Recent meetings: Dublin v Antrim (hurling)

Dublin's senior hurlers face Antrim in Leinster SHC action this Saturday in Páirc Tailteann, Navan (3.0, Live GAAGO).

The sides met as recently as late May when Dublin prevailed by eight points in Parnell Park.

Immediately after that victory over the Glensmen Dublin manager Mattie Kenny stressed that the game would have little impact come championship time.

"We know from past history that it's not significant at all, winning a league game like this. Championship is knockout hurling and it's always about what happens on the day," said Mattie.

Dublin forward Eamonn Dillon has been ruled out of action for the immediate future.

“I'm really disappointed for Trollier himself,” said Mattie Kenny. “He'd got himself, as he does every year, into great condition. He worked so hard in a difficult period there with the pandemic and Covid.

“He came back, and he was going really, really well but unfortunately he picked up this injury, that's going to rule him out for this year's intercounty championship.

“He has started his rehab and he hopes to be back with his club in September or October.

“It's a blow for him personally, and it's a blow for us also. He's a top marksman, a top inside-forward and one of the best inside-forwards in the game today.

“He's been a huge servant for Dublin hurling,” added Mattie.

Here we look back on some recent encounters between the Dubs and Antrim.

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2021 HL DIVISION 1B

SATURDAY, MAY 22: Parnell Park
DUBLIN 1-26 ANTRIM 1-18

A dominant second quarter proved telling as Dublin secured their second successive Allianz Hurling League Division 1B victory with a deserved eight-point win over Antrim at Parnell Park.

The sides will meet again not too long down the road in Leinster SHC action and Dublin manager Mattie Kenny didn't feel this game will have any impact on that meeting.

"We know from past history that it's not significant at all, winning a league game like this. Championship is knockout hurling and it's always about what happens on the day," said Mattie.

"Every match in the Championship is a kind of a cup final and we'll have to go out again and get the result on that day.

"Antrim are a fine team with some really good performers. They're physically strong and very fit. At the final whistle they were going as strong as they were at the start. They're going to be a huge challenge for us again next month."

Dublin showed greater fluency after the first water break as their defence completely nullified the visitors' attack.

Up until that point, the contest was evenly shared in terms of possession, scores and errors with Antrim showing well through the efforts of wing-forward Niall McKenna who added a brace of fine scores.

Dublin responded in kind through well-taken points from Conor Burke, Jake Malone and Seán Moran before they took the lead through a Donal Burke ‘65’ in the 17th minute.

The remainder of the half was a story of Dublin control as Cian O’Callaghan and Eoghan O’Donnell closed up shop, limiting Antrim to a solitary point in that second quarter, and while the marksmanship was awry at times, Danny Sutcliffe grew into the game with a trio of classy scores.

The Dubs also had a few sightings on goal with Antrim 'keeper Ryan Elliott's reflexes denying Cian O'Sullivan on two occasions.

A brace of Donal Burke points prompted a 0-13 to 0-6 interval lead and that same pattern of supremacy was maintained in the early stages of the resumption as Daire Gray matched Sutcliffe’s efforts with three points of his own.

These scores handed the hosts a ten-point buffer by the 45th minute and that buffer was required as Antrim fought back, thanks to a 51st minute Neil McManus penalty after a foul on lively substitute Conor Johnston.

Three minutes later, Ronan Hayes worked an opening in Antrim's last line of defence before passing to Jake Malone, the Cuala man then picked out Hayes in front of goal and he fired to the net for Dublin's first goal in this year's league campaign.

Their deficit was reduced to five points by the 64th minute after an excellent Keelan Molloy point but Dublin’s bench made a positive impact as John Hetherton, Davy Keogh and Paul Crummey all chipped in with points to ease Mattie Kenny's side home to victory.

SCORERS – Dublin: D Burke 0-7 (0-4f, 0-1 ’65'), D Sutcliffe, D Gray 0-3 each, R Hayes 1-0, C Burke, C Crummey, C Boland, J Hetherton 0-2 each, J Malone, S Moran, D Keogh, C O’Sullivan, P Crummey 0-1 each. Antrim: N McManus 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), N McKenna 0-4, J McNaughton (0-2f), C Clarke (0-3f) 0-3 each, C Johnston, K Molloy 0-2 each, E Campbell 0-1.
DUBLIN: S Brennan; A Dunphy, E O’Donnell, C O’Callaghan; S Moran, L Rushe, D Gray; J Malone, C Burke; C Crummey, D Burke, D Sutcliffe; C Boland, R Hayes, C O’Sullivan. Subs: E Dillon for O’Sullivan (49), J Hetherton for Sutcliffe (49), J Madden for Rushe (56), R McBride for Malone (56), D Keogh for Boland (59), P Crummey for Hayes (66), P Smyth for Moran (70).
ANTRIM: R Elliott; S Rooney, G Walsh, D McMullan; E Campbell, P Burke, J Maskey; K Molloy, M Bradley; N McManus, J McNaughton, N McKenna; C Cunning, D Nugent, C Clarke. Subs: C Johnston for Nugent (h-t), P Duffin for Rooney (45), S Shannon for Clarke (45), D McCloskey for Bradley (47), E O’Neill for Cunning (55), R McCambridge for Maskey (58).
REF: S Cleere (Kilkenny).

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2018 HL DIVISION 1B
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4: Corrigan Park, Belfast
DUBLIN 0-23 ANTRIM 0-22

A Donal Burke pointed free in the sixth minute of added time saw Dublin edge out Antrim in dramatic fashion in this HL Division 1B encounter at Corrigan Park, Belfast.

