HURLING / News round-up: Although only one half of the Allianz Hurling League Division One play-offs will be decided on Sunday there is still plenty of shaking and moving to be done. Laois are the only team resigned to the relegation end of things from Division One B, with the other five teams all holding hopes - however remote - of making the quarter- or semi-finals.
The surprise team among them is Antrim, who can make the play-offs if they beat Limerick by more than one point in Casement Park on Sunday. Having beaten Galway and Laois this year and come close to Tipperary and Kilkenny (losing by two points) there is reason to believe Antrim can pull it off.
"This is a massive game for us, obviously," says Antrim manager Jim McKernan, "especially considering what is at stake. It's very much a case of winner-takes-all here, whereas if we lose we're into a relegation battle. And I don't think that would reflect the way Antrim are playing at the moment . . . But our confidence is high and I know this team has the self-belief in its ability to win it."
So far McKernan's transition from former minor and under-21 manager has been seamless. Antrim appeared to be making good progress in recent years under Dinny Cahill but all that fell apart with his unceremonious exit before the end of last year. Yet McKernan has simply picked up the pieces and got on with it.
"The most important thing for me was to get the type of hurler I wanted, and I've got that. Maybe they've been performing at this level a wee bit earlier than I thought, but we were always going out to retain our Division One status, and were determined to be as competitive as we could. And I always had the belief that I could take this team somewhere."
The ironic thing about Antrim's good form is it comes shortly after they opted out of this year's Liam MacCarthy All-Ireland championship, and decided instead on the Christy Ring Cup. McKernan has his own feelings on that move which he prefers to keep personal. Just yesterday he found out Antrim's group in the Christy Ring Cup includes old rivals Down.
"Yeah, it would have been nice if we were kept apart, but there's always the chance we'll meet again in the final. I know Antrim will go into that competition as the big scalp and the team to beat, but we're determined to make the most it. I know Down like, ourselves, have ambitions to move forward and we'll treat them exactly the same as we have the Kilkennys and the Galways. We know they're no walkover."
Down, who were last year's beaten finalists in the competition, will meet Antrim in the opening round. For now McKernan's thoughts rest with Sunday. He reports a fully fit squad for the crucial game, and was boosted this week by the return of dual player Karl Stewart, who had played such a key role in St Gall's making the All-Ireland club football final earlier this month.
Elsewhere, Cork have made one change for their refixed league match against Wexford, which goes ahead at Wexford Park on Sunday. UCC's Ronan Conway has been forced out with injury, with his place at left wing forward going to Niall McCarthy.
The GAA have announced one change of venue for Sunday's round five of the National Hurling League, Division Two A, with Dublin now playing Carlow at the St Sylvester's grounds in Malahide.
2006 CHRISTY RING CUP DRAW: Group A - June 10th: Down v Antrim, Roscommon v London; June 17th: Antrim v Roscommon, London v Meath; June 24th: Meath v Antrim, Roscommon v Down; July 8th: Down v Meath, Antrim v London; July 15th: London v Down, Meath v Roscommon. Group B - June 13th: Kerry v Kildare, Wicklow v Carlow; June 17th: Kildare v Wicklow, Carlow v Mayo; June 24th: Mayo v Kildare, Wicklow v Kerry; July 8th: Kerry v Mayo, Kildare v Carlow; July 15th: Carlow v Kerry, Mayo v Wicklow. Semi-finals: July 22nd; Final: August 6th.
2006 NICKY RACKARD CUP DRAW: Group A - June 10th: Fermanagh v Tyrone, Donegal v Sligo; June 24th: Sligo v Fermanagh, Tyrone v Donegal; July 8th: Sligo v Tyrone, Fermanagh v Donegal. Group B - June 10th: Cavan v Armagh, Leitrim v London; June 24th: Louth v Cavan, Armagh v Leitrim; July 8th: Louth v Armagh, Cavan v Leitrim. Group C - June 10th: Derry v Longford (if Derry are involved in Ulster SHC final, game will be played on June 17th), Warwickshire v Monaghan; June 24th: Monaghan v Derry, Longford v Warwickshire; July 8th: Monaghan v Longford, Warwickshire v Derry. Quarter-finals: July 15th and 22th. Semi-finals: July 29th; Final: August 13th.
CORK (SH v Wexford): D Óg Cusack; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan, B Murphy; R Curran, J Gardiner, C O'Connor; T Kenny, K Murphy (Erin's Own); T McCarthy, C McGann, N McCarthy; J Deane, B Corcoran, K Murphy (Sarsfields).
DUBLIN (SH v Carlow): A Nolan; A de Paor, K Ryan, R Reid; G Bennett, R Fallon, D O'Reilly; M Carton, J McCaffrey; E Moran, L Ryan, K Dunne; T McGrane, K Flynn, A McCrabbe.
