Irish News Ulster Allstars hurling
WE could start with the Antrim hurlers – the cream of the crop in Ulster – or we could consider the pursuit of sporting excellence right across the province and perhaps unearth names far away from the media’s glare that should seep into The Irish News Allstar conversation.
As one coach in hurling’s lower rungs put it: “There are players working as hard in Division Two and Three as there are in Division One, and who would be good enough to hurl at the top table.”
The talent is undoubtedly there. But the media profile is unfortunately not to locate it.
So we’ll drill down and see what there is. A deep dive into Division 3B and there you’d find Belfast man Ollie Bellew raising standards in Cavan in 2021 - a county that hadn’t got a hurling team for a generation or more – and giving the likes of Fermanagh and Louth bloody noses.
In just two years, Bellew managed to guide the Breffni men to an unlikely Lory Meagher final at Croke Park in 2021.
When you think of Antrim’s brilliant NHL displays against Clare and Wexford at Corrigan Park at the start of the season, Cavan were causing a similar stir, albeit a good few rungs below.
Last weekend, Cillian Sheanon was playing midfield for Cuala against Kilmacud Crokes in the Dublin SHC semi-finals.
Earlier in the year, he was putting his shoulder to the Cavan wheel – by virtue of his father’s birthright – and achieving sporting excellence.
Sheanon was Cavan’s inspirational metronome in their League and Championship runs, sweeping up behind the midfield and playing the shirt off his back every time he wore the royal blue.
Put Sheanon in Antrim’s midfield and he wouldn’t look out of place.
With Sheanon orchestrating things for Cavan, Sean Keating was an outstanding presence at full-forward. A natural stick man, Keating caused mayhem against every defence he faced.
So perhaps Sheanon and Keating deserve to be in the shake-up when readers cast their vote alongside a judges' panel to find the best 15 players in Ulster.
Staying in the lower ranks, votes deserve to be cast in the direction of some Fermanagh hurlers who actually denied Cavan in the Lory Meagher final at the tail end of July.
Speed merchant Tom Keenan of Kinawley deserves to be nominated having bagged a career-defining hat-trick in the Meagher final.
Although playing his club hurling with St Enda’s, Glengormley just outside Belfast, Ryan Bogue had a brilliant year at right half-back for the Ernemen, bringing massive experience to the defence.
Beside him, Lisbellaw’s Aidan Flanagan could hurl in any League or Championship and not look out of place. John Duffy at number 12 was also key in Fermanagh’s successful pursuit of an All-Ireland title, while Mark Curry’s puck-outs were arguably on a par with Ryan Elliott (Antrim) and Stephen Keith (Down).
The fact it wasn’t a vintage year for the hurlers of Armagh and Tyrone might guard against them getting into the Allstar shake-up although Fionntain Donnelly (Keady) and Patrick McBride (Middletown) had solid seasons for the Orchard men who fell at the Nicky Rackard semi-final stages.
The Red Hands went a step further but couldn’t get past a rampant Mayo side in the final.
Nevertheless, Damien Casey has consistently been a double figures scorer, Bryan McGurk has led by example in midfield and Belfast native Chris Kearns was a seven or eight-out-of-10 in every game – all viable contenders for a slot on the Irish News Allstars team.
Even when teams don’t have vintage years, it’s more impressive when the same players keep putting their hands up and don’t let standards drop.
Derry struggled for parts of the season and suffered a Christy Ring final hammering to Offaly – and yet Cormac Doherty kept sticking the ball over the bar - 33 times - and was ably assisted by Brian Cassidy.
Moving up the rungs, how long can Down’s Stephen Keith’s claims on the number one jersey be ignored?
Down in the Ards Peninsula, they still talk about his wonder save against Carlow earlier in the year and the awesome consistency he’s achieved not just in 2021, but every year he’s worn the red and black.
Of course, Ryan Elliott was catching flies for Antrim for most of the year, and kept the score respectable against Dublin at Parnell Park with a string of ridiculous saves.
Portaferry’s Matt Conlan was Ronan Sheehan’s go-to man in the Down defence all season, Conor Woods showed in 2021 that he could play and thrive in any Championship.
It’s also difficult to ignore the gold standards set by Eoghan and Daithi Sands in the forward line. The Portaferry brothers have always brought a bit of class to the Down table and are long overdue provincial recognition.
Antrim would bite Down’s hand off for either of the Sands’s.
And what of Darren Gleeson’s Antrim, Ulster hurling’s big noise? Their championship campaign finished on a bit of a downer as they return to the Joe McDonagh in 2022, but there were more forward strides taken this year.
Two of the best days of the year came at Corrigan Park in NHL against Clare and Wexford, the three points going a long way to safeguarding their top flight status, a brilliant achievement.
It would take a brave reader not to cast a vote in the direction of Ryan Elliott, Niall McKenna, Gerard Walsh, Ciaran Clarke, Keelan Molloy, Conal Cunning, Eoghan Campbell and James McNaughton despite Antrim’s championship blip.
Given the nature of Ulster hurling, you have to drill down a bit deeper.
There is some gold down there. You just have to look in the right places for it.
Cast your vote at www.irishnews.com/allstars