The Glensmen looked like they had done enough to share the spoils after coming back from seven points down before the Na Fianna man split the post with the last puck of the contest from just outside 65 metres.

“It was a good response to last week (defeat to Offaly). Our work-rate, particularly in the first 60 minutes, was excellent. We really, really worked hard," said then manager Pat Gilroy.

“Our shooting wasn’t what it should have been ... but it was very satisfying to get the response from last week, because it was twice the work-rate."

Dublin, after a slow start, led by six points at the interval and on two occasions in the second half moved seven points clear but in Neil McManus Antrim had an ace deadball expert as his side battled to the finish and got on level terms before Burke's late heroics following a foul on Liam Rushe, who came off the bench to make his first appearance of the year.

It was Burke who also fired over the opening point of this full-blooded contest inside 15 seconds but the hosts then hit the next four scores to be 0-4 to 0-1 ahead inside ten minutes.

Towards the close of the opening half Dublin began to get motoring with Conal Keaney doing well out the field as Dublin scored seven points without reply to lead by 0-14 to 0-8 at half-time.

Paul Ryan's close range free on the restart extended Dublin's advantage but despite holding a seven-point cushion they were eventually reeled in by their hosts who looked to have done enough before the late, late foul on Rushe and Burke's accuracy from the resulting free.

SCORERS - Dublin: P Ryan 0-8 (0-6f, 0-1 '65'), D Burke 0-7 (0-4f), F Whitely, C Keaney, C McBride 0-2 each, J Madden, D Sutcliffe 0-1 each. Antrim: N McManus 0-16 (0-11f, 0-2 '65'), A Graffin, J McNaughton 0-2 each, G Walsh, D McCloskey 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: A Nolan; P Smyth, B O'Carroll, E O'Donnell; S Barrett, C Crummey, J Madden; C McBride, T Connolly; D Burke, F Whitely, D Sutcliffe; C Keaney, E Dillon, P Ryan. Subs: L Rushe for Ryan (51), J McCaffrey for McBride (53), N McMorrow for Connolly (64), P Winters for Dillon (69).
ANTRIM: C O'Connell; P Burke, J Dillon, A Graffin; J Maskey, M Donnelly, D Kearney; C McKinley, G Walsh; N Elliott, N McManus, J Connolly; D McKinley, C McCann, C Johnston. Subs: C Carson for Connolly (inj 8), N McAuley for Maskey (43), J McNaughton for Walsh (45), R McCambridge for McCann (53), D McCloskey for Elliott (63).
REF: J Heffernan (Wexford).

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2018 WALSH CUP
SUNDAY, JANUARY 7: Parnell Park
DUBLIN 4-16 ANTRIM 0-17

Dublin were slow out of the traps but eventually got motoring to run out convincing 11-point victors in this Walsh Cup round-robin encounter at Parnell Park.

Antrim settled immediately and by the seventh minute were 0-5 to 0-0 in front thanks to the freetaking accuracy of Neil McManus and one from Colin Clarke.

However, an incisive run by Cillian Costello resulted in a Paul Crummey goal as Pat Gilroy's men sprung to life.

The Dubs reeled off five points without reply from Paul Crummey, two Paul Winters frees, Robbie Mahon and Daire Gray to lead 1-5 to 0-5 after 16 minutes.

By the break Dublin were 2-9 to 0-9 to the good following Winters' goal in the 26th minute after Alan Moore's effort had rebounded off the crossbar.

Five minutes into the second half St Vincent's man Moore grabbed the first of his two second half goals when he held David Kearney off under a long Darren Kelly delivery before racing through on goal.

Four minutes later he added his second with a low angled drive from close range after it looked like Winters could have been awarded a penalty in the lead-up to lead 4-9 to 0-11 and the hosts were never in any trouble.

Robbie Mahon assumed the freetaking duties following the substitution of Winters and converted two frees and a '65' to add to his three points from play as Dublin cruised to victory.

Dublin were never under sustained pressure in defence but Cian Hendricken, in particular, looked sharp and in control in a defence that held the Glensmen at bay throughout though conceding a lot of frees.

“A bit of indiscipline in our tackling is something we need to work on,” said Dublin manager Pat Gilroy afterwards.

SCORERS – Dublin: P Winters 1-4 (0-3f), A Moore 2-1, R Mahon 0-6 (0-2f, 0-1 '65'), P Crummey 1-1, D Gray 0-3, J McCaffrey 0-1. Antrim: N McManus 0-11 (0-10f), C Johnston 0-2, N Elliott, G Walsh, C McCann, C Clarke (0-1f) 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: G Maguire; P Smyth, B O’Carroll, C Hendricken; S Barrett, D Kelly, C Crummey; J McCaffrey, T Connolly; C Costello, D Gray, P Crummey; A Moore, P Winters, R Mahon. Subs: R Smith for Connolly (26 inj), C McBride for Winters (44 inj), S Ó Riain for P Crummey (49), C Ryan for Costello (51).
ANTRIM: C O’Connell; D Kearney, A Graffin, S Rooney; C McKinley, J Maskey, J Dillon; N McManus, C Johnston; N Elliott, G Walsh, C McCann; J McNaughton, C Carson, C Clarke. Subs: E O’Neill for Carson (41), J Connelly for Clarke (51), M Connolly for McCann (57), C Boyd for Dillon (65), D McCloskey for Elliott (71)
REF: P Murphy (Carlow).