Raising the bar
How Neal Peden plans to take Antrim into the top tier in hurling
WITH promotion to Division One already in the can for 2021, Antrim’s appearance in the Joe Mcdonagh final this Sunday — the curtain-raiser for the senior All-ireland final between Waterford and Limerick — offers the perfect snapshot of where they are now, and what they wish to become.
The process began a few seasons back when Neal Peden took over the management of the senior county team in a four-man management committee, and continues now with the St John’s man in a ‘Director of Hurling’ role, one that is entirely unique in Ulster.
Last year, Peden and Gary O’kane were the management, with Tipperary All-ireland winning goalkeeper Darren Gleeson in as trainer. Gleeson has since stepped up as manager and has O’kane and Jim Close as selectors, while former county stalwart Johnny Campbell was brought in to do the vast majority of the on-pitch coaching.
Perhaps the greatest acquisition the county board has made was securing the services of Brendan Murphy as Athletic Director. In the evolution of inter-county conditioning, this element is becoming as critical as anything else.
The immediate goal is the Joe Mcdonagh, when they come up against a Kerry side that they have already beaten twice in the league — 2-20 to 2-14 in Tralee and 2-23 to 2-20 in the league final on October 18.
“It’s now about developing the athlete rather than just developing the hurler,” acknowledges Peden.
“And that has stood by us immensely this year. It has been seen in matches like against Carlow coming back on the day. Our physicality is there, we are standing up to teams, playing the bigger teams.
“We played Tipp and you could see they were much physically stronger and even you look at Limerick, we are trying to gather our athletes. They are all good hurlers but give them this athleticism that is going to stand by them with the strength and power out on the pitch.
“If you watch the modern games, you will see that and it has really stood to us.”
Murphy’s background has mainly been in track cycling, having worked with Canadian and Japanese teams, and his expertise is necessary in an environment that has been transformed by sports science.
Attaining a certain level is key to avoid the fate of counties in similar situations, who have gone to a higher level and been on the end of several humiliations on the way back down again. Firewalling Antrim against that has been an aim for Peden.
“I think you seen this year we have gone by the Westmeaths and Carlows,” he explained.
“We are developing ourselves beyond that. Our next target or level is the Wexfords, the Dublins, that’s who you are looking to get up with.
“We know these teams are better but we have to do develop a structure where players are coming through with aspirations of playing Division One. And to play Division One, you have to be a different athlete, so we have to start with our players early.
“That’s what I mean by bridging this gap between 17 to 20. When you come to 20, you should be nearly ready to jump into senior, not just us having to develop them to being senior hurlers.
“We have a vision and we have a plan in place. The Joe McDonagh is a massive step. We are into Division One, so let’s get the structures in place for the young ones coming in. And if we do that, we are not afraid of anybody.
“We have immense hurlers in Antrim. The skill level is immense, club level showed that. But it is more than that now. It is the physicality, it is how these teams like Limerick act. We have to look and see what’s going on and do that in Antrim.”
‘Let’s get structures in place for the young ones’