Kilkenny 'worlds apart' from Antrim in championship opener - Gleeson

Antrim will need to regroup before facing Wexford next time out

Antrim manager Darren Gleeson described the difference between his team and Kilkenny as "worlds apart" after the Cats romped to a 5-30 to 0-13 win at Nowlan Park on Sunday.

In this Leinster Hurling Championship opener, there was nothing by the way of positives for the Ulster men who were well off the pace required in this environment and, while the hosts were really in the mood, at times it was all too easy for them.

Antrim were rank outsiders to even get close to causing an upset prior to throw-in, but that didn't change the fact they were simply poor on the day, out-hustled, out-muscled, and ultimately destroyed on the scoreboard.

The level of performance was a long way off what was required and, indeed expected, as the Antrim boss had little to offer in terms of reasons why his charges were so flat.

"Kilkenny's execution was unbelievable," said Gleeson.

"We were exposed in a lot of areas, but most worrying is that they out-worked us. From the very first minute we should be a hungry team, but that lack of desire and work would really disappoint you.

"There are going to be ups and downs in the game but it was literally floodgates open once that score went in. We gave up really early in the game. The work-rate wasn't there, the endeavour wasn't there, and simple tasks we didn't carry out how we'd like to."

Although it was hard to make a case for anything other than a Kilkenny win in the build-up, Antrim's minimum requirement was to deliver a performance and a platform to build upon for the rest of the competition.

They didn't get anywhere close to that and the 32-point loss could have been worse had the Noresiders cleaned up their shooting with 17 shots going the wrong side of the posts.

With Wexford arriving in Corrigan Park on Saturday for their second fixture, it's a case of hitting there reset button for Antrim as they look to deliver what they are capable of.

Earning the right to play had always been a key feature of Gleeson's tenure and he was disappointed his team didn't do that on Sunday.

They have aspirations to challenge the top teams, but the Tipperary native admitted that is a long way off when Sunday's display is factored in as they seemed to have accepted their fate from an early stage.

"There wasn't much expected of us coming here today, but you'd expect a bit of fight and determination - that was the most disappointing aspect," he added.

"We were tiers below. They (Kilkenny) will be disappointed with aspects of their game but there was no comparison between the two teams there."