THE SCENARIO in Antrim hurling is far from ideal. Will they be a top-tier team in 2010 or must they take part in a relegation play-off against Wexford? Were they not guaranteed a place in the Leinster championship for three seasons and as a result the Liam MacCarthy Cup? Are their under-21s playing at Parnell Park against Kilkenny on Saturday in the All-Ireland semi-final and if not, where?

The last question was only answered late yesterday when the match was switched to Páirc Tailteann in Navan.

“We were told last night at training it was a Parnell Park fixture,” said Antrim under-21 captain is Arron Graffin. “I don’t know. It is a bit frustrating. Apparently, there are a lot of games being played here this week.”

But back to the unknown situation regarding next season’s hurling championship. “No one really knows what is going on,” said Graffin. “I have heard that there could be a 13-(team) tier Liam MacCarthy with Carlow coming up, but it is hard to say what will happen. Someone needs to sort it, so that things like that won’t happen in the future.”

The Antrim hurling season disintegrated after defeat to Dublin in Croke Park in June. No decision on the future of manager Terence “Sambo” McNaughton can be made until clarity is provided.

“They have taken five or six of us who are on the senior panel right through from minor. There is a group of players there and maybe it would be nice to bring someone else in new and spice things up. A new dimension like, but it would be good to see the boys sticking at it and seeing the thing through.”

Despite all the confusion, not helped by disruption to preparations by club fixtures, the young hurlers must refocus for a mission impossible on Saturday.

“This group of boys were narrowly beaten by Galway in the minor quarter-final of 2006 by three points. That year and the year before, when we got beaten by Limerick, we felt that we should have been competing in All-Ireland minor finals.

“This bunch of boys have come from that set-up and we have a strong team and we’ll go out and play Kilkenny and give it a lash.”