Lidl Ladies’ NFL Division Three
ANTRIM finally got out of Division Four last season and went on a remarkable championship run, winning their first Ulster intermediate title and reaching the semi-finals of the All-Ireland series.
The future was looking incredibly bright for the Saffrons but manager Emma Kelly has been dealt a huge blow ahead of their season-opening weekend with the majority of first-team starters not available to her over the course of the league, at least.
Kelly, who along with former Down star, Kyla Trainor, had built up a formidable side over the last couple of years, have had to re-jig plans and where they had hoped to be among the title challengers, they will now focus on consolidating their place in the third tier and make sure they don’t slip straight back down again.
“After riding on the wave of last year, winning Division Four and how well we did in the championship, we thought we would be going in to try and finish in the top three of Division Three but as we know everything doesn’t go the way you had planned, and we are actually in the middle of a massive transition,” explained Kelly.
Captain Cathy Carey announced her retirement last week, sharp-shooter Orlaith Prenter has gone travelling, as have Grainne McLaughlin and Orla Corr. Aine Tubridy, Aislinn McFarland and the O’Neill sisters – Sarah and Maria – are unavailable, although Kelly hopes to have the two O’Neills back for the championship.
“Cathy [Carey] is a massive loss. She has been a really influential captain the last few years. Her calmness and experience and having that leadership in the changing room and the settling voice on the pitch is going to be a massive loss to us,” said Kelly.
“For home games, I am hoping Cathy will be about the team and on the sideline giving a hand and she is not going to just disappear, we will not allow that to happen,” said Kelly.
“We are rebuilding. I have lost 10 of the starting team from the league final against Leitrim and a couple of others so we are completely transitioning again and rebuilding. Now we are basically focusing on staying up in division three. Every game is going to be massive.”
Antrim begin their Division Three campaign at home to Louth, who they would have come up against in Division Four and also the junior championship down through the years.
Kelly will look to newly-appointed captain Ciara Brown and her vice-captains Lara Dahunsi and Emma Ferran, Ana Mulholland, Duana Coleman and Theresa Mellon, whose experience will be crucial as they blood new players.
“Massive changes, massive transitions, the pressure is on. Pressure that I didn’t think would happen or want to happen, but you have to move on, and you learn from it, and you rebuild.
“We have a few underage girls coming in now that have never had senior experience and a few fringe girls from the last couple of years, who had had game-time, having to step up.
“Louth, we would have played them a few years ago, but it’s a new year, they have new management in. You can do your homework but it’s who turns up on the day, who has got the best plan. We will take it one game at a time, aim to stay up and see what happens.”
Antrim’s fixtures
Round one
Sunday, January 21 Louth (h)
Round two
Sunday, January 28 Offaly (a)
Round three
Sunday, February 11 Wexford (a)
Round four
Sunday, February 18 Down (h)
Round five
Sunday, March 3 Sligo (h)
Round six
Sunday, March 17 Clare (a)
Round seven
Sunday, March 24 Roscommon (h)
