PJ O'Connell has departed the Antrim senior hurling squad ahead of their Leinster SHC opener.

The Saffrons open their provincial championship account against Laois in Ballycastle this Sunday and O'Connell -  a self-employed joiner - has left the panel due to work commitments, while Barry McFall and Jackson McGreevey have also made themselves unavailable to manager Kevin Ryan.

"I have left because of work commitments. I could not commit to the training schedule at this time of the year and we have a lot of work on," St Mary's, Ahoghill clubman O'Connell told The Belfast Telegraph.

"I don't want anyone thinking it was anything else. By no means is Kevin Ryan a bad manager, he has just had bad luck."

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