Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

Delighted to be Ulster champions and out on our own with 11. McManus unstoppable again. Gutted for Graffin but if anyone can come back from this it's him. Really disappointed by Ballycran some really dirty off the ball stuff as well as a few particularly bad pulls under the dropping ball as well. They should have had more players sent off.

Being out on your own feels good. Doesn't it JJ? 

Out on their own without winning an all Ireland?

[Seamroga in exile]

Delighted to be Ulster champions and out on our own with 11. McManus unstoppable again. Gutted for Graffin but if anyone can come back from this it's him. Really disappointed by Ballycran some really dirty off the ball stuff as well as a few particularly bad pulls under the dropping ball as well. They should have had more players sent off.

Being out on your own feels good. Doesn't it JJ? 

Out on their own without winning an all Ireland?

Never thought of that.

[podge]

The standard of reffing in Ulster club championship at all levels leaves a lot to be desired IMO. Too many Ulster club matches turn into a free fest. We should appreciate the good standard in Antrim if you ask me.

On a separate note, a lot of chat that the castlbalney free that won the match was actually wide . I wasn't at an angle to offer an opinion but any views out there?

[Jesusjones]

Delighted to be Ulster champions and out on our own with 11. McManus unstoppable again. Gutted for Graffin but if anyone can come back from this it's him. Really disappointed by Ballycran some really dirty off the ball stuff as well as a few particularly bad pulls under the dropping ball as well. They should have had more players sent off.

Being out on your own feels good. Doesn't it JJ? 

Out on their own without winning an all Ireland?

We've won more Ulster championships than anyone else. Sorry for mentioning it and sorry for not genuflecting for you SIE. 

[MoChara]

The standard of reffing in Ulster club championship at all levels leaves a lot to be desired IMO. Too many Ulster club matches turn into a free fest. We should appreciate the good standard in Antrim if you ask me.

On a separate note, a lot of chat that the castlbalney free that won the match was actually wide . I wasn't at an angle to offer an opinion but any views out there?

From where I was sitting I had thought it was wide, but when the flag went up I just took it that the umpire had got it right.

[Seamroga in exile]

Delighted to be Ulster champions and out on our own with 11. McManus unstoppable again. Gutted for Graffin but if anyone can come back from this it's him. Really disappointed by Ballycran some really dirty off the ball stuff as well as a few particularly bad pulls under the dropping ball as well. They should have had more players sent off.

Being out on your own feels good. Doesn't it JJ? 

Out on their own without winning an all Ireland?

We've won more Ulster championships than anyone else. Sorry for mentioning it and sorry for not genuflecting for you SIE.

Well done. You're out on your own. 

[Tyrdub]

Whats the damage to Graffin? Will he be available for the semi-final?

[johnnycool]

Delighted to be Ulster champions and out on our own with 11. McManus unstoppable again. Gutted for Graffin but if anyone can come back from this it's him. Really disappointed by Ballycran some really dirty off the ball stuff as well as a few particularly bad pulls under the dropping ball as well. They should have had more players sent off.

I don't believe that those wee angels from Ballycran would be up to that. I thought it was only us.

Hope OE learned a valuable lesson if he was at that game yesterday as I am led to believe one of the wee angels involved in an incident with one of our lads in a league game was no sooner on the field and buried the hurl into the back of McManus.
Wonder if there'll be any letters sent to the Ulster Council like they send to Antrim CCC on the sly!!!

[Seamroga in exile]

I hear the semi and final are to be played before the end of the year. Any truth in this JJ?

[Hejustkeepsdroppingballs]

McManus the class act in a poor game of hurling.

Ballycran free taking was as bad as I have ever seen at Senior level and how they beat Slaughtneil by  the score they did I do not know they were brutal and could easily have had 3/4 men sent off but the man from DONEGAL in the middle.. I'll say no more

Graffin with bad luck again hopefully he will be back on the pitch again soon never nice to see an injury like that to any player.

[paddyjohn]

McManus the class act in a poor game of hurling.

Ballycran free taking was as bad as I have ever seen at Senior level and how they beat Slaughtneil by  the score they did I do not know they were brutal and could easily have had 3/4 men sent off but the man from DONEGAL in the middle.. I'll say no more

Graffin with bad luck again hopefully he will be back on the pitch again soon never nice to see an injury like that to any player.

Donegal? Why in caps?

[Hejustkeepsdroppingballs]

Paddyjohn

'Donegal? Why in caps?'

Why not?

[paddyjohn]

Paddyjohn

'Donegal? Why in caps?'

Why not?

Why emphasise where the ref is from?

[MoChara]

I hear the semi and final are to be played before the end of the year. Any truth in this JJ?

According to the GAA.ie report its to be Feb, but I did read of the fixture committee thinking March was too busy

"Cushendall, in front of 3,742 in the Athletic Grounds, took full advantage. Despite only scