The Ulster champions will take on Waterford in the second of their All-Ireland Hurling Championship Qualifiers in Walsh Park tomorrow (2.00pm) aware that their opponents' new manager Davy Fitzgerald has expressed the view that his own side are in for "a tough contest".

Fitzgerald, making his competitive debut as Waterford boss having succeeded Justin McCarthy, has made it clear that even though they ultimately were on the receiving end of a 21-point defeat from Galway last Saturday, Antrim were in the contest until past the half-way stage.

"They certainly won't make things easy for us tomorrow," predicts Fitzgerald who is without Seamus Prendergast and Aidan Kearney.

Antrim, themselves stripped of the services of Neil McGarry, Sean Delargey, Liam Watson and perhaps Karl Stewart, know the odds are stacked against them, particularly as Waterford are desperate to regain credibility following their shock Munster Championship defeat by Clare.

"No doubt about it, Waterford will feel they have a fresh message to send out," admits Antrim joint manager Dominic McKinley. "We could hardly be going in against them at a worse time from our viewpoint."

Michael Magill and Mickey Kettle were back in the Antrim frame against Galway and with the Herron brothers, Michael and Ciaran, along with Johnny Campbell, Karl McKeegan and Paddy Richmond bringing experience to the side, the northerners are not losing hope.

McKinley and his management partner Terence McNaughton, while understandably lamenting the absentees from their side, nevertheless plan to rally their side in the hope that they may yet pull off an upset.

"We had been hoping that the game would be brought forward and the fact that the throw-in is now timed for two o'clock is a help. We are travelling down today and I have to say that the mood in our camp is not too bad despite that setback last weekend," maintains McKinley.

For all that, it's difficult to see how a Waterford side containing the likes of Dan Shanahan, John Mullane, Tony Browne and Eoin Kelly won't have an extremely comfortable winning margin at the end of the match.