All-Ireland Hurling Preliminary quarter-final: Antrim 'have to believe' they can shock Cork & More News Here

Venue: Corrigan Park, Belfast Date: 11 June Throw-in: 14:00 BST
Coverage: Score updates and match report on BBC Sport NI web site

Antrim’s Paddy Burke says the Saffrons “have to believe” they can shock Cork in Saturday’s All-Ireland Hurling Championship Preliminary quarter-final.

Not being invited to the All-Ireland collection launch in Tipperary on Thursday does seem to have been duly famous.

That gathering occurred at Loughmore-Castleiney GAA membership in Tipperary.

It’s not one million miles away from the homestead of Antrim supervisor Darren Gleeson, it have to be mentioned.

When contacted by BBC Sport Northern Ireland on Friday, an Antrim spokesperson mentioned: “We can confirm we were not invited to the press event in Tipperary.

“Our focus is on tomorrows recreation and we’ll be making no additional remark.”

Corrigan recreation ‘an enormous alternative’ – Burke

For its half, the GAA identified that as “Joe McDonagh Cup finalists, each Antrim and Kerry had a standalone media occasion at Croke Park final week”, adding that “no slight was meant”.

But judging by the social media chatter, it seems to have generated a little heat in the Glens and in west Belfast which could maybe act as a motivational tool for Gleeson’s squad.

Saffrons vice-captain Burke says the players view Saturday’s contest with last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists as a “large alternative”.

“When you began taking part in for Antrim, these are the fixtures you dreamed of. Knockout, championship hurling towards final yr’s All-Ireland finalists and also you’re at residence,” added the Cushendall man.

“You have to imagine you can win any recreation you exit in. So so long as we carry the best vitality stage and the best perspective, and the group will get behind us in Corrigan Park, hopefully it will be a very good day for Antrim hurling.”

Burke says the expected big turnout at an apparently sold-out Corrigan Park will only increase the sense of occasion and perhaps inspire the Antrim players to greater heights.

However after conceding 4-24 against Kerry last weekend, where the Saffrons were decidedly fortunate to edge victory in the end after looking in total control early on, Antrim look to have a mammoth task even against a Rebels side who have not included sharpshooter Patrick Horgan in their starting line-up.

Burke acknowledges that words have been uttered this week about Antrim’s defensive frailties against the Kingdom.

“It was a dialog that we had to have as a administration crew and gamers and the place we can tighten up on sure issues.

“It’s been addressed and we’ll see on Saturday how we respond to it.”

One possibility maybe for Gleeson may very well be to make a tactical readjustment by working with a sweeper. Eoin Campbell is presumably the person finest outfitted for such a job however Burke does not seem completely satisfied that such a change is the way in which to go.

“A sweeper is not something we’ve entertained in the last couple of years.

“I feel we can be arrange sound sufficient defensively and actually it comes from the work-rate that we carry out across the area, disrupting the ship of ball in.”

Cork omit sharpshooter Horgan

While the Antrim defence struggled in the second half against Kerry, Gleeson seems unlikely to tinker too much with the team that started at Croke Park.

The omission of Horgan, Cork’s all-time championship record scorer, from the Rebels starting line-up was the big talking point in their selection.

After an encouraging league campaign which saw them reach the final before losing out 4-20 to 1-23 against Waterford, Cork’s championship season looked in danger of being a brief affair after an opening 2-25 to 1-17 defeat by Limerick was following by a two-point loss against Clare.

However, the Rebels regrouped to beat avenge their league final defeat by Waterford before impressively accounting for Tipperary by 12 points three weeks ago.

Cork’s programme line-up has 11 of last year’s All-Ireland Final starters with the changes seeing Damien Cahalane and Ciaran Joyce in defence and the inclusions of Conor Lehane and Alan Connolly in the full-forward line.

Horgan, Jack O’Connor and Conor Cahalane are named in the substitutes having started last year’s All-Ireland decider while Eoin Cadogan, who was at left half-back last August, retired at the end of last season.

Antrim: tbc

Cork: P Collins: D Cahalane, R Downey, S O’Donoghue; N O’Leary, C Joyce, M Coleman; D Fitzgibbon, L Meade; R O’Flynn, S Harnedy, S Kingston; T O’Mahony, A Connolly, C Lehane.

Subs: G Collins, S O’Leary-Hayes, G Millerick, M Keane, T O’Connell, C Cahalane, B Roche, S Barrett, P Horgan, J O’Connor, A Cadogan

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