Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B: Dublin v Antrim (Saturday, Croke Park, 5.15pm)
LET’S get Antrim’s wretched League and Championship record against Dublin out of the way first.
If we take 2018 as a starting point, the Dubs have consistently had Antrim’s number.
In five NHL meetings, Dublin have won five.
In three Leinster Championship encounters, Antrim have lost heavily on two occasions to the Sky Blues – in 2021 and 2024 - and drew 1-19 apiece with Micheál Donoghue’s side in 2023 at Corrigan Park.
Antrim have always given a better account of themselves at Corrigan Park than on their travels.
In a memorable 2018 League encounter at the west Belfast venue, Antrim were undone by a 76th minute Donal Burke free.
Last February at Corrigan, they lost by a point again in gut-wrenching circumstances.
So, the 1-19 to 1-19 draw with the Dubs in the 2023 Leinster series was as good as it got for Antrim.
As for Parnell Park, the north Dublin venue holds no good memories for the Antrim hurlers.
It was easy to see why Dublin were always the worst type of opponent for Antrim. Their physical profile consistently dwarfed Antrim’s.
And when they inevitably edged in front in any League and Championship duels they were usually ruthless going down the home stretch and demoralised Antrim.
When Antrim lost to Dublin it felt like a crossroads defeat.
Why? Because the Dubs have been consistently regarded as the reachable benchmark for Antrim – an Antrim team that had finally shed the habit of knocking around Division 2A and Joe McDonagh hurling and decided to push on and at least give the glass ceiling a belligerent shoulder.
Dublin, for their part, may be further down the tracks than the Ulstermen but they themselves have been on the cusp of the elite teams for too long.
Given the resources, Dublin have been overall a disappointment on the national stage since winning Leinster in 2013. They haven’t really kicked on.
Not faced with the same geographical isolation as Antrim, they’ve reached just three provincial finals since that alleged breakthrough year under Anthony Daly 12 seasons ago.
Still, Antrim are further back among the chasing pack alongside Laois, Offaly and Westmeath with Dublin their perennial target up ahead.
So, what are the chances of Antrim upsetting the Division 1B applecart in Saturday night’s opener in the capital.
For starters, Antrim don’t have to experience the soul-sapping greyness of Parnell Park and instead will open their competitive account of 2025 under the blinding floodlights of Croke Park.
Both teams are under new management.
Fresh from guiding Na Fianna to an All-Ireland title last week, Niall Ó Ceallacháin will turn his attentions to the county scene to see if he can do any better than his predecessors.
He’s also the first Dublin native to take the hurling reins since Pat Gilroy in 2018.
Antrim, meanwhile, continue to cast beyond their own borders for a manager in a bid to get them closer to hurling’s bluebloods.
Clare’s three-time All-Ireland winner Davy Fitzgerald was persuaded to cut short his managerial sabbatical to take the Antrim reins having stepped away from the Waterford gig.
After five rollercoaster years that took in the COVID-affected campaigns, Darren Gleeson left the Antrim hurlers at the end of last season in better shape than he found them.
But the Tipp man was as frustrated as any hard-bitten Antrim Gael over their away days from Corrigan Park.
Fitzgerald has his work cut out, especially with top forward Conal Cunning of Dunloy out for the season with a cruciate injury and Seaan Elliott and Keelan Molloy only coming back after injuries of their own and not named to start in Croke Park.
The Sixmilebridge man also wants to bring his own playing style to Antrim which is bound to take time to bed in, insisting his team are only playing in “patches”.
A familiar sweeper system – probably Eoghan Campbell as Antrim’s plus-one – and more direct ball into Antrim’s forwards are two things we can expect under Davy Fitz.
But Antrim are not well endowed with ball winners in their attack especially after the retirements of Neil McManus and Conor McCann.
New captain Chris Crummey and vice-captain Conor Burke, Cian O’Sullivan, Brian Hayes and John Bellew form the experienced nucleus of this Dublin team with Ó Ceallacháin drafting in 17 new players.
Fitzgerald is targeting the first 20 minutes at Croke and wants to be still within striking distance after that point in the game.
“This Dublin team we’re playing is a top tier team – in the top six or seven,” said Fitzgerald.
“They were in a Leinster final last year, they didn’t do too badly against Cork. They’re not 100 miles off the mark so we’re going to learn a bit.”