Ian O'Riordangets the views of opposing captains ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland club hurling semi-final
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, one of these days Ulster hurling is going to make the major breakthrough. It's still more likely to happen at club rather than county level, and it could well be this year, following Cushendall's progress to another AIB All-Ireland club semi-final.
The Antrim champions play Loughrea of Galway in Cusack Park on Sunday, and one indication of their chances of making the final is that they're at this stage for the sixth time, whereas for Loughrea it's a first. And the last time they were in a semi-final - in 2000 - it took a replay before Clare champions St Joseph's managed to get past them.
Michael McCambridge is one of the longest serving members of Cushendall, and this year's captain. He was there when St Joseph's edged past them seven years ago, and the prospect of winning an All-Ireland title with the club still drives him. Of course that can't be done without first getting to Croke Park on St Patrick's Day.
"Our first aim is to get into the final," he says. "That's everybody's aim at this stage. So we'll just go out on Sunday and give it our all, and see where that leaves us in the end.
"But the fact is we're one of only four teams left in the competition at this stage, so the way we see it we've as good as chance as the other three."
Cushendall don't have far to look to find motivation, as fellow Antrim club Dunloy made the All-Ireland final in 2004 - and McCambridge admits that offers much hope.
"Of course it does. We've seen Dunloy make a number of finals there in recent years, and I've been in Croke Park to see all of them. And they have been close enough, just a little unlucky. But they've always been a very well drilled team, but just lost out on the day. So we'll definitely take hope from that if we do manage to reach the final.
"But there is still a gap between Ulster clubs and the rest of the country. I think part of that comes down to the number of teams we have, maybe five or six or seven good teams. Certainly a lot less compared to say the Galway championship and the Tipperary championship. But we make the best of what we have."
Still, the breakthrough that Ulster hurling is waiting for can only come in the form of an All-Ireland title, yet McCambridge is confident that will happen sooner or later.
"Of course I believe it can happen. A lot of it does come down to the structures and other underage programmes in place, and a lot of good work has been done over the last number of years. And we've had some clubs there or thereabouts. A lot of close calls too.
"Eventually one or two of those close calls will have to be turned into a winning situation, and that could mark the breakthrough everyone talks about. Like, I know our minors should have won against Galway last year, but lost out by a point. We still have to turn these into winning situations."
Standing in their way for now are Loughrea, who last October won their first Galway title since 1941 - and thus contest their first club semi-final. Team captain and defender Damien McClearn clearly doesn't want to be around when the breakthrough happens. "I know Ulster teams are always talked about as weaker opposition," he said. "Well, we don't see it that way at all. That's a dangerous misconception. Cushendall have been here before, and we haven't. This is our debut at this stage of the championship, so we're taking nothing for granted. It's an All-Ireland semi-final like every other, and whoever performs their best on the day will win, there won't be anything more in it that that."
Loughrea beat reigning All-Ireland champions Portumna by a point in a controversial Galway final, and haven't been tested since. Yet the lack of a competitive match since the provincial final is not a concern for McClearn.
"We just took a rest, but got back into the training in the New Year and since then it's just been similar stuff to what we were doing before the county final, just slightly more intensive and strenuous."
