Messages

Geography plays a huge part I know that, surrounding counties are strong and college and school hurling at s higher level also, do other than moving to bordering Kilkenny what's left?

Structures at club level have shown that club teams compete at all levels.. it's that step up to county level that proves the hardest, and why do Antrim have struggle to get athletic big skillfull hurlers (or football) ?  Not winning primary ball or secondary ball was evident on Saturday but it's the same most years as we (in the main) can't physically win those tussles..

Club teams will always have a chance in All Ireland series i.e. to get to the club final as it's set up to suit Ulster teams in fairness.

If the Ulster club champions had to play Galway champs in quarter-final etc. to get to club All Ireland semi-final, it would be be tricky enough.

Rubbish Dunloy has beaten many a Top team to get to final. Loughgiel also, Cushendall to once.

How many Ulster teams have won the club All Ireland? I'm from Ulster!

The set up suits Ulster teams.

Loughgiel twice but  other clubs have reached the all Ireland final a total of 7 times   

Dunloy 4 times,

Ruairi Og, McQuillan, O Donovan Rossa once each ,

What I was saying is the current system suits Ulster clubs re: AI club semi-finals. On a good day, they'll beat the Munster champions in Parnell Pk etc. 

Conversely how many times have Antrim/Down reached the All Ireland final since they changed the system i.e. provinical winners go straight into semi-final?

I'm actually surprised the Leinster and Munster haven't kicked up a fuss about this system to change it to a system similar to the minor system.

Four clubs but a lot of juvenile games are played locally with other counties, Carlow have are an hour or do journey from Dublin so a lot of commuters living in Carlow rather Dublin which helps build clubs, Laois Kildare going immense work also,while Offaly need to be re-woken..

Antrim Down Derry need yo be pushing.. yes it's a journey it's time consuming but the rewards at the end is simple, quicker sharper hurling, kids developing better physically and mentally. Fear of playing bigger teams at senior level is gone..

The biggest disaster is not competing at school level, those teams are a hive of hurling while ours are not..

To compete at Joe Mc D level is some achievement with only 4 senior clubs.  They are consistent.  Compare to Antrim and Derry etc. with 2/3 times the number of clubs.

Granted, they are hurling clubs only and that's where the 'issue' is!   Derry clubs are dual clubs for the most part and football will be No. 1.  L'giel, C'dall and Ballycastle are hurling clubs with Dunloy primarily hurling with a great football underage set over recent years.

A Bullshit League as had been proved time and time again over the last 15 years!! Perhaps the Yo Yo teams should stop standing at the top table with their hand out, and help themselves. The only team I honestly see making an improvement in overall standards and likely to stay in Div 1 for years to come are StJohns. That took 10 years of work!!

Think you'll find it's taken more than ten years for the Johnnies to be competitive, how they get over the line still needs to be worked out..

so I'll ask again.. would the top teams prefer to play the top four teams each week? To stop the 'unmeaningfull' games.. or should the top two Derry teams play with Ballycran, Johnnies, Loughgiel Dunloy and Cushendall?

That's a serious question, whatever works to increase the standard, but you'll have just semi final and final each year in championship I'd assume.

Maybe heading in the direction of an Ulster league? Down teams in Antrim league. Dungannon (Tyrone) and Na Magha (Derry) in Antrim league. Carrickmore (Tyrone) in Derry league occasionally. Derry teams in Antrim U16 and minor leagues. Tyrone teams in Derry underage leagues.

Geography plays a huge part I know that, surrounding counties are strong and college and school hurling at s higher level also, do other than moving to bordering Kilkenny what's left?

Structures at club level have shown that club teams compete at all levels.. it's that step up to county level that proves the hardest, and why do Antrim have struggle to get athletic big skillfull hurlers (or football) ?  Not winning primary ball or secondary ball was evident on Saturday but it's the same most years as we (in the main) can't physically win those tussles..

Club teams will always have a chance in All Ireland series i.e. to get to the club final as it's set up to suit Ulster teams in fairness.

If the Ulster club champions had to play Galway champs in quarter-final etc. to get to club All Ireland semi-final, it would be be tricky enough.

Rubbish Dunloy has beaten many a Top team to get to final. Loughgiel also, Cushendall to once.

How many Ulster teams have won the club All Ireland? I'm from Ulster!

The set up suits Ulster teams.

I've been to at least 15/20 club semifinals over the years, bar a couple they could have went either way, they were that tight.. the county needs to look at getting more teams regularly up to a decent standard, having a championship that is not just between 3 teams each year... how do they do that?

