Bank of Ireland Conor McGurk final: Antrim 3-26 Down 1-14
ANTRIM claimed their first piece of silverware of the new season with a convincing 18-point win over Down in the Conor McGurk Cup final at the Dub on Saturday night.
Just three points separated the sides at the break with Nigel Elliott (Antrim) and Declan McManus (Down) finding the net for their respective sides.
However, the second half was one-way traffic as the Saffrons coasted to victory thanks to further goals from Conor McCann and the impressive Maol Connolly, while Down ended the game with 14 men after full-back Caolan Taggart was shown a second yellow for a wild challenge on substitute Eoin O’Neill.
However, the win came at a price for Antrim with corner-forward Ciaran Clarke being helped off the pitch after just 17 minutes after sustaining a leg injury.
Antrim joint-manager Terence McNaughton was unsure of the extent of the injury, but with All-Ireland champions Galway up next in the National Hurling League opener in less than two weeks’ time, Clarke’s participation is in serious doubt.
“At this point in time, I don’t know how he is – we’ll have to check with the physios,” said McNaughton.
“I hope he is okay, but he was limping as he came off.
“That’s sport and you have to deal with these things. With the way the games are coming this year, we are playing every other week and you are going to get injuries. Moreso this year than any other year, the panel is going to be tested – you aren’t going to have your first 15 every week.”
Antrim made the brighter start and were 0-6 to 0-2 ahead after the first quarter with Neil McManus (three), Elliott and Conor Johnston splitting the posts, while Down struggled to show the same accuracy in front of the posts, hitting four early wides.
However, Martin Mallon’s side gained a foothold in the game on 17 minutes when centre-forward Declan McManus was played through by Paul Sheehan and he found the back of the Antrim net with a fine strike to beat Chrissy O’Connell.
That goal seemed to spur Down on and, with the experienced Clarke now departed from the field, the defending champions seized their opportunity.
Goalkeeper Stephen Keith was called into action to make a great stop to deny Elliott, but a stunning rally of three points in under two minutes from Rian Branagan and two from Sheehan had Down level at 1-5 to 0-8 after 21 minutes.
A further Sheehan free and a remarkable point from Pearse Og McCrickard from a seemingly impossible angle moved Down two clear inside the final 10 minutes of the half.
A 65 from McManus settled Antrim and the Cushendall ace then played a key role in his side’s opening goal. Conor Johnston started the move before McManus charged through the heart of the Down defence before off-loading to Elliott, who turned and blasted the sliotar past Keith.
The Dunloy attacker almost added another moments later in a carbon copy of the move which led to the goal, but this time his shot was diverted over the crossbar by the Down goalkeeper.
A point from Connolly in stoppage time ensured Antrim went in three ahead, 1-12 to 1-9, at the interval.
If the first half was evenly contested, the second half was anything but as Antrim swiftly pulled clear. They showed their intent from the restart with McManus landing his first from play after just 40 seconds.
Creggan’s Conor McCann bagged Antrim’s second major on 42 minutes with Johnston, Elliott and McManus also chipping in with points.
Down really struggled to create chances after the break but Eoghan Sands and Danny Toner scored back-to-back points midway through the half.
However, it was almost all Antrim in the second half with corner-back John Dillon coming forward to score a rare point with a stunning long-range effort.
Having picked up a yellow card in the first half, Down full-back Taggart left referee Tarlach Conway with little option but to brandish a second yellow for a dangerously high challenge on Antrim substitute Eoin O’Neill.
Minutes later when O’Neill was felled again 20 metres out, Connolly stepped up to take the free and caught the Down defence off-guard as he riffled the free into the roof of the net to give Antrim a commanding win on their return to the McGurk Cup.
“I think it is a great competition to be playing in,” said McNaughton.
“You could win every game in it or you could lose every game – isn’t that brilliant?
“We are not going to win an All-Ireland. The teams in this competition have no chance of winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup, but they have a chance of winning this.
“Down are coming from a smaller base than Antrim and what happened tonight probably should happen when you consider the size of Antrim and the size of Down. Then you look at the base of Antrim compared to Cork or Kilkenny and it is different again.
“That’s why the likes of ourselves and Meath are now in this [Joe McDonagh Cup] competition and any team should be able to beat any team on any given day. I think it will be a brilliant competition.”
Antrim: C O’Connell; J Dillon (0-1), A Graffin, D Kearney; J Maskey, M Donnelly, P Burke; C McKinley, C Johnston (0-3); N Elliott (1-4), N McManus (0-8, 0-5 frees, 0-2 65), M Connolly (1-7, 1-2 frees); D McKinley (0-1), C McCann (1-1), C Clarke.
Subs: E O’Neill for Clarke (17), E Smyth for Graffin (h-t), D McCloskey for D McKinley (46), J McNaughton 0-1 for McManus (49), D McGuinness for Johnston (62).
Down: S Keith; P McManus, C Taggart, M Hughes; E Coulter, M Fisher, L Savage; C Bailie, D Toner (0-1); R Branagan (0-1), D McManus (1-0), P Og McCrickard (0-2), M Magee (0-1), P Sheehan (0-8, 0-7 frees), E Sands (0-1).
Subs: D Rooney for Coulter (h-t), B Byers for P McManus (44), M Patterson for Fisher (60).
Referee: T Conway (Derry)
