AIB Ulster Club Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: Robert Emmett’s, Slaughtneil (Derry) v Na Fianna, Middletown (Armagh) (tomorrow, Athletic Grounds, 12.45pm)
MOST eyes may be focused on who comes out of tomorrow’s heavyweight Ulster semi-final showdown between the Antrim and Down champions, but there is plenty of intrigue too in the curtain-raiser at the Athletic Grounds.
Ballycran blew a hole in Slaughtneil’s three in-a-row dreams last year, leading to some suggestions that their period of provincial dominance had come to an end. What happens in Ulster this time around will tell a tale, starting against the newly-restored Armagh kingpins.
The Emmett’s dug deep to seal seven in-a-row against Kevin Lynch’s in the Derry decider and, with the footballers sent tumbling out of the county championship at the semi-final stage, it has allowed their dual players a bit more room for rest and recovery.
It shouldn’t be forgotten though that the footballers bowed out even earlier last year - to eventual champions Coleraine in the last eight – yet Ballycran were still far too good on the day.
However, prior to their eight-point defeat last month, Kevin Lynch’s stalwart Kevin Hinphey noted “a massive difference” in Slaughtneil this year compared to last.
“Last year, I wouldn’t say they were glad to get beat or anything, but I’m sure they were glad of the season’s rest,” said Hinphey.
“They’d gone four years to an All-Ireland series and you just got the impression that they were a wee bit leggy. That was maybe as good a chance as anybody had of getting them.
“The Ballycran team that beat them, I don’t think they’d beat Slaughtneil this year.”
No doubt Michael McShane’s men would love another crack at Ballycran, but their first priority will be avoiding another banana skin at the Athletic Grounds tomorrow, where they start as 1/16 favourites.
Experienced wing-back Cormac McKenna is available again after suspension, but goalkeeper Oisin O’Doherty is in a race against time after suffering a broken finger in training before the Derry semi-final against Lavey.
Morgan McEldowney will start between the sticks if he remains sidelined, while quicksilver defender Paul McNeill is out for the foreseeable future as he recovers from a broken collarbone.
Middletown, meanwhile, are hopeful influential attacker Cahal Carvill will be fit to feature at some stage after battling back from an Achilles injury.
“He’s not that overly far away, so there’s a good chance he could reappear,” said Sylvester McConnell, part of a four-man management team that also includes Conor McCann, Kevin Hughes and Jimmy Gaffney.
“It was a bad injury he had but Cahal’s one of those lads who has miraculous powers of recovery and he’s done a lot of work to come back. A couple of other lads had niggly injuries but they’ve worked really hard to clear them up because they all want to play in this game.”
Slaughtneil were 10-point winners in Newry when these two clubs last went head-to-head in Ulster three years ago, with the Emmett’s pulling away in the final quarter after Middletown had cut the gap to four midway through the second half.
And McConnell insists his men are ready for whatever Slaughtneil throw at them tomorrow.
“We have one game to face while they’ll be thinking of three games and they’re in an All-Ireland final,” he said.
“Their aim is a wee bit farther than us, and in the GAA we always say you take it one game as it comes, but sometimes it can be very hard to do that.
“We know the challenge that’s going to come from Slaughtneil, it’s going to be very strong, but we’re very committed to it and we really want to give it a go.
“We’re in a good place. This year we didn’t over-train early on, we rested a few of the players around the 30 mark, we tried to introduce some new players and as a result we’ve four or five new minors coming in as well.
“They’ve brought a wee bit of life back into the team, plus having Shea Gaffney back has been big for us. He was out for a couple of years and having him back has strengthened the team - he’s become a central figure as well.”
McConnell believes Middletown can take heart from Ballycran’s 10-point Ulster semi-final win over Slaughtneil last year, but feels the experience they have within their own squad gives them greater reason to believe.
“Experience is a big asset. You can run, you can hurl but if you’ve that wee bit of experience in tight games, you know how to put your shoulder to the wheel.
“In Middletown, we’ve been down this road before. In 2012 we got to Croke Park [for the All-Ireland Club intermediate final], on the way we beat a team with two Limerick hurlers in it, so we don’t have any fear.
“All these lads played at a high level with the county, they’ve played against a lot of the Derry lads, been in Ulster finals against Antrim and we would’ve beaten Meath two or three times in the National League… we’re not afraid of big challenges.
“This is not something we’re going to step back from – we’re going to attack it and go for it.”
