By Cian O'Connell

A few decades managing teams at every level of the game ensures Lenny Harbinson has always looked for solutions. Finding different ways to solve problems.

Sport isn’t merely about winning or losing; joy can be found in the journey, important lessons learned.

So at the end of 2019 when planning and plotting for the current campaign Harbinson and his backroom team in Antrim opted to adopt new methods. Something had to change.

An altered training schedule helped to entice a string of former Antrim players into the fold and they are now mixing well with an emerging crop of youngsters.

Two Allianz Football League Division Four wins from three matches offers a drop of encouragement. Harbinson is far from getting carried away, but Antrim are beginning to stir again.

“Like many counties lots of players for whatever reason are unable to commit,” Harbinson says. “Antrim has had those difficulties, like a number of counties.

“This year we tried to change this around a little bit, to reduce the training load in terms of the amount of nights we are together each week. We are trying to make it more attractive for guys to commit.

“We are striving to get the balance between youth and experience. Having the likes of Paddy Cunningham, Tomas McCann, Mick McCann coming back into the fold has given us that balance of experience along with the youth. Hopefully that will stand us in good stead.”

How helpful has it been for Antrim to go with a less is more valuable approach? “We have all heard of stories of counties training, five or six nights a week," Harbinson reflects.

"Some counties are training nine times a week, some counties in the past training 27 or 28 days in a row. All of that has a toll.

“It has an emotional and physical toll, particularly on young players who have big commitments with university or work. They are trying to get on the work ladder. Throw in the topic of expenses in counties and spend; whatever else.

“I just think that lots of people are looking over the hedge at their neighbours thinking they are training five nights a week so we need to be doing that.

“This year we have taken a slightly different approach. If we win and get promoted it has worked. If we don't people could say Antrim don't have the same commitment as other counties.

“That is the balancing act, everything is always predicated almost on the black and white of winning or losing.”

Ultimately it is why Harbinson is emphasising the longer term. “We are trying to look at a bigger picture, trying to help our players, who have commitments outside of football, to try to maximise the time together the best as possible, while at the same time trying to get balance between work, life, and sport,” Harbinson adds.

“That invariably is what I'm trying to do - rebalance compared to where it may have been in the past.”

All of this is happening at an interesting time in the Antrim GAA story. Positive developments surrounding the redevelopment of Casement Park and the Gaelfast project means significant attention is being placed on Antrim once more.

Encouraged about what is happening, Harbinson is adamant that the future can be bright. “In relation to Gaelfast that is a very, very important initiative,” Harbinson replies.

“However, it is going to take the best part of close to 10 years because it is primarily based at primary school level, getting participation levels up. The gap we have is at the next level, secondary school or grammar school. There needs to be work urgently done there.

“Elsewhere in terms of the major projects like Casement, the mood music has changed, it is a lot more positive with the new institutions up and running again at Stormont. It is about time the Gaels in Antrim, in Belfast, and in the wider aspect of Ulster have a stadium fit for purpose. We have been denied that for the last number of years.

“Whenever we look over at Ravenhill in the rugby and Windsor in the soccer, their stadia have been built. They are up and running for the last number of years and they are fantastic venues, good luck to them. We in the GAA in Antrim, Belfast, and Ulster are crying out to get this stadium.

“Hopefully there will be positive moves in the next eight or nine months. That is going in the right direction hopefully.

“We have Darren Gleeson with the hurlers, they are going rightly. They have a couple of important games coming up, if they can keep the momentum going forward and likewise if we can keep the momentum going forward all of that feeds into a positive picture both on and off the pitch for the next number of years.”

Taking charge of the Antrim senior footballers is a challenge, but Harbinson relishes the role. Seeking to improve, enhancing teams remains Harbinson’s chief objective. “Absolutely, first and foremost there is pride as an Antrim man managing your own county,” Harbinson admits. “There is that element of it.

“I'm quite fortunate because the Antrim County Board, Saffron Business Forum, Club Aontroma, and even the Casement Park folk are all there behind the scenes trying to fundraise, to support both hurling and football. Everybody is pulling in the right direction from that aspect which makes my job easier.

“I have a good group of players, who are very level headed, their feet are on the ground. The squad itself really has a good mixture of guys from the city and guys from the country, students, people who are working, and also youth and experience.

“The guys who help and support me really make it an enjoyable environment. All of those factors mean I don't see inter-county football or management as a burden.

“Yes it is a challenge and you have lots of challenges, but like many county footballers we do it because we really enjoy it.”

Critical matches are set to arrive thick and fast. Harbinson wouldn’t want it any other way. “We have a couple of big challenges ahead of us,” Harbinson acknowledges.

“This Sunday we have Carlow at home and then the following Sunday we have Limerick. The next two weeks will have a big say in whether we will stay in Four or hopefully move forward.

“We're reasonably happy, but having said that this time last year having played three games I think we had lost the first three - two of them by a point.

“Certainly from last year looking at it this year - two wins and a loss against Sligo. The loss against Sligo was quite disappointing because although we didn't play particularly well I felt a draw that day would have been a fair result.

“We are in a reasonable position, but looking at the table a lot of teams have dropped one game, Carlow have dropped two so it is very tight. There is still a few twists and turns to be had in this League yet.”