Neil McManus is set to be sidelined for the early part of Antrim’s Joe McDonagh Cup campaign as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
The Cushendall ace missed the Division One relegation play-off win over Offaly in Navan last month and will sit out Saturday’s Championship opener against the Faithful County at Corrigan Park (2pm).
Such is the condensed nature of the new split season, one injury could rule a player out for several games.
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Indeed, Antrim boss Darren Gleeson isn’t expecting to have McManus available for another few weeks while the Saffrons have a number of other injury worries to contend with.
“Niall McKenna is really close and Damon McMullan is nearly there too,” stated Gleeson.
“Michael Bradley and Neil McManus are another few weeks away from playing.
“David Kearney came off against Offaly and he is definitely out. James McNaughton got a really bad dead leg that day and hasn’t trained since. That’s the roll of it - there are opportunities for others now.”
With Kearney and McNaughton sidelined from the side which defeated Offaly last month, Scott Walsh comes into the defence for his Cushendall clubmate while Dunloy’s Seaan Elliott is in for McNaughton in the attack.
Antrim were similarly under-strength when they clash with Michael Fennelly’s men in Páirc Tailteann, but they emerged with a rather comfortable 2-24 to 2-17 win to preserve their Division One status for next season.
“People might look at it as being a young side, but in Antrim we’ve been restocking the panel for a few years,” reflected Gleeson.
“Those players have gained a lot of experience coming through since the Division 2A campaign a few years ago, a Joe McDonagh Cup campaign and, over the last two years, in Division One.
“Those guys have been picking up valuable experience and we were quite confident they could do the business and they did really well.”
While Antrim retained their top flight status in the League for the second successive season, they struggled in last year’s Leinster Championship.
A heavy loss to Dublin was followed by a six-point defeat to Laois in the All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers, resulting in relegation back to the Joe McDonagh Cup - a competition they won as recently as 2020.
The finalists of this year’s renewal will go back into the All-Ireland series this season and Gleeson says there are lots of incentives for teams to do well this summer.
“We are well able to compete in the Joe McDonagh, but the lads have gotten into a really good mindset over the last few years. No matter who we are playing, we’ll come at it with the same attitude,” added the Antrim boss.
“Whatever team is in front of us, they get the same attention and the same level of effort from the group.
“That’s what we expect as a management team and that’s what the players are delivering for us.
“Carlow have won the Joe McDonagh Cup on two occasions. They are a serious outfit and they’ve played Division One for a number of years. Antrim have always had it tough with them. Antrim and Kerry and been going at it for the last number of years and there’s never much between us.
“Again, Meath won’t be a soft touch for anyone. There won’t be anything between us and we all know how well Down are going after their brilliant run in the League.
“There are three incentives. Winning the competition is a massive reward in itself.
"If you do get to the final, you are back in the All-Ireland proper. If you win, you return to the Leinster Championship next year with the guarantee of more matches at a higher level. There’s a huge incentive there for every team.”
Antrim (Joe McDonagh Cup v Offaly): Ryan Elliott; Ryan McGarry, Gerard Walsh, Stephen Rooney; Paddy Burke, Eoghan Campbell, Scott Walsh; Joe Maskey, Keelan Molloy; Seaan Elliott, Domhnall Nugent, Conor McCann; Conal Cunning, Ciaran Clarke, Conor Johnston.
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