Dunloy dual approach a 'privilege' - Elliott

Seven days earlier, Seaan Elliott crouched with his head in hands when his last-gasp free from deep tailed wide in the Cushendall wind as Dunloy's bid for a place in the Antrim hurling final ended at the hands of Loughgiel.

There was a stark difference in his demeanour at Corrigan Park on Sunday as he became the first Dunloy captain to lift football's Padraig MacNamee Cup in 89 years following their 3-12 to 2-8 win over Cargin.

Elliott is one of many dual players who have fought on both fronts from their early years, winning titles in both codes, but now have senior championship medals in both hurling and football - a feat that hasn't been achieved in Antrim since Rossa won in both codes between 1988 and 1991.

Having lost out to Cargin in the 2023 final after a hurling semi-final defeat to Loughgiel, this time they were not going to let the chance pass them by and Elliott said it is a "privilege" to not just compete on two fronts, but taste glory.

"It was the exact same scenario - beat by Loughgiel and then go to Corrigan to play Cargin," he reflected.

"We used that as motivation all week. We felt sorry for ourselves for one or two days, but got back on the pitch and knew by the first training we were flying. We wanted it and knew we had this in us.

"I was chatting to 'Coby' (Conal Cunning) there and were saying we've played in more football finals than hurling over the past few years, so we definitely don't take this for granted.

"It's a nice privilege to have, if you're beat in the hurling then you have the football. We are very lucky and wanted to make this chance count. Senior medals in both codes, not a lot of people have that."

With a starring role which saw him kick 1-8 of his team's total in Sunday's final, Elliott's aptitude with the big ball mirrors his talent as a hurler.

Perhaps this may draw the interest of Antrim's new football manager Mark Doran, although joked "there's a wee Clare man (Davy Fitzgerald, Antrim hurling manager) who might have something to say about that".

However, playing both codes is something Elliott and his Dunloy team-mates not only enjoy, but thrive upon as their instinct is to get on the front foot and attack.

That approach opened gaps and led to the vital scores on Sunday with their attacking style paying dividends, but so too did their tenacity in defence to force turnovers and shut down Cargin's avenues.

"You can see the pace we have. When we turn the ball over, we go. It can be a bit hectic at times, but we are definitely adapting to the new rules," Elliott said.

"That's just how we play football. People talk about systems, but from we were no age, we were just told to go and play football. Sometimes it's been our worst doing, but if a score's on, we are going to go for it.

"I don't see how playing two codes affects anybody. When you were younger, you were playing all sorts of sports so playing both codes benefits us."