Clubs are responsible but the county are at the minute putting in a drive to encourage schools at all levels,  lifting the involvement not just with the kids but with teaching staff and feeder clubs.. Antrim has taken its eye off the ball now for 25 plus years.. it's going to take a huge effort to get back there.

But for Antrim to be improving then so must the rest in the province. Getting into Leinster again at juvenile levels is a must, they are our closet province and they have improved their not traditional counties like, Dublin, Carlow, Meath Westmeath to a level way above us, but 25 years ago we'd have beaten such teams with a bit to spare..

Look it's a head scratcher for sure and PD will hopefully have sorted out at least a start to fix this!

Good points raised there.  Funny thing is Carlow have 4 senior clubs and they are pushing on well under Bonnar.  I'm not sure what they have coming through at underage but to get to where they are at with 4 clubs is some achievement.

Geography helps them immensely - KK and Wexford right beside them but it'd be interesting to see how they do it.

Celtic Challenge is an excellent competition - U17 but with U16 development for the stronger counties.  Great idea - loads of games in a short time frame.

Be good to roll it out at U15 level and U20 level.

Geography plays a huge part I know that, surrounding counties are strong and college and school hurling at s higher level also, do other than moving to bordering Kilkenny what's left?

Structures at club level have shown that club teams compete at all levels.. it's that step up to county level that proves the hardest, and why do Antrim have struggle to get athletic big skillfull hurlers (or football) ?  Not winning primary ball or secondary ball was evident on Saturday but it's the same most years as we (in the main) can't physically win those tussles..

Club teams will always have a chance in All Ireland series i.e. to get to the club final as it's set up to suit Ulster teams in fairness.

If the Ulster club champions had to play Galway champs in quarter-final etc. to get to club All Ireland semi-final, it would be be tricky enough.

Rubbish Dunloy has beaten many a Top team to get to final. Loughgiel also, Cushendall to once.

How many Ulster teams have won the club All Ireland? I'm from Ulster!

The set up suits Ulster teams.

Geography plays a huge part I know that, surrounding counties are strong and college and school hurling at s higher level also, do other than moving to bordering Kilkenny what's left?

Structures at club level have shown that club teams compete at all levels.. it's that step up to county level that proves the hardest, and why do Antrim have struggle to get athletic big skillfull hurlers (or football) ?  Not winning primary ball or secondary ball was evident on Saturday but it's the same most years as we (in the main) can't physically win those tussles..

Club teams will always have a chance in All Ireland series i.e. to get to the club final as it's set up to suit Ulster teams in fairness.

If the Ulster club champions had to play Galway champs in quarter-final etc. to get to club All Ireland semi-final, it would be be tricky enough.

Things would need to be aligned throughout Ulster hurling first..

if everyone lifted their standards and approach to hurling within their own county first then that should filter into a better province, hats off to clubs like Castlblaney Donegal's Burt and core teams in Armagh and Down who by their own will (not their counties help) have continued to develop.. hurling is dying a death in Ulster..

I watched a very good Kerry team on Saturday, physically they were stronger than Antrim, and tactically playing better hurling than us.

To use Kerry as an example, Kerry hurling is like Tyrone hurling in terms of being known as a football county, but how have they managed to be at a level above Antrim?

Kerry are in a good place - won All IrelandU21 B last year also. The advantage they have is geography, with Clare, Limerick and Cork not that far away.  This obviously helps the county but especially the clubs.

Regional clubs are the way to go in Ulster - Benburb and Tulach Og in Cookstown area of Tyrone, St. Patrick's (iirc) in Moneymore area of Derry. A cluster of areas joining together and driving hurling on.  Football will always come first in the majority of Ulster but no reason that the 2 sports can't work together.  The more teams there are, the better the county will be.

Main issue would be regular fixtures for  the underage teams. 

"Unlikely to be in charge again" - BBC Sport.

Board probably didn't back him in transfers I'd say. Had a great year last year but board sat on their hands.  He's lost a few lads who are with Australia and that weakens his team.

Ticket prices are a factor no doubt but the product is also a problem. Who in Leinster wants to watch Laois getting stuffed by Dublin.
Tier the championship. Have teams competing at their own level.
The crowds will come back.

Keep doing what they're doing, increasing prices and putting poorly matched teams against each other and people will vote with their feet.

The "Croke Park suits" are too blame but most of the responsibility lies with the weaker counties who refuse to allow a tiering of the championship.

So tiering the championship, to dump every county from Roscommon downwards into 2 or 3 tiers of the Tommy Murphy Cup, will solve the problem? Wow.

If you take that to its logical conclusion - counties have senior, intermediate and junior championship at club level.

