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Horse O'Kane on the Ballycran payroll it seems.

Been there for some time JC. He went to help them from the early part of the league season. Im not sure if hes invovled in management or just a coaching role.

Not the type to stand back and just 'coach' I'd have thought.

Any upsets this weekend or we reckon all will go according to the usual?

don't take this to the bookies, but...
Senior
endas v dunloy - endas wont lie down thats for sure. they'd a massive performance against st johns. dunloy should win but it wont be a spanking

cushendall should beat carey - probably 15+

rossa v loughguile expect this one to a be tight game - fancy rossa by a small margin

ballycastle v st johns - for me i fancy ballycastle, i dont think st johns are full throttle, boys in US others injured and a very small ff line

if rossa have won the league then fair play to them. cant imagine too many clubs really giving much of a dam. that being said a senior title in belfast wont go down well with the north antrim folk. (some of them anyway)

good point.

worth paying a thought to the players who have come off the back of a 5+ year with darren in a the most professional outfits into Davy's set up who continued with the most of the same veins (from a professionalism persepcetive) and then to not get the season they wanted.

These are the same guys we'll be going to in 4 months time asking them to commit again and give up their lives.

Interview with Cathal Barrett a few years ago always come to mind - https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/its-a-full-time-job-playing-inter-county-if-anyone-thinks-its-not-youre-delusional-tipperarys-cathal-barrett/41481573.html

ignore the mileage/££ bit!! but players make some serious commitment (in the case of some of my clubmen to not feature once all year) and i think after the season win lose or draw we should be grateful of the players commitment - well i am anyway! Uppa Players!!

tuggy and queenie  - someone's having a laugh!

i still think DFitz might stay on for another year - a wee inkling. not sure how much say or knowledge he had of the players out there but certainly think he got sold a pup or two with some of the players recommended by his backroom team.

wrt O'Connor he messed up, move on!



 

Is the game being streamed / on tv today ? Anyone know

that would be a shame... in championship you want to put your best foot forward every game. thats what they've been training for. anyone getting time on the pitch, especially the younger ones will benefit and have that banked for the offaly game.

Hopefully we'll see a few of those injured lads back on their feet for the weekend.

Galway away is daunting enough without some scoring forwards/ boys who can win ball!
We just didn't have them on Saturday. Too late for bringing any of those players (above) into the panel at this stage and to be fair they'd probably tell Davy to do one.

I think we will maybe see more of an "experimental" team for Galway and anyone with knocks not risked & saved for Offaly

Hopefully we'll see a few of those injured lads back on their feet for the weekend.

Galway away is daunting enough without some scoring forwards/ boys who can win ball!
We just didn't have them on Saturday. Too late for bringing any of those players (above) into the panel at this stage and to be fair they'd probably tell Davy to do one.

Worst performance from an Antrim team in championship for some time. A big problem is depth in panel. Subs made - we brought on boys that look like they are too young or two lite. A lot boys off the pace.

anyone know when the championship draw is?

must be serious benefit in getting a group like that together with no distractions for the best part of a week.
offaly got us when we were still dancing to the wrong the song, we should be greatly improved from that game

Are the hurlers heading off somewhere for their spring training camp as they did so the last few years?

I thought we were on top for most of this game, went a bit wayward at times in the second half but we found more space and took our chances

Conor Johnston was brilliant today

i agree he was well fed with the right ball, one of the biggest differences to previous games. as was james! the were afforded the right type of space for their games.

i thought laois were poor - some basics that didnt go well for them. and our boys took full advantage

the question is: why was it scheduled in Ballycastle in the first place?

Why was the game moved?

[Not sure what Davy's trying to say here. Does he think Waterford wanted to hammer Antrim because Davy was their manager?]

dont know how you are getting that from those comments... bizarre reading of the comments.

Piece from  sports outlet:

Antrim hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald says his squad's savage training sessions are not translating on to the field for matches at the moment.

Yesterday's 2-23 to 0-11 defeat to Waterford at Corrigan Park marks their third loss in four games in Division 1B of the Allianz Hurling League and, speaking to BBC Sport NI afterwards, Fitzgerald felt that the visitors were keen to send him a message.

"If you come and see us train, we are savage, so (in games) it is a psychological thing not a physical one," he stated

"I feel gutted for Antrim supporters and the people putting in hard work. How we play and how we train are completely different.

"You shouldn't be beat by that many points at home. Waterford were on song today and wanted to show me a message since I didn't go back down there, and they did."

Asked about his own future after just one win from four outings in the league, the Clare man added: "Don't think I don't look at myself, I'm looking at everything but that issue of not fighting hard enough was there before I was, but I'm not going to give up, I'm going to get that fight right.

"I thought it was going to get worse before it got better, I said that at the start, we need to show the people of Antrim that we do care and sort the inconsistencies out. If I can't do it, I will let someone else, I'm not here to glorify myself, I am here to help and see if I can make things better, that is the only reason I put myself through this."



Not sure what Davy's trying to say here. Does he think Waterford wanted to hammer Antrim because Davy was their manager?

I think it was more because they got beat by Carlow the last day out and they were going to tank whoever was in front on them the next day out.

Basically, Davy is so arrogant that he thinks players don't care or take pride in their own performance and only want to perform to annoy him.

honestly, i'll be surprised if we beat Laois or Carlow. doom and gloom here but there's nothing from the performances or set up suggesting otherwise. To add to that we'll not win a championship match - we've a stinking draw. the dubs and cats at home will be too tough and the other teams away will be real challenges. maybe we need to see performances and not necessarily the results at this stage under DF's tenure.
if we get the performances in the opening games we could sneak a something out of the offaly game - i think thats the last one towards end of May.