One of the features of being a county which is genuinely competitive in both codes means that we occassionaly get a day when both our senior teams are in meaningful action. That is on the cards over the next two Sundays when our hurlers entertain Laois followed by Clare while our footballers hit the road and play Roscommon and Offally over successive weekends.
When both teams are in action, there is no more satisfying feeling than a double Saffron victory. That last happened in 2008, early in the season when our hurlers picked up the Walsh Cup in beating Offaly in a rain soaked Casement, and at the same time our footballers were accounting for Micko's Wicklow in Aughrim in the opening round of the league.
Roscommon have been described as the whipping boys of Division 3 and while they have lost 3 from 3, the last two of those defeats have been by the minimum amount. Antrim will take nothing for granted, but a repeat of the powerful display against Fermanagh should see the Saffron footballers return home with the unbeaten record intact.
Our hurlers have a very balanced record V Laois in recent years. Between the AI qualifiers, the Walsh Cup and the National League, we have played Laois 7 times in the last three seasons and the record is 3 wins, 3 defeats and 1 draw. Last year was typical - we took them by 5 points in the league but lost out in the All Ireland relegation series. That closeness in form makes Sunday hard to call, but our record is a perfect two wins from two so far and with home advantage that should read three from three by sunday evening.
The following weekend's fixtures are harder still, but for now we will settle for the first part of an Antrim double double.
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