Antrim Football Thread

[paddyjohn]

Only seems like yesterday we were celebrating a SW championship treble 😉

[Milltown Row2]

Only seems like yesterday we were celebrating a SW championship treble 😉

And still no all Irelands 

[erinsboy]

Have we a decent chance on Sunday?
Should be a good crowd at it.
Any news on the injury list ,Stewart,Loughran and big McCann massive miss to the team IMO.

[Milltown Row2]

Have we a decent chance on Sunday?
Should be a good crowd at it.
Any news on the injury list ,Stewart,Loughran and big McCann massive miss to the team IMO.

Down are a decent team and regardless of how we played last year this is difficult

[imtommygunn]

Tough game but will be a good barometer of where we are are. Dare I say it but if we win in with a big shout of promotion....

If we had happened to beat Meath last year I think we'd have beat them in the final. Lot of change this year though.

[BrendanAntrim]

Very disappointing performance today. Thought we looked like a team from a different division. 1.6 won't win many games

[ck]

A very poor performance. A lucky early goal kept the scoreline respectable. I thought it was far too defensive when we had the wind. 15 behind the ball with no really attacking intent.

[erinsboy]

We seemed to lack confidence today and give the ball away through indecisive passes when a safer unforced pass wasn't given ,plays where made more complicated than they needed to be but that's maybe down to inexperience from a few of the younger lads.
As I said we would miss Loughran (for his line break runs) and McCann for a focal point of the attack.
Our keeper was excellent, maybe a couple of poor kickouts but for me was best player we had.
Down are a decent team so considering who we have missing I wouldn't be to worried ,was always going to be a shock for us to win today.
Down got the 50/50 calls from the ref I thought while continually overcarring the ball ,which was most evident with the build up to their goal.

[BrendanAntrim]

Agreed the ref was quick to blow our lads up for over carrying but not Down, very notable a few times. Yes Mick was our most influential player - his points and two top class saves - but that shouldn't be the case.

Staying in Div 3 the real aim so lets hope we get one or two more wins and better performances before championship.

[bannside]

Agree Brendan, stay in Div 3 with up to 9 of last years mainstays missing will be very creditable, if that occurs. Hopefully some of the currently unavailable will be back for championship.

At eight each I was well enough pleased that we were making it competitive, disappointed that the final defecit was nine. On plus side a lot of players getting game time which going forward will lead to healthy competition for places when many of the unavailables return.

[EOC1923]

We lost control years ago but very sad to see Casement has turned into the political football it has, at the mercy of the British Government and Gordon Lyons to increase their contribution (even with the Irish Govt money) And if its built what stipulations will it have, will N Ireland play more games there? how many Antrim Gaels will even get to avail of it? The Euros is one thing but what after that, unpopular opinion probably not even possible at this stage, but a revamped Casement in the style of Healy Park or Armagh Athletic grounds should be built if this current fiasco continues. At least it would be ours,
A balls up from the start and when you see the same faces still hanging about the project it doesn't give much hope.

[NorthAntrim]

We lost control years ago but very sad to see Casement has turned into the political football it has, at the mercy of the British Government and Gordon Lyons to increase their contribution (even with the Irish Govt money) And if its built what stipulations will it have, will N Ireland play more games there? how many Antrim Gaels will even get to avail of it? The Euros is one thing but what after that, unpopular opinion probably not even possible at this stage, but a revamped Casement in the style of Healy Park or Armagh Athletic grounds should be built if this current fiasco continues. At least it would be ours,
A balls up from the start and when you see the same faces still hanging about the project it doesn't give much hope.

Rewind to 2012 or whenever casement closed. If the stand was redeveloped. Pitch maintained and terracing maintained we'd have a fantastic set up. The pitch/lights/space around the ground was brilliant. A new modern stand was all we needed

[Sportacus]

We lost control years ago but very sad to see Casement has turned into the political football it has, at the mercy of the British Government and Gordon Lyons to increase their contribution (even with the Irish Govt money) And if its built what stipulations will it have, will N Ireland play more games there? how many Antrim Gaels will even get to avail of it? The Euros is one thing but what after that, unpopular opinion probably not even possible at this stage, but a revamped Casement in the style of Healy Park or Armagh Athletic grounds should be built if this current fiasco continues. At least it would be ours,
A balls up from the start and when you see the same faces still hanging about the project it doesn't give much hope.

Rewind to 2012 or whenever casement closed. If the stand was redeveloped. Pitch maintained and terracing maintained we'd have a fantastic set up. The pitch/lights/space around the ground was brilliant. A new modern stand was all we needed

No less than six Ulster Councils officials in today's photo with Leo.  You have to laugh.  A fiasco from day one.  I've never changed my mind that an Athletic Grounds scale stadium with a good atmosphere is what we need, not a white elephant. The Maze was the place for a mega-stadium but our politicians were too infantile to make it happen. The good times foregone because we've had no stadium is unforgivable.

[barnish oggie]

We lost control years ago but very sad to see Casement has turned into the political football it has, at the mercy of the British Government and Gordon Lyons to increase their contribution (even with the Irish Govt money) And if its built what stipulations will it have, will N Ireland play more games there? how many Antrim Gaels will even get to avail of it? The Euros is one thing but what after that, unpopular opinion probably not even possible at this stage, but a revamped Casement in the style of Healy Park or Armagh Athletic grounds should be built if this current fiasco continues. At least it would be ours,
A balls up from the start and when you see the same faces still hanging about the project it doesn't give much hope.

Rewind to 2012 or whenever casement closed. If the stand was redeveloped. Pitch maintained and terracing maintained we'd have a fantastic set up. The pitch/lights/space around the ground was brilliant. A new modern stand was all we needed

I agree, I always thought there was something a bit fishy about it all, as to why they didn't allow a local club to use the facilities and maintain the pitch as a way of getting free rent on the grounds.

A generation of players have missed out on ever getting to play in Casement which is such a shame.

How long were those floodlights installed before the place closed, 3 years was it?

Surely they knew what was coming so why spend that money on them knowing the stadium was the be completely redeveloped.

Unless there were a few brown envelopes skimmed off the top of the cost of them.

The current plans for Casement, while looking impressive, are totally over the top.

It is Antrim ffs, something similar to the Athletic Grounds would be perfect for all we need it for.

If they want it to replace Clones then just make it a larger Athletic Grounds, not an Aviva copy!

[ck]

Imagine if Peter Quinn agreed with most gaels at the time and decided that Croke Park just needed some updating and no need for a full new stadium then where would we be today?. He had a greater vision and we are all thankful for it now.

Same with Casement. A 35,000 seater is appropriate for Ulster finals and showcase matches in Belfast/Antrim and our games should become mainstream as part of big package weekends. It then also becomes Antrims home ground, and rightly so. It will boost GAA in the county and give a focal point for future generations.

I don't see the Norn Iron crew wanting to play there too often, if ever. It could host World Cup Rugby games, which would be great too. Concerts, events, exhibitions as well as everything Antrim GAA, on a big or small scale.

Yes it has been handled badly from the outset, in fact it has been a complete shambles. But now is not the time to start settling for 2nd best!