Messages

"With regards to Loughgiel, i remember hearing a story a few years ago where a few shamrocks wanted to start up a junior football club (for the craic) but where told in no uncertain terms they wold get to use the field.  Maybe just an urban legend."

Heard this myself, I think they actually started training but when the guys that look after the pitch saw the damage that was being done to the surface a swift halt was called and it hasn't been heard of since. Fair enough I say as  it is very evident when you walk on to the pitch of a hurling only club, and this is not just down to how often it is used.

U21s!!!, one swallow and all that, show me a trend an I'll listen to you. The the county set up is not where it should be and coaching standards have drifted over the last 10 years but that is being addressed. My point is that we in Antrim favour playing the game over gamesmanship, concentrate on the skills and take it from there.

To the Derry lads, yous want to cop yourselves on, Dungiven and Lavey to have always had a reputation of sinking to whatever depths they needed to in an attempt to get a result and yes I to remember the 82 feile final, how KLs got away with that I'll never know. Sportsmanship is substituted with arrogance. You'll have to get your house in order before you come back looking for favours from Antrim.
You need us more than we need you don't forget.

The extra tight games might be in Dunloys favour if they have concentrated on their recovery during the week and not like like some clubs who unless they are sprinting up hills wouldn't think they are focused enough. I agree Dunloy should edge it but some of the soft goals conceded must give the Lynch's a sniff of hope.

What way do we see the tactics going on Sunday? Are we going to see a conventional game at last this championship. Surely the 2 man f forward line wouldn't suit big Geoff. He's a great ball winner both catching and off the deck( he hardly has to bend over). Raining balls in on top of him is the Lynch's MO I take it. Haven't seen them play for a while.

Sorry Skull, made sure I finished every last bit of it, had to suck it up after the stir I caused on the HS last week. Good to see the whole team back on form again. On your point about the ref, I get the impression having watched a good few Ulster league games this year that there is a bit of resentment from the other counties in Ulster about the Antrim dominance. Their standard is improving and they probably feel that Antrim is holding them back from a breakthrough at senior level. This must rub off on the odd referee. Or what is more likely, is that  a faceless sinister element at the core of the Ulster council is trying to surreptitiously manipulate the outcome of the Ulster Championship, strange antennae have been noticed on the roof at premises in Market St, Armagh which it is believed may be emitting some kind of mind control rays. I could be wrong but they were pointing towards Belfast yesterday. I'm taking no chances anyway and have lined the inside if my helmet with lead. You heard it here first!

Hungry huers, let them strike, let them p!ss all over what their fathers and we hold dear and ultimately let them be ejectected from their positions of assumed authority that we the giving for nought,paying for every thing shite hawks should at last bring some balance to this totally untenable situation of the GPA. The G.A.A. is part of us all and none of us deserve more than th next man and who is anyone to put a price upon what any man delivers to this glorious and unique assocciation, Shame on those who seek to to submerge it it in the mediocre emulsion of professional sport. Their betrayal should never be forgotten!!

Look forward to the match on sunday. Sincerely hope Dunloy have learned from the last day out. The crans have no other option but to  play as per we have seen. But Dunloy(as any team in this situation) have nothing  more to do than mirror their tactics and drag the game back to their terms. Man o mano they will not lose. hurling will prevail. mark my words!!!! and I should  know cos i'm pish'd

I agree some players rip the hole out of it, where it's all about look at me, I play for the county. But if the county board could find the resources in place as per the top performing counties, look after the players properly but also set targets, the slackers would be found out and hopefully dropped to give someone a chance that it means something to.

I accept that it is not straightforward considering the concessions for kids, oaps etc, nor would I directly call into question the integrity of any of the stewards but experience tells you with some people, give them an inch and they will take a mile.

Very worrying if that is the case. As a comparison in Tyrone certainly last season, don't know about this one, gym membership was never an issue as players were expected to do so much on their own, they were sent home with crates of Rockwell and Lucozade sport after training sessions, players had so much kit they didn't know what to do with it! In Armagh if a players local gym didn't have the proper free weights gear it was sorted by the board. Even Tyrone's over 40s masters football is all funded by the county, thats kits, balls, buses, meals, the lot.
I know this is still only speculation but there is no smoke without fire given the various training initiatives the county has pulled the plug on over the last few years. I think McSparron should initiate a financial review of the County board and how it is administered,
by an independent consultant( if such a thing could be found). That report would make some reading.

Definitely a bad day at the office for Dunloy, the session at the weekend could have been partly to blame but they were maybe too complacent also, sure wasn't everyone. The Crans half forwards pulling out to the midfield really seemed to unsettle the Dunloy half backs as they were left marking spaces then they had difficulty regrouping and picking up runners when the crans attacked. I agree any of the half backs could have been subbed but suppose patch will be singled out because of the perception he is getting on a bit.
(I'll bet we see a MOTM performance from him next day out). The scores Ally took in the first half were a joy to watch, if he was born in Killkenny or Cork how many Allstars would he have by now.

Div 1. did work this year, the lower leagues did not but I'd say that was down to the CCc placing most of their focus on Div.1 due to the scepticism from the top clubs at the start of last year that they could make it work. At least it shows they should be able to apply the formula to the lower leagues. Sorting fixtures for dual clubs will always be a problem and I don't think there is an answer. Ultimately players will have to pick their favourite code and get on with it. Dual players are in the minority these days anyway and can't really expect to dictate. Expecting Sundays to be the only match day is not workable either, I wouldn't like to be scheduling games under such tight constraints.

Cushendall will be kicking themselves on the stance they took on the UHL but it also looked like Dunloy were going to follow suit at an early stage but thankfully for them they relented. Would say that the no. of games Dunloy has had this year will have contributed to a very healthy panel. The fringe players will have got their chance here and there instead of training all year for splinters in their arse, this will have the regulars on their toes also.

Not sure that I agree totally that the big 3 are showing us a high standard of hurling,  comparatively with the rest of Ulster no doubt they are but they have a bit to go lift an AI. There has been a lot of poor enough hurling this season from all 3 and I'm sure even Dunloy would say they are far from the finished article and certainly not at mid 90's level just yet. This certainly isn't for the want of trying by them but there comes a point where the standard of the competition drops so badly even the top teams suffer.