Down Senior Hurling Championship R1
Liatroim v Bredagh
Sunday, Liatroim, 2pm
Usually, teams prepare for championship in the weeks and months leading up to the competition, but that has not been the case this year for Liatroim’s new manager, Michael McCambridge. The reason is that the Cushendall native and former Antrim hurler has not had full access to his players this season due to their dual commitments, county responsibilities, and injuries.
Only when their first match of the championship round-robin begins on Sunday against Bredagh will he truly begin to understand how strong his team is.
Michael said: “As we get into the championship, that is the time where we will be able to look at how we want to play, and how we can play. We will learn as we go along in the championship.”
The Antrim man admitted that taking on a team without a sole focus on hurling is an unusual experience. “It is a challenge to have a dual team. I am from a hurling club in Cushendall. We didn’t have that challenge. You played hurling, and you were able to train three times a week, and that was it.
“A good number of the players have that challenge with the dual aspect. I don’t envy that, it is a heavy load to carry. Once the games are in full flight, it is very difficult to get a good heavy session because of the load that is on you.
“With hurling and football being on different nights or even the same nights, then you are working around workloads on players and making sure you are not over-working and over-stimulating them, and just not burning them out before you get to the business end of the season, which is championship.”
In the full story Michael outlines who will and won’t be playing for Liatroim on Sunday, and when the injured players are likely to return.
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