Messages

St endas opted to join the south west not the other way round

They even have culchie accents!

Culchie (an unsophisticated country person)........Really?

Following recent very disheartening u20 football result v Tyrone - a 20 point stuffing. Can anyone advise how many from u20s panel come from the fertile crescent of SW Antrim and how many went to Ivy League schools in South Derry? Or was the hammering due to City players being in the squad

Had a look at the under-20 line up for the Tyrone game and as far as I can see.....two in the team went to South Derry schools....

Patrick McCormack won't let the side down. Good tidy player, great engine.

Marc Jordan to replace the Dermot Mc Aleese......

These are the games we need to be getting points from. Not a gimme by any stretch, but to keep our progress curve on track two points are essential tomorrow.

A day for grafters, Conor Murray, Marty Johnston, Declan Lynch need to be seeing action if available for selection. Paddy Mc Bride always in a good shift on his own pitch too.

Not listening to you BS.......tried my best.
A couple of enforced changes.....

Your obvious influence on the wain after the Limerick result

Now that quick retort was completely unexpected......lol

These are the games we need to be getting points from. Not a gimme by any stretch, but to keep our progress curve on track two points are essential tomorrow.

A day for grafters, Conor Murray, Marty Johnston, Declan Lynch need to be seeing action if available for selection. Paddy Mc Bride always in a good shift on his own pitch too.

Not listening to you BS.......tried my best.
A couple of enforced changes.....

Your obvious influence on the wain after the Limerick result

Now that quick retort was unexpected........lol

These are the games we need to be getting points from. Not a gimme by any stretch, but to keep our progress curve on track two points are essential tomorrow.

A day for grafters, Conor Murray, Marty Johnston, Declan Lynch need to be seeing action if available for selection. Paddy Mc Bride always in a good shift on his own pitch too.

Not listening to you BS.......tried my best.
A couple of enforced changes.....

Missed the important bit....'in South Derry'...and one notable exception in Ronan Gribbin who attended my old college...St Malachys.

Thanks you your advice forgetting about the hint of sarcasm....

Are the schools that (as you say) don't have a shortage of GAA staff doing enough to get them out on the pitches three days a week after school?

The 11 or 12 year old going into a school in Cookstown or Magherafelt isn't that far ahead of many of their peers going into schools in Antrim. I contend it's what happens after that makes the biggest difference.

Eg in Magherafelt or Cookstown they work harder at it. GAA matters more.

As I said previously, many parents will decide to send their child to a school where they know their 7 year player development programme will enhance their child's ability, not deter it.

Well said BS.  Sometimes we have to hold our hands up and admit that we don't work hard enough collectively in Antrim.  Small numbers taking all the burden.  Making the schools work means hard work for slow rewards which doesn't suit the people wanting immediate success.    We are too far behind for immediate success.   

JimStynes made a good point also about the local schools.  We have had plenty of kids of equal talent go to Derry schools and others go to Antrim Schools.  Vast vast majority who attended the Derry schools kicked on further.  Not a coincidence.

One glance through the teamsheets of our two strongest county teams Cargin and Creggan, knowing which of those players attended schools in Derry,  will tell you all you need to know about the power of schools football.   

But Christ, that's fairly selective. Creggan win one championship in about 100 years and we're attributing it to their players playing MacRory with the Derry schools.
Yet no mention of school's football with a St Galls team who dominated Antrim football for 15 years. The best club side the county has ever had. Because the vast majority of their players played B football and not MacRory?

And Cargin with the huge majority of their players having received post primary education won 5 outa six senior titles in recent times.

But a well managed under age coaching programme in place with utilising the experience of past players to the utmost.

In actual fact such well worn path to South Derry Post primary education continues.....

There are 12 lads from the Coalisland area on their panel. I'm no expert on this but I wouldn't have thought that Cookstown was the natural place for Coalisland people to attend school. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like they've drafted a pile of boys in. Which is fair enough but that would need to be considered when we are talking about an Antrim school emulating their success.

So only short bus journey, 15/20 minutes from Coalisland to Cookstown, wouldn't suggest such is 'a pile drafted in'....

St Mary's will play St Brendan's Killarney on the week-end 26th/27th Feb....in the Hogan Cup semi.

Congratulations St Mary's deserved recipients of the Mac crory cup today.
And a big shout out to the Cargin boys, Conhuir, Benen, and Tom and to our Senior team manager Ronan Devlin.

my fault for believign that Gfast was for belfast and surrounding areas . Do we really need coaches in Toome the strongest area for football in Antrim? or hurling coaches in the glens? this is a cop out. I , and i'm entitled to my opinion, is they should be in North / South / East Belfast flat out - greater need but harder work

Gaelfast is the coaching of the games department of Antrim GAA.
Our aim is to reinvigorate Gaelic Games ni Belfast and Antrim....

But it's the same every year and people in a better position than us are trying to put a square peg in a round hole, I don't have a notion on how they do it but to some it seems like a simple enough task, crazy

Well fixtures were made last year so would it be a difficult task turning such around and reversing venue.....?

Nothing worse than being stuck in no man's land. Not getting meaningful game time for the county and missing club games too. No difference to other counties in that regard, but being a dual county our fixture list is particularly congested. No easy answers!

No answer with county players in hurling denied activity in football league's...
Dunloy, Rossa  and the Johnnies in particular.....

How is there no fixtures out yet a month away from the start of the league?

Hearing those in charge are struggling to come to agreement .
With relegation back on the table be difficult for some county panellists to fully commit.