McGourty coming out fighting

Bright prospect CJ McGourty is keen to dismiss the 'hangover' of Antrim's loss to Waterford in the National Football League and focus on moving forward in the Saffron jersey by claiming victory over Cavan in tomorrow's Ulster SFC opener.

The 20-year-old McGourty may lack in championship experience, but he is a regular at club, colleges and underage level and is determined to help Antrim advance at Casement Park.

"Division 4 ended like a hangover for us," McGourty said.

"It didn't go well for us at the end of the day, but this is the time you want to be a Gaelic footballer with the weather we have now and the hard ground - it's what you play football for.

"It was a huge disappointment to lose to Waterford, it was like a hangover going out to county training for the following two weeks. People didn't even want to be there."

However a frank discussion between the players got their minds focused once again.

"We had a players' meeting and the last two weeks it has really been positive coming into Sunday's game."

It's the buzz of the championship which keeps McGourty and his colleagues on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the action.

"When the bus pulls up outside the ground at a quarter to three on Sunday and the knock on the door with five minutes to go, if you don't get the buzz then - you shouldn't be in the changing room, you shouldn't be playing championship football," he said.

McGourty also believes Antrim are not far off lifting silverware in the next few years.

"Obviously success isn't that far away for us. My club St Gall's got to an All-Ireland final, the Antrim minors were in an Ulster final and St Mary's and La Salle did well recently in schools competitions.

"Success is not far away but at the end of the day if we don't produce it at senior level we are always going to be sleeping giants."

There is one player who will be watching on from the stands at Casement Park this weekend - someone who knows this Antrim set-up more than most.

CJ's brother Kevin said goodbye to his Antrim football team-mates during the league, and instead has opted for a Saffron hurling jersey.

CJ admits it is disappointing not to have Kevin on board, but is delighted he is involved in the small ball game.

"It's his own decision and the management's decision. It's hurting for Antrim players and Antrim fans that he will be at Casement Park but he won't be playing on Sunday.

"We need everyone, there's other players that haven't committed this year. Antrim's strongest team isn't going out on Sunday, although it's a very capable team at getting a result.

"Antrim's best team isn't going out on Sunday and we need that."

The talented forward emphasised that tomorrow's match and this year's Ulster championship is very much make or break for this Antrim side.

"If we don't get a win on Sunday it will set us back," he admitted.

"Even if we win, it's about getting a couple of wins together in a row this year or we are just going to be no-ones."

Although McGourty concedes that some of his team-mates may not be well known outside of Antrim, he stressed just how much talent Antrim manager Jody Gormley has to choose from.

"It's fairly hard to keep it going when people haven't got success themselves. I know Joe Quinn, Kevin Brady and Sean McCreevy have been around for 12 years and it's a credit to the men themselves that they have no silverware but they are first at county training and last to leave every night.

"St Galls have six or seven players - Conor Murray and Paddy Cunningham were involved with St. Mary's and La Salle teams so there's ten or eleven lads who have had success and they are just trying to impart it onto the other boys on how to get it."

Cunningham and Thomas McCann were both involved in UUJ's Sigerson Cup triumph this year. McGourty is delighted to have the pair back alongside him in attack.

"They have won an All-Ireland title with Jordanstown and fair dues to them," he said.

"Thomas and Paddy were absolutely brilliant in the final and they showed on the national stage that the Antrim players are there, it's just about producing it in a yellow jersey that seems to be the problem!"

McGourty feels that if Antrim can rectify the problem of finishing games poorly that they have the ability to produce a convincing win over Cavan and set up a clash with Armagh.

"We beat Cavan in the McKenna Cup but that doesn't matter. Come Sunday it will be different teams and different weather and it's all about Sunday and championship football."

He added: "Forget the league and forget the McKenna Cup. It's on the day and if we can produce it on the day, I would say that we are fairly hard to beat at Casement Park.

"Although teams say 'we want Antrim', the problem with Antrim is over the last 20 minutes at Casement Park in a championship match - they die, they fade - and that's a problem we are going to have to overcome on Sunday.

"If we are there with 20 minutes to go, we need to start pushing on, because we are fairly hard to beat at Casement Park."