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Messages - Jonkunlon

#1
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
January 04, 2024, 09:45:18 AM
That Was an entertaining game served up by the players. A great experience for them to play in such a venue and in front of a sizeable crowd.

All the great Dunloy, Loughgiel and Cushendall players on display and yet it was a player from Glenravel who lit up the game. Players and parents from smaller clubs should take note of the example set by Cormac McKeown. What a star in the making. Pace, tenacity and skill all there. Coincidentally CPC's number ten, Rosey, was also their best player on the evening though had to go off with cramp.

Lack of clean catching last night stood out. Must chat to some of the players, but you have to assume the lights had an impact on that front. On a large proportion of occasions players went with the stick when the catch was on.

CPC did well to curtail the threat of Joseph McLaughlin though he stood up when it mattered with his last two points. The one from play was exceptional, the free was from a very tight angle, impressive.

4 throw balls given. First two against CPC then two in their favour (to even it up). The slide tackle was the most controversial non-decision of the night. Clearly deliberate and overly aggressive - play on. There was one other big call - that was the red card for supposed deliberate striking off the ball. Ref gave a yellow - I think it was probably the right decision....but what would I know.

Fair play to both schools for serving up a great evening of hurling. 60 year gap bridged for Garron Tower. It's a great competition.
#2
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
December 03, 2023, 06:55:31 PM
Super win. Much the better team. Scoreboard flattered Slaughtneil. Cushendall players superior with the stick.

Credit to Cushendall's fitness levels too. After that extra-time victory two weeks ago they'd be forgiven for being laborious today.

McManus regularly gets the credit but Eoghan Campbell, Paddy and Martin Burke, Joe McLaughlin, Scott Walsh and more have been super all season.

They held Slaughtneil scoreless for 18 minutes at one stage. 2 goals for Slaughtneil distorted the true gap between the two sides.

Cushendall by and large a club and community that stick with their own (bar a few high profile recent events).
#3
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 23, 2023, 05:55:54 PM
Quote from: Hectic on October 23, 2023, 12:04:30 PMU19 looks to have been a pretty complete championship unless you have a preference for group stages as well.

But all games from quarter final through seem to have been completed.

Appreciate Dunloy didn't play their minors - would many of them have started? In my head I am thinking if missing more senior players would have been a bigger problem.  But they were well beaten in the semi final.

Maybe the lack of at least one from Dunloy, Cushendall or Loughgeil in the final is what devalues the competition in the eyes of some? 

Can't be a competition if one of them didn't win😂

It's great for the local game to have fresh competition. Beneficial to have a greater variety of clubs competing. Even more so when it is a smaller club doing so.

The age group has always been devalued as far back as I can remember.
#4
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 23, 2023, 11:34:47 AM
I believe the winners of this 'Championship' played one single league game at this age group. The beaten finalists, two. We lose the greatest proportion of players during the progression from juvenile hurling into senior. U19 championship does little to address the problem. U21 was treated with similar disdain.
#5
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 16, 2023, 04:07:13 PM
Sad that the hurling is over for the season, as far as our own club scene goes. Hopefully our clubs can do well in Ulster: Cushendall, Creggan, Cloughmills, Cargin, Glenravel and Rasharkin. The competition is brutally tough in Ulster club football. You'd love to see the hurling having the same quantity of competition.

Finally, the group stages have been fantastic at Intermediate and Junior. Some seriously edgy games that definitely allowed the cream to rise to the top. Well worth the admission fee and effort. The senior groups were dull, flat, void of atmosphere, no bite. How could this be approved upon next season?
#6
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 11, 2023, 11:40:07 AM
Dunloy will be hard to beat. Anything else will be a surprise.
#7
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 11, 2023, 11:07:45 AM
Senior - hard to look past Cushendall. Though the intense rivalry could see the game tighter than expected.  Intermediate and Junior tougher to call. Weather looks decent and all 3 games can be reached logistically. Looing forward to it. Hopefully a great weekend of hurling:

Senior - Cushendall
Intermediate - Sarsfields
Junior - Cloughmills

U19 just doesn't work unfortunately. Lack of interest with the big clubs.
#8
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 04, 2023, 02:39:35 PM
Intermediate hurling final is going to Dunsilly. Three different venues for the three different hurling finals. Logistics is the main issue with Corrigan, parking and traffic specifically. Dunsilly is a decent enough venue. Could be better and could be worse.
#9
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 01, 2023, 04:52:04 PM
More in reference to how poor Loughgiel have been in many games this year. People point to the St John's game but St John's are a shadow of their former selves.
#10
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
October 01, 2023, 04:12:23 PM
Few saw that coming. Fully deserved too. Dunloy were outworked and outsmarted all over the field. Hate to say it but Dunloy looked leggy. Made stick and handling errors over and over again. Guilty of overplaying the game too.
#11
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
September 30, 2023, 10:49:36 PM
Aye, Wednesday's storm and today's rain put an end to the possibility of free flowing hurling. Think all the games were similar in that regard today. 14 points isn't enough to win the vast majority of Championship hurling games. Cushendun had been good for goals up to today.

Just scrolling through @AntrimGAA Twitter feed there. It's diabolical. No publicity or reporting of scores from the other three semi-finals today.

Retweets of Ballycastle's match updates from the big game.

We've gone backwards since Sean Kelly stepped down.
#12
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
September 30, 2023, 09:02:21 PM
Intermediate semis could have gone either way. I'd say both teams that lost were likely very slight favourites with the bookies. Could make for an excellent final.

Junior semis went to plan with no surprises. Junior B final likewise.

Cushendall won handy. Step too far for Ballycastle who I'd imagine will be content with their season.

Can't see a surprise tomorrow. Loughgiel are poor at this stage of their development.
#13
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
September 28, 2023, 08:46:53 AM
He is good enough and professional enough. I see your point though. Conflict of interests.
#14
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
September 25, 2023, 06:02:02 PM
Saturday's 2pm games moved to 1.30pm.
#15
Antrim / Re: Antrim Hurling
September 22, 2023, 10:58:47 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on September 22, 2023, 10:40:03 AMWould you go to 6 games in a weekend?? (I see your point but I just don't imagine there would be particularly many people who would go to 6...).

Personally I'd love to have the time to do it!

No, but I would love to see a couple of games on the Saturday and it's just not possible.