Slaughneil hurling manager Michael McShane says his side are expecting a stern challenge from Dunloy in Sunday's Ulster club SHC semi-final at Owenbeg.

The five-in-a-row Derry champions are slight outsiders at 6/5 to make their return to the northern province's decider and McShane feels that their Antrim counterparts' blend of experience and youth justifies their favourites tag.

"They have an element of a young team about them, they maybe have five or six guys U21, but there's a lot of lads there with a lot of experience too," he told The Irish News.

"These guys aren't wet behind the ears - Paul Shiels, the two McKeagues (James and Kevin), Conor McKinley, those guys have been around the block a few times and know what it's all about, and some of them would have medals from previous championships.

"The young guys that have come in up front have given them a real injection of pace and scoring ability. They like to keep things tight at the back, keep everything solid, and then move the ball as quick as they can into the forwards."

On his own side, McShane also added: "We haven't played anywhere near the level we did against Middletown and Loughgiel last year, but that's always a good thing because there's room to improve."

Tweet

Most Read Stories