Cushendall boss Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton has defended the decision not to start his son Shane in yesterday's shock Ulster club SHC final loss to Portaferry.

McNaughton jnr made a big difference when he was introduced to a struggling Cushendall attack for the second half, but he couldn't save the Antrim champions from an eight-point defeat.

"Shane is not fit," 'Sambo' stressed in the Irish News.

"If I had my choice I would play Shane from the start, but he is not fit to play a full game.

"He is knackered there. There is more to life than hurling and you have to think of his well-being further down the line.

"There will be more matches further down the road. They are a young team. They will grow and they will learn from this.

"Hopefully they will get the experience from this and they will come back with more heart next year."

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