Antrim hurling manager Darren Gleeson says his side were “goal-greedy” in the second half as they clung on to deny Kerry by the narrowest of margins in Saturday’s pulsating Joe McDonagh Cup final in Croke Park.
The Saffrons won their second McDonagh Cup in three seasons following a remarkable 5-22 to 4-24 win over the Kingdom.
Having led by 12 points at one stage in the first half, Antrim looked set for a comfortable victory, but 2-2 from super sub Jordan Conway helped Kerry force their way back into the contest.
Read more: Antrim vs Kerry score RECAP as Saffrons clinch dramatic victory in Joe McDonagh Cup final
A goal deep in stoppage time from midfielder Podge Boyle brought Kerry to within a point of the Ulster side, but his second goal proved to be the last act of the game.
“We saw Kerry in Belfast a few weeks ago, they are relentless and they kept going,” reflected Gleeson.
“We emptied and we threw everything we had at it. We lost our shape, but we did enough in the end and won by one.
“The second half was crazy - we lost our shape completely. It can happen in games.
“It was a real rollercoaster out there. It was scintillating when they were at their best.
“We got goal-greedy for a stage in the second half when we should have been tapping over points. We left three or four chances behind - that’s something to look at when we are out again next Saturday or Sunday.”
While the Saffrons will host Cork in the All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-final at Corrigan Park this coming weekend, they’ve earned a place in the Leinster round-robin for next season, something which Gleeson says is vital for his side.
“It is massive. When we won the Joe McDonagh Cup two years ago, we got thrown in at the deep end because of Covid,” added Gleeson.
“We need four or five matches of Division One hurling then four or five matches in the Leinster Hurling Championship to develop ourselves.
“We lost that opportunity.
“We went into a no-win situation against a hot Dublin team, knock-out hurling straight away.
“We have to try and build depth by playing those five Division One and those five Leinster Championship matches.”
Kerry manager Stephen Molumphy, meanwhile, was left to rue a sluggish start from his side, but stressed he was proud of his charges following their heart-breaking one-point defeat.
“I'm very proud of the lads in the second half," said Molumphy.
“It was an exceptional second half, giving Antrim a lead, coming back and even then, we had chances to win it.
“They are an exceptional bunch and they consistently perform.
“We’re maybe ahead of where we'd planned to be this year. When you come that close, you have to take it because there’s no guarantee that you’ll be back again next year.”
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