I'd say at the end of 2021, wherever you finish in league, that'll be your championship.  Run them off quickly and give more times to the clubs.

[Sf sit back while health education etc is collapsing around them all just to get one over the DUP.]

I would have voted SF in the past. But they have done nothing for anyone in the last few years.
If The SDLP had Claire Hanna as a leader then they may well start to make gains. Joining with FF i think is not the answer.
Sf sit back while health education etc is collapsing around them all just to get one over the DUP. Its fine for mary lou she has no family in the North. I live in Dublin now but i see with elderly parents what the outcome of this sf dup stand off is. Its time for a change from both sides.

Can you explain that?

My reading of the current scenario is that SF made concessions and came to a deal with the DUP, which was then veto'ed by 'shadowy forces' behind the DUP. What would you have SF do? The ball clearly isn't in their court - they don't even have anyone to negotiate with, as the DUP don't appear to have any power to agree a deal!!

Mc Guinness tried very hard to make things work - for the betterment of everyone, regardless of who they were or where they lived.  The DUP did everything in their power to walk all over nationalists.  The list is endless. Was so happy when Mc Guinness pulled the pin on Stormont to be honest.  There was no power sharing at that time.  The DUP still have the 1920 mentalitybut times have changed.  No return to Stormont for me.

Just waiting for Cody to come out and say there's nothing wrong with the current manly hurling

In fairness, it's very hard to spot in real time especially coming out of a ruck.  I'd say, with this directive now, they'll be a serious clamp down in the early stages of the league. Hopefully it'll work!

Another issue today is the challenge to the head - i'm all in favour.  Some of them are reckless and the player gets a yellow card.  It'll be red, in hurling and football, from now on.

Yeah, but if a fella in amber/black runs straight at you with the head down what do you do?
There are very few actual head high challenges
Most of them are due to players dipping down into the tackle or catching the opponents hurley with their own hurley and causing the helmet to come off

True but there's a few nasty ones also. I remember Colin Fennelly near losing his head V Galway in the AIF in2015. A reckless head high challenge with no attempt made to tackle.

In football, the one I'd be wary of is the high elbow connecting withanother's players head as he changes direction.  Looks different from different angles and hard for referee to see it.  All it takes is a light connection of elbow to head and lights are out.

Who's on the frees?

Just waiting for Cody to come out and say there's nothing wrong with the current manly hurling

In fairness, it's very hard to spot in real time especially coming out of a ruck.  I'd say, with this directive now, they'll be a serious clamp down in the early stages of the league. Hopefully it'll work!

Another issue today is the challenge to the head - i'm all in favour.  Some of them are reckless and the player gets a yellow card.  It'll be red, in hurling and football, from now on.

Maybe I am missing something but blaming the DUP for a hard  Brexit, as seems likely, is pointless. From day one, it was obvious the way that Nigel and his fellow neanthardals were going to vote. There is nothing to be gained by trying to talk sense to them.
However, there is another intransigent bunch of dittos that could do well to practice what they preach and give Theresa the chance to tell the billyboys to go supposit themselves.
I am talking about the Shinners.
As things stand they have a total of 7 MPs and going by present tallies they could have tipped the balance in the Prime Minister's favour at the last ballot. It's time to forget about 1918 and all that. Matters of principle are all very well and drawing their salaries and all other allowances without earning a single penny is a neat trick if you can get away with it but I'd  think more of 2019 than 1918 right now.if there is a hard Brexit, the Shinners will be equally to blame as Arlene's lot.
Abstention me arse, it's time to get real!

SF want to break link with England...not join it.  Their voters knew this before they voted in the last ge.  Imagine swearing an oath to the english crown.  You'd be laughed out of town.

All the FFFG types recently 'celebrating' Countess M. for doing the exact same thing 100 years earlier but now criticising the Shinners for doing the same.

meant to get to the game on sat but was working and never got to it. I see that all 6 forwards got on the score sheet and by all accounts it was a good run out for the panel.

Was a competitive enough game, Antrim obviously missing a few and that will only improve once players start coming back. Hopefully Cushendall players are not available till after St Paddy's day and that will give other players a better run in the team.

Was expecting more on the panel from some clubs but some players are still with their college teams I suspect and others may be carrying injuries

What size was the panel for this game?

Antrim had, I think about 21 there, not sure TBH,  few lads came on during the game

Young rice came on at half time for Ronan Molloy, big lad with pace to  but I can't remember who else
Darren Gleason the tipp goalie was on the line helping. Got talking to him he's a sound big lad.
Lots to work on for sure, well done to all the lads who weighed in. The Ref was a bit iffy looking 😊😊

Is Gleeson helping Antrim?