Ulster Club Hurling Championships

[johnneycool]

I thought we had some really solid performances yesterday. Sean's touch was sublime yesterday and was steady as rock on the dead balls but thought skinny, cathoir and mickey also had great hours. Also thought woodie was solid throughout without standing out but knew that he'd a job to do and done it brilliantly. Many more stood out with no one below standard.

Is Paudie McMullan injured?

[theskull1]

Paudie came back last year after a year or two out but old injurys reoccured and he struggled to get his fitness levels back to the right level. Has a very young family as well so that along with the injuries maybe made his decision for him to not commit this year.

[maxpower]

Paudie has fierce bother with injuries, its a pity he couldn't continue, excellent groundstroke and a great lad.

We lost him and Martin Curry from last years team, really tested the depths our of panel this year.

Watched the highlights of the game last night, and while I mind thinnking it was a poor enough game, some of the scores where excellent. Paddy Richmond is a terrific targetman and and that seemed to be a gameplan of Dunloy, get as much high ball in as possible and exploit the caching ability of paddy, horse, skinny and doc.

[Minder]

What happened Curry, he would only be about 31.

[Nemo]

well done Dunloy - totally deserved to win Antrim & Ulster

Dont know any of the players personally, but they all seem to have a great attitude which accounts for a lot

Paddy Richmond is a great Hurler and as you say Max a great target man

PS - not taking anything away  - i have mentioned the standard of antrim (& Ulster) hurling -  IMO this emphasises (sp) it - that IMO has to be the worst Dunloy team i have seen win Antrim & Ulster.   (disclaimer - im not saying they are bad-just the worst of the 10/11)

[Glensman]

Conrgats to Dunloy.

As has been said before both Mickey McC and Cathoir Cunning had great games, were solid and didn't give their men much, as was suggested on here they might. Skinny had a great game as did Horse. Thought the man of the match should have come from 1 of those 4 but Sean did well.

Paddy Richmond is simply a class act.

Was a solid team performance without setting the world on fire. Will have a few months now to get players back from injury and give it a real rattle. Will be going in as underdogs against whoever they play but might suit them.

Nemo - arguably this is as good a squad as Dunloy have had, when you think they were missing Malachy Molloy, Damien McMullan, Paudie Shivers and Connor Cunning...not bad. Not to mention Shorty! Will be some competition for places where maybe in the past there were 16/17 potentials. Should keep them on their toes over the winter I'd say.


And well done to St Galls as well (and of coruse to MR), some year for the club.

[theskull1]

My belief is that the standrad of hurling "in Antrim" has improved over the last 10-20 years. It's just that we haven't improved to the same degree as our southern counterparts.

I thought we played excellent this year, certainly as good as years gone by

[maxpower]

Nemo you may be making a fair point, not a particularly gracious accusation to make to a winning team, but in comparision to the great teams of the past we perhaps should look at County representatives, in 1990 we had one player on the panel, in 2009 we had 2, with only Paddy Richmond starting.

In the intervenning years we had on most occassions at least half a dozen. Now the 1990 team went on to great things but were exceptionally young at the time.

As a dunloy man, where this team ranks in comparision to other Dunloy teams doesn't really bother me, how it ranks in comparision to the opposition, now thats important, and thankfully this year we have come out on top

[Nemo]

Nemo you may be making a fair point, not a particularly gracious accusation to make to a winning team, but in comparision to the great teams of the past we perhaps should look at County representatives, in 1990 we had one player on the panel, in 2009 we had 2, with only Paddy Richmond starting.

In the intervenning years we had on most occassions at least half a dozen. Now the 1990 team went on to great things but were exceptionally young at the time.

As a dunloy man, where this team ranks in comparision to other Dunloy teams doesn't really bother me, how it ranks in comparision to the opposition, now thats important, and thankfully this year we have come out on top

yep, i agree with you here and apologise, wrong time to bring such point up.

again well done Dunloy and thoroughly deserved - (i did tip them from early on btw)

Skull - i do disagree with your good self though.

[theskull1]

Take a look at the old matches on TG4 nemo and you'll see what I'm getting at. A top club team today could have beat most of those early 90's county teams. Their touch was no where near as good club hurlers have now. On that basis the standard has improved in Antrim. I also think we're starting to tackle and scrap for breaking ball with a bit more intensity as well as having a bit more tactical nonce. Of course there were stand out hurlers in that era (cloot, brian dessie & eddie donnelly, gary okane (bit young maybe) etc etc) who possessed sublime stickwork and ball winning capabilities that would grace any era, but I'm talking generally about the hurling population in Antrim (and that includes the Dunloy team). I think we have improved in may ways and it would be better for the game if we recognised that (whilst at the same time admitting that we still need to catch up) rather than constantly being negative about the way we play the game up here.

No?

[The Doire Geal]

whatch our for kevin lynch's next year ... the younger players this year only gettin first taste of championship in derry and ulster ... be more ready nexy year watch out