Antrim senior football manager Lenny Harbinson.
By Cian O’Connell
In a deeply worrying spell things continue to change briskly, but Lenny Harbinson is still finding a way.
The highly regarded Antrim senior football manager has been forced to deal with significantly different challenges throughout the past seven months, but the fact that the Ulster SFC is underway brings some sort of joy.
Returning to inter-county training, though, in September was an altogether different proposition and Antrim have coped.
“Extremely strange,” Harbinson admits ahead of Saturday’s provincial quarter-final against Cavan. “It was strange at the beginning because when we reflected back on March we thought we'd have a window with six or seven weeks of disruption.
“So initially we are thinking let's keep everyone doing a bit of work remote, do our zoom calls every other week. Before we knew it for all of us, be it in sport or outside sport, March became, before you knew it, June/July.
“It has been very strange and difficult for lots of people first and foremost. It was nice to get back around September 14 or 15 because, in fairness, everyone here in Antrim strictly adhered to the Covid regulations and rightly so.”
The time spent away from the training field and matches also afforded players an opportunity to relax and recover.
“It was also good to get a break, it was also like a six or seven month break which cleared up a few injuries for guys, recharged the batteries for one or two,” Harbinson adds.
“I'm sure lots of counties found that.
“Then the preparation was a bit disrupted before the Wicklow game, and that was frustrating because we had a number of games organised, we hadn't played in seven months.
Lenny Harbinson is preparing his Antrim team for Saturday's Ulster SFC quarter-final against Cavan.
“Those games were called off because of some Covid challenges. One of the games was against Fermanagh, and it is well documented the challenges they had.
“I actually think - and this is no disrespect to the performance by Wicklow which was very good against ourselves - but we were very flat footed and most certainly not representative of what Antrim, particularly the senior football panel, and what we are about.
“Those lack of games, my understanding is lots of teams had them organised, Wicklow the week prior to us had a game with Carlow. That stood them in good stead. So it was frustrating.
“It has been a mixed bag over the last seven months for many managers and players in terms of the unknown. Then trying to logistically to get things organised and together, trying to build a bit of momentum. I think we have suffered a bit if truth be told.”
Presently long term planning is not on the agenda, it is merely a case of survival from session to session.
“That is it, we train and reiterate to the players about trying to protect themselves, their families, and their extended families in terms of where they are going and what they are doing, just being very careful,” Harbinson stresses.
“Every evening you're looking at your phone - which has happened a couple of times in the past - and wondering. So everybody is facing challenges.
“It has happened a couple of times in the past week or so where players have gone to me I need to get tested, to take a step back because somebody in my wider group has tested positive.
“Of course that is the right thing to do, so you are looking at your phone most evenings wondering. Antrim hurlers had four or five guys, you are fearing that sort of scenario.”
Despite all of the uncertainty, Harbinson’s enduring passion for the Antrim game remains undiminished.
