Cushendall vs Slaughtneil: Neil McManus braced for another ‘absolute epic’ battle with Derry champions

Cushendall rarely make things easy for themselves and have become accustomed to having to grind out results in the face of adversity.

Star forward and captain Neil McManus isn’t expecting the terms of engagement to change when they lock horns with Slaughtneil in Saturday’s Ulster Club SHC semi-final at the Box-It Athletic Grounds in Armagh.

Between them, the two clubs have annexed seven of the last eight Ulster Club Hurling titles with Slaughtneil winning four-in-a-row after being denied by Cushendall in a classic 2015 decider that went to extra-time.

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The teams also met in last year’s provincial final when Cushendall claimed a hard-fought four-point win in Newry.

“You could nearly pick any of our games with Slaughtneil as an absolute epic in the last decade or so,” stated McManus.

“I’d say we’re similar enough - quite athletic, physically strong, brilliant hurlers – and that’s why the games are so good because you know nobody is going for a handy eight or nine-point victory.

“That just doesn’t transpire in games between Slaughtneil and Cushendall. You’ll fight for every line ball, every puck-out and possession won, and that’s what makes and that’s why there’ll be a big crowd there. That’s why people will enjoy the game because there will be a purity to it.

“I think the Ulster Club Championship is brilliant, it throws up some amazing games. Last year’s Portaferry game was mentioned but I thought the final [against Slaughtneil] was a cracking game too.”

Cushendall braved the elements and edged out local rivals Dunloy in the Antrim SHC final last month on the day when a host of county finals across the country were postponed due to Storm Ashley.

The Antrim final was one of the few games that did go ahead and McManus said the unpredictable nature of the decider made for an interesting spectacle.

“There is a fun element to days when the weather is terrible - everybody plays with total abandonment,” said McManus.

“I know people were saying, ‘sure there weren’t many frees in the final’. Sure isn’t that great. We were just crashing into each other and sometimes it was accidental. And Dunloy were every bit as intent on winning that game as we were.

“People were putting their bodies on the line. People were getting spilled left, right and centre and it was a really good game in tough conditions. Now they were terrible but they were tough in terms of the wind.

“Whenever you were striking the ball and the ball was moving a bit… I always say when the conditions are at their toughest, it reveals those players who can adapt and who have skill beyond belief and you could see that on both teams – quality players making those we adjustments for those terrible weather conditions.”

Although teams can do little to control the elements, McManus is hopeful that their tough battles in Antrim will stand to them as they begin the defence of their provincial crown.

Brian Delargy’s men were also taken to extra-time in the Antrim semi-final by St John’s before a narrow win over Dunloy.

“When you reach the business end of the Antrim championship you’re not going to have handy games,” added the former Antrim captain.

“Those games bring you to a level that you simply don’t get at training and you feel that the next day too. That’s when you know you’ve been in a battle.

“Coming through those games you get momentum, you get learnings and experiences that you can’t get anywhere else and it really helps you’re preparation the next day because it only gets harder. And you have to use that performance that you’ve just given to try and get up another couple of percent, fix another few things. That’s how it works.

“You don’t have the luxury of looking outside Antrim. The teams are too good and you won’t have Ulster to worry about.”

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