Antrim Hurling

[NAG1]

Agree with this, can understand why Davy would want him on his ticket. But in the medium term it would be good to see Neil take an under 16 team or minor team the whole way to senior. It can't all be about the seniors, who is coming behind Davy when he squeezes the last drop from the barrel?

Would Shivers not be the natural successor? Un20 manager as last couple of years? McManus brother in law aswell and with Graffin gaining experience with St Galls, the jigsaw pieces together.

Graffan was involved with the Down Senior Camogs the last few years with PD and a host of others.

Where does he get the time?

For the love of the game I suppose.

He has also been with St Galls senior hurlers last couple of years

And who was it carrying out the strategic review recently? 

[paddyjohn]

Agree with this, can understand why Davy would want him on his ticket. But in the medium term it would be good to see Neil take an under 16 team or minor team the whole way to senior. It can't all be about the seniors, who is coming behind Davy when he squeezes the last drop from the barrel?

Would Shivers not be the natural successor? Un20 manager as last couple of years? McManus brother in law aswell and with Graffin gaining experience with St Galls, the jigsaw pieces together.

Graffan was involved with the Down Senior Camogs the last few years with PD and a host of others.

Where does he get the time?

For the love of the game I suppose.

Maybe his wife told him to do it!

[paddyjohn]

I'm not having a dig at Watson here, but ask the lads in Lavey about him. Super training and enjoyable but didn't know when he was for showing and very undependable from what I was told.

I think McManus is a shrewd name to add to the Backroom team. A good link man between the team and the manager and he'll be smart to know his place and stay out of the public eye.

Mmm, not so sure

He'll be cute enough to speak when he has to.

[johnnycool]

Agree with this, can understand why Davy would want him on his ticket. But in the medium term it would be good to see Neil take an under 16 team or minor team the whole way to senior. It can't all be about the seniors, who is coming behind Davy when he squeezes the last drop from the barrel?

Would Shivers not be the natural successor? Un20 manager as last couple of years? McManus brother in law aswell and with Graffin gaining experience with St Galls, the jigsaw pieces together.

Graffan was involved with the Down Senior Camogs the last few years with PD and a host of others.

Where does he get the time?

For the love of the game I suppose.

Maybe his wife told him to do it!

She's still playing a bit of club camogie.

[marty34]

Agree with this, can understand why Davy would want him on his ticket. But in the medium term it would be good to see Neil take an under 16 team or minor team the whole way to senior. It can't all be about the seniors, who is coming behind Davy when he squeezes the last drop from the barrel?

Would Shivers not be the natural successor? Un20 manager as last couple of years? McManus brother in law aswell and with Graffin gaining experience with St Galls, the jigsaw pieces together.

Graffan was involved with the Down Senior Camogs the last few years with PD and a host of others.

Where does he get the time?

For the love of the game I suppose.

Those GPA guys seem too have oodles of time 

Doesnt take a rocket scientist to read the future path with this one lads.

The lack of any real experience in the set up is a genuine concern, but then we know Davy runs the show so what say anyone gets I'd imagine would be limited anyway.

Comments from BS are closer to the mark, investment is at the wrong end of the pathway, but we can never seem to get that message across and will be in a perpetual cycle of this until we get someone involved who actually understands this.

Is Graffin not a 'Performance Coach'?

Should he not be more suitable for that role and Mc Manus in another role?

Not sure what experience Shivers has in fairness. Floats from role to role. Lost year year with U20's and didn't go into B competition.

Strange roles but Davy will listen to none of them. He's the boss.

[saffron123]

Surprised Davy never asked you on board Marty34

[johnnycool]

Agree with this, can understand why Davy would want him on his ticket. But in the medium term it would be good to see Neil take an under 16 team or minor team the whole way to senior. It can't all be about the seniors, who is coming behind Davy when he squeezes the last drop from the barrel?

Would Shivers not be the natural successor? Un20 manager as last couple of years? McManus brother in law aswell and with Graffin gaining experience with St Galls, the jigsaw pieces together.

Graffan was involved with the Down Senior Camogs the last few years with PD and a host of others.

