 McNaughton and McKinley during Sunday's Leinster SHC clash |
Sambo McNaughton and Dominic McKinley may not be in charge of Antrim hurlers during the county's involvement in next season's Leinster Championship. McNaughton hinted after Sunday's 2-16 to 0-12 defeat by Dublin at Croke Park that the management duo could step down after this summer's championship. Antrim play in the Ulster Final on 28 June before being involved in All-Ireland qualifiers. "Woody and me will see out the year and we'll see what happens," he said. McNaughton added that there was a "good chance" that the management duo will not stay on in the job after the conclusion of the county's championship involvement this summer. The Antrim joint-manager acknowledged that the display had been "very disappointing indeed". "A lot of hard work went into it. We struggled to get breaking ball in the middle of the park. "We went long periods without scores and any scores we did get, we had to work very, very hard for."  | We should try and get our minors in Leinster too |
After Dublin led early on, the Saffrons did come more into the game midway through the first half and after trailing by a point at the break, the Ulster Champions levelled early in the second half. However, Antrim's revival proved a false dawn as Dublin dominated the remainder of the game despite not being playing particularly well themselves. McNaughton added that the Saffrons' failure to get a first-half goal had been crucial. "A goal was going to be the big score for us in the first half. Neil McManus got a great shot (penalty) saved." Despite the disappointing reverse, McNaughton insisted that the Saffrons' inclusion in Leinster is the "way forward" for the county. "We should try and get our minors in there too. "Also, our senior team is a very young side. The majority of them are still under-21 and the experience will do them the world of good."
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