistakes to creep into their play at times. But… I can’t see a fairytale ending for Armagh.

Antrim will be missing two key score-takers in Conor Johnston and Niall McKenna but with the pick of Ciaran Clarke, Eddie McCloskey, Benny McCarry, Sean McAfee, James Connolly, PJ O’Connell, Darren Hamill and Daniel McKernan, there’s enough quality in the Antrim forward unit to secure another title.

Win or lose, 2016 has to signal some kind of watershed for Antrim hurling. Their alarming slip down the rankings must surely trigger a major inquest. McKinley et al will be stepping down after Sunday’s game, but Antrim’s issues stretch far beyond who the next senior manager is going to be.

“Over the two games Meath played better for longer periods of time than we did. At times we were much better than them, but only for short periods of time,” says McKinley.

“Probably Antrim hurling has been like that over the past five or six years. In-between those periods, they don’t do the work they need to do – the harrying, the hooking, the blocking. They seem to switch off for some reason and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed over a long period of time.

“Somebody has to look into it in an in-depth way, find out what’s going on within their heads and within their bodies.”

There are few who watch Antrim hurling on a regular basis who would disagree with that assessment – but unfortunately even fewer are likely to offer a solution. It was an issue that Kevin Ryan spent many sessions trying to find a solution to but without significant success.

McKinley pointed to Antrim’s fitness being below what a county hurler’s should be, but also couldn’t speak highly enough of the players’ attitude to training in the short time since PJ O’Mullan stood down. He also pointed out the talent that exists within the county. But that doesn’t reflect what’s happening on the pitch.

I’m currently reading a book called ‘Legacy’ which charts the resurgence of the New Zealand rugby team from the relatives lows of 2003 through to the back-to-back world cups of 2011 and 2015. While there may not be that many similarities between the codes, one key attribute that the All Blacks management identified as missing from their team was leadership.

Not on the sideline, but on the pitch. Not just a captain, but leaders in every area of the pitch. Players who take responsibility. Antrim hurlers don’t have that at the moment. No one has stepped up to fill the void left by the absence of natural leaders like Neil McManus, Arron Graffin and Paul Shiels.

In 2003, the All Blacks set about creating the conditions for new leaders to emerge. Rather than looking for a tactical genius, fitness gurus, strength and conditioning experts and nutritionists, perhaps that should the starting point for McKinley’s successor.
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