LEINSTER SHC ANTRIM v DUBLIN:THE ANTRIM management let rip earlier this week over not being able to to practice in Croke Park ahead of Sunday's Leinster hurling championship meeting with Dublin. Their opponents must abide by similar rules when they visit headquarters this evening, but manager Anthony Daly is not overly put out.
“Yes, we will be walking around Croke Park,” said Daly with tongue planted firmly in cheek. “A few pucks even in our runners, a few frees, you know, would be nice, but we were told ‘no’ a long way back. Just a walk-around so.”
We are reminded of a previous incarnation of Anthony Daly, when as Clare manager in 2006 he described the Jones’s Road surface as “concrete”, blaming it for Colin Lynch’s ankle injury.
The problems were put down to “above-average temperatures” and those troublesome Dublin supporters trampling over the surface on Leinster football final day.
“It has improved immeasurably over the years,” Daly was quick to point out yesterday, certainly more interested in hurling matters than test driving the Croke Park surface ahead of Sunday.
For the record, teams are not allowed train on the pitch in the week prior to games for preservation purposes.
In the case of international soccer and rugby teams, they are allowed on to the pitch for training because they rent out the stadium.
Daly will release a team tonight, with Ronan Fallon set to be replaced at centre back by Michael Carton. The loss of their defensive rock is a serious predicament not helped by Ross O’Carroll, Shane Martin (finger) and Kevin O’Reilly (Achilles tendon) also being ruled out with repetitive injury concerns.
“The only positive, if you can call it that, is we haven’t had them at all. Ronan broke a bone in his foot against Kilkenny (April 19th), while Ross came back after winning the All-Ireland with Kilmacud Crokes and did his hamstring twice.”
A few days ago, O’Carroll complained of a pain in his side and after a trip to his local doctor was diagnosed with appendicitis. It leaves him at best “50-50” to make it back for a Leinster semi-final on June 20th/21st.
“Yeah, he is a loss. Ross was probably one of Dublin’s best two forwards along with Dotsy O’Callaghan last year,” said Daly.
The next problem comes from the surroundings. Not even the treat of seeing the ever-improving hurlers face Antrim will entice a large majority of fair-weather (although rain is forecast for Sunday) Dublin supporters from their usual late arrival into Croke Park.
A surreal knock-on result is the curtain-raiser starts in an near-empty stadium that gradually becomes three-quarters full by the finish.
“We broached that subject,” said Daly. “Our focus will remain within the four lines. We will react to what is in front of us. We legislate for what we can control.
“Antrim are a good and tough team. They may not have won some games they expected to win, like Carlow after beating Wexford, but they have since drawn with Limerick and Waterford.
“It is 50-50 in our heads. This is a dream game for Antrim.
“Every other year they were playing London, while we’ve been getting Wexford or Offaly or Kilkenny.”
