By
John McGovern
BBC Sport NI contributor
- Published20 minutes ago
Cushendall captain Eoghan Campbell believes the emergence of the club's younger players has been crucial to their return to the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship final against Dunloy in Ballycastle on Sunday.
The Ruairi Ogs are bidding to reclaim the county title after last year's extra-time defeat by eventual champions St John's ended their hopes of retaining the crown.
Having beaten Ballycastle in the quarter-finals, Cushendall edged past Loughgiel 2-16 to 0-20 in the semi-finals to set up another championship showdown with Dunloy, whom they have faced in three of the previous seven finals.
Their progress has come despite the absence of experienced defender Paddy Burke, who underwent hip surgery, with several younger players establishing themselves in the team.
"The best thing that's happened for us is the young lads stepping up, especially in the back line," Campbell told BBC Sport NI's Mark Sidebottom.
"We've got young Conor McCann who's still a minor in there now, and we've converted Fred McCurry into a corner-back as well.
"Pad's always a loss, but he's always there, always in your ear giving advice. He wants to see the club be successful, and he definitely wants to see them young boys be successful in the team."
Cushendall manager Brian Delargy also praised the impact of the club's emerging talent, with several under-21 players featuring in the semi-final.
"Our under-21s had a good campaign and won the under-21 championship, and I think against Loughgiel we had seven under-21s," Delargy said.
"Those boys have staked a claim, and they've come through in Paddy's absence."
'A mighty battle against Dunloy'
Cushendall will be hoping to reverse their group-stage defeat by Dunloy, with Campbell particularly wary of their opponents' attacking threat.
"They will have Keelan [Molloy] coming deep and coming out, and they have Seaan and Nigel [Elliott] coming through the middle, and when Nigel gets going he's very hard to stop," he said.
"It's probably thinking about a plan and trying to implement it.
"Hurling nowadays, you're never going to implement it for 60 minutes, and we just have to deal with it."
Campbell believes the versatility of Cushendall's players will be vital in meeting that challenge.
"Fred's played midfield [McCurry], he's played a bit forwards, so he has that attacking ability within him in corner-back," he said.
"If you go forward, someone can fill in for you, so you can play different positions for five or 10 minutes in a match; it's that hectic."
Cushendall's attacking options have also been boosted by the return of Fiontan Bradley, whose goal proved crucial in the semi-final victory over Loughgiel.
"We were under a bit of pressure at that time, so it was a good ball in from Callagh Mooney," Delargy said.
"If Fiontan gets that chance in a one-on-one, you would bank on him to score it, so it was good to have him back.
"There's a few places up for grabs in the team, so not just Fiontan, other boys as well."
Delargy expects another fiercely contested encounter between the familiar rivals when they meet in Ballycastle at 14:00 BST on Sunday, after last weekend's final was postponed because of Storm Beolo.
"We know it's going to be a mighty battle coming up against them," he said.
"It's a county final day, so we're really looking forward to it, and hopefully there will be sparks coming from it. It's a good game for the county."
Campbell, meanwhile, has not ruled out a return to the Antrim inter-county set-up under new manager Michael McShane, having stepped away after 13 years.
"When I stepped away, I probably did think it was final, but it's something I'll definitely consider. I'll never say never to it," he said.
"After I'm finished with the club, it's definitely something I'll take into consideration."
