Kevin Ryan is promising major changes in Antrim hurling following Saturday's 27-point All-Ireland U21 semi-final drubbing by Clare.

The Waterford man, who is committed to another three years in charge of the Saffrons' senior and U21 teams, is quoted in the Irish News as saying: "We know what we have to do. We have plans to change all that and it's not dream stuff in the future. It's things that we'll have happening in the next month or two.

"We're going to take that opportunity over a year or two to seriously close that gap. And that's our ambition.

"It's hard," he admitted. "We prepared to try and be in the game. We know one of the gaps is physicality, that total lifestyle of fitness that they [Clare] would have.

"There are club championship games next week, knockout, and lads are preparing for that with their clubs.

"We had them together once or twice a week, very willing and tried to work on a gameplan and our first touch. That came through for about five minutes at the start. We were looking okay but we didn't have the energy physically, for what it would take to stay there.

 

"We have to be patient year-on-year to do a bit more, but it is very disappointing at the end of the day to end up with that margin of defeat because we did think that we would be in it a bit more."

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