Antrim Hurling

[NorthAntrim]

Theres plenty of antrim men around ulster counties but that doesnt mean they are up to the standard we probably require. A lot of these "county managers/coaches" have done very little at club level in antrim

[JonnyD_]

MR2 who would you recommend?

a. if you had to go locally?
b. if you had you pick across the country (realistically)?

So which Antrim man are you recommending?

Not sure what standard of players we have to match teams physically? We have plenty skill btw but over 70 plus minutes the big teams grind you down.

Bitta disrespectful on Carlow, they'd a better score difference to us and with 15 players on the park they could have won.

[johnnycool]

If you are going to give it to someone, internally or not, you just can't go lumping someone else in with them just to suit a certain perceived bias or balance, i.e. Horse with someone from the city!

Whoever you give it to needs to live and die on their own sword and let them bring in whoever they need or want as in the end it's them that will have to work with the whole team, coaches and all.

[Tony Baloney]

If you are going to give it to someone, internally or not, you just can't go lumping someone else in with them just to suit a certain perceived bias or balance, i.e. Horse with someone from the city!

Whoever you give it to needs to live and die on their own sword and let them bring in whoever they need or want as in the end it's them that will have to work with the whole team, coaches and all.

Yes this whole country/city mix is weird. They are all (potentially!) from Antrim and should be the best people for the job. I remember reading people saying that an outsider like Gleeson was a *better* option has he came with no bias! At county level you'd like to think the management team are picking the best available panel!

[Milltown Row2]

If you are going to give it to someone, internally or not, you just can't go lumping someone else in with them just to suit a certain perceived bias or balance, i.e. Horse with someone from the city!

Whoever you give it to needs to live and die on their own sword and let them bring in whoever they need or want as in the end it's them that will have to work with the whole team, coaches and all.

Yes this whole country/city mix is weird. They are all (potentially!) from Antrim and should be the best people for the job. I remember reading people saying that an outsider like Gleeson was a *better* option has he came with no bias! At county level you'd like to think the management team are picking the best available panel!

But you are long in the tooth to know that the manager will always pick his best squad regardless of where they are from in the county but the barfly/hurler in the ditch/keyboard warrior will have something else to say, which is why we do have the city manager with a mix of backroom staff to appease the balloons out there!

[NorthAntrim]

If you are going to give it to someone, internally or not, you just can't go lumping someone else in with them just to suit a certain perceived bias or balance, i.e. Horse with someone from the city!

Whoever you give it to needs to live and die on their own sword and let them bring in whoever they need or want as in the end it's them that will have to work with the whole team, coaches and all.

Yes this whole country/city mix is weird. They are all (potentially!) from Antrim and should be the best people for the job. I remember reading people saying that an outsider like Gleeson was a *better* option has he came with no bias! At county level you'd like to think the management team are picking the best available panel!

I think they 100% will be picking the best side. Its more from the supporters who youd be hearing the bias from. Also rules out the possibility of players thinking this but that is down to themselves and if they are prepared to look in the mirror or not

[NorthAntrim]

Also at the minute we dont need to be debating potential managers. Id hope Gleeson in the next week or so would commit(along with all the players) to at least another year.

[johnnycool]

Also at the minute we dont need to be debating potential managers. Id hope Gleeson in the next week or so would commit(along with all the players) to at least another year.

He'll be waiting to see what the likes of his home county and maybe Galway do in relation to their current managers now that they've exited the championship a bit earlier than they'd have liked.

[Milltown Row2]

The draw to those counties would be strong but they are well below their usual standards and its not looking a quick fix in either of them

Massive pressure

[NAG1]

Also at the minute we dont need to be debating potential managers. Id hope Gleeson in the next week or so would commit(along with all the players) to at least another year.

He'll be waiting to see what the likes of his home county and maybe Galway do in relation to their current managers now that they've exited the championship a bit earlier than they'd have liked.

Can't see either happening

[JonnyD_]

Hurling is alive and well Belfast then. A Rossa, Johnnies 1-2 in the league before the split.

Div 1 league will split now and the Div 2 goes one more round then splits.

Will make for interesting management decisions pre championship in a group with Cushendall, rossa, St John's and Dunloy and playing them on the run in to finishing league - just makes the league less competitive in the last few rounds with teams not wanting to show their hands.

[NorthAntrim]

And johnnycools side maybe looking like avoiding his previous predictions

[johnnycool]

And johnnycools side maybe looking like avoiding his previous predictions

How we won on Wednesday night, I'll never know, 9 points down and with just over 10 minutes on the clock to play. Ballycran and Phelim Savage in particular toying with us, then one of our 17yo's caught a ball, burst past his man and buried it in the net only to be followed up by a 19yo who took on his man and had enough werewithall to cut back and lay on another goal for the very same 17yo for goal two. Then the points started sailing over from lads who up until that point couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo. It was a 12 point turn around, in fact we were up 5 at a stage and Ballycran got it back to two and Conor Woods was standing over a 20 metre free with the last puck of the game but it was saved.

A big thanks must go to the Ballycran lad who started to manhandle the very same 17yo as that seemed to stir our lads into action as up until that point we were very passive. After that we decided we'd throw in a few tackles and a bit of aggression and that came as a bit of a shock to the Crans evidently.

Our win yesterday against a pretty good St Enda's was a better all round performance, Maskey and O'Connor are very fine hurlers and we coped well enough with them and were going into the last few minutes with a 6 point lead and Enda's lumping high ball upon high ball into our defence which held out well barring the 20 metre free that big Maskey sent home with some gusto.
We'll need another win or two to stay up but all our last games are at home barring the return fixture up the hightown road. We'll need our three other county players back though as Prenter and wee John McManus are still out with hamstring injuries and Fisher is probably out for the year after pulling the calf muscle off the bone. He's out of the boot he'd on for the last few weeks but limping badly still.
Opportunities for the minors and U20's to give it a rattle and thankfully some are doing that. Long may it continue.

[NorthAntrim]

And johnnycools side maybe looking like avoiding his previous predictions

How we won on Wednesday night, I'll never know, 9 points down and with just over 10 minutes on the clock to play. Ballycran and Phelim Savage in particular toying with us, then one of our 17yo's caught a ball, burst past his man and buried it in the net only to be followed up by a 19yo who took on his man and had enough werewithall to cut back and lay on another goal for the very same 17yo for goal two. Then the points started sailing over from lads who up until that point couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo. It was a 12 point turn around, in fact we were up 5 at a stage and Ballycran got it back to two and Conor Woods was standing over a 20 metre free with the last puck of the game but it was saved.

A big thanks must go to the Ballycran lad who started to manhandle the very same 17yo as that seemed to stir our lads into action as up until that point we were very passive. After that we decided we'd throw in a few tackles and a bit of aggression and that came as a bit of a shock to the Crans evidently.

Our win yesterday against a pretty good St Enda's was a better all round performance, Maskey and O'Connor are very fine hurlers and we coped well enough with them and were going into the last few minutes with a 6 point lead and Enda's lumping high ball upon high ball into our defence which held out well barring the 20 metre free that big Maskey sent home with some gusto.
We'll need another win or two to stay up but all our last games are at home barring the return fixture up the hightown road. We'll need our three other county players back though as Prenter and wee John McManus are still out with hamstring injuries and Fisher is probably out for the year after pulling the calf muscle off the bone. He's out of the boot he'd on for the last few weeks but limping badly still.
Opportunities for the minors and U20's to give it a rattle and thankfully some are doing that. Long may it continue.

Sounds like a possible turning point. 3/4 home games too now i see too helps

[JonnyD_]

anyone got the second set of dates for the div 1 hurling league games?