Where does he get the time?

For the love of the game I suppose.

Those GPA guys seem too have oodles of time 

Doesnt take a rocket scientist to read the future path with this one lads.

The lack of any real experience in the set up is a genuine concern, but then we know Davy runs the show so what say anyone gets I'd imagine would be limited anyway.

Comments from BS are closer to the mark, investment is at the wrong end of the pathway, but we can never seem to get that message across and will be in a perpetual cycle of this until we get someone involved who actually understands this.

Is Graffin not a 'Performance Coach'?

Should he not be more suitable for that role and Mc Manus in another role?

Not sure what experience Shivers has in fairness. Floats from role to role. Lost year year with U20's and didn't go into B competition.

Strange roles but Davy will listen to none of them. He's the boss.

You can only imagine Davy's presence will be on the weekends with the midweeks sessions being taken with the local lads...

[Gael-in-exile]

I think Shivers was always going to be involved due to previous links with Davy and U20 role. Graffin had been in with him and has qualifications external to the GAA ones which give him a good base.
I have heard though that Davy is very hands on in the coaching and with bringing Bennett in who he has long links with we may find the influence of Antrim natives is on Davy's terms only.

Fair play to them for committing but if it hadn't been those pair who were with U20 where were the others cutting their teeth going to come from? Not many standout coaches in Antrim really.

[north aontroim gael]

Antrim U20s in 2023 beat Derry and Meath in competitive games.

In 2024 Derry beat them.

[Slemishgael]

The under 20s should have went on and played in the All Ireland B last year that just seemed stupid not to allow them more matches. Good chance they would have won it also. What was the reasoning behind not playing in that competition?

[NAG1]

I think Shivers was always going to be involved due to previous links with Davy and U20 role. Graffin had been in with him and has qualifications external to the GAA ones which give him a good base.
I have heard though that Davy is very hands on in the coaching and with bringing Bennett in who he has long links with we may find the influence of Antrim natives is on Davy's terms only.

Fair play to them for committing but if it hadn't been those pair who were with U20 where were the others cutting their teeth going to come from? Not many standout coaches in Antrim really.

Yes these lads are Antrim natives but lets not get ahead of ourselves in praising the commitment, no one on the county scene these days is there simply for the commitment of it. As per previous regime same goes.

[Gael-in-exile]

I'm not in the business of asking how many or how thick the envelopes are but I know that to take on a club role it takes a few nights a week and a good chunk of your weekend.
To be involved in senior county it would likely undertake 20+ hours a week. It's not easy to make the time outside family and personal life to do this and come January I imagine those involved will spend every other weekend with at least one night away from home.

So if you ask me there is a commitment there to be commended.
I'll keep my doubts, should they be needed for the hurling progress.

[Slemishgael]

Is Micky McShane coaching or managing anyone at the min?

[Saffron71]

Was just looking at the Derry Hurling Championship there.  So the 'Senior' Semi finals are also 'Intermediate' Qualifiers.  The losing team in either semi final will be in the Intermediate final.  Slaughtneill play Dungiven in one.  So in theory Slaughtneill could end up in an Intermediate final (Can't see it because they seem to be cruising through Derry).  Surely if this did happen they wouldn't be allowed to go onto the Ulster Intermediate Championship (If they won the final)?

[Beirbua2024]

Was just looking at the Derry Hurling Championship there.  So the 'Senior' Semi finals are also 'Intermediate' Qualifiers.  The losing team in either semi final will be in the Intermediate final.  Slaughtneill play Dungiven in one.  So in theory Slaughtneill could end up in an Intermediate final (Can't see it because they seem to be cruising through Derry).  Surely if this did happen they wouldn't be allowed to go onto the Ulster Intermediate Championship (If they won the final)?

Yes I believe Derry have been doing this for a few years, Banagher for example and I recall Lavey starting a season in senior championship and ending up in Ulster intermediate final.

Don't think Ulster competition have a say in who enters it really as long as the home county of the club has let them enter their county championship. Only exception would be if the team won Ulster intermediate for example then they would only be eligible to play at Ulster senior for the next 3 (maybe 5?) years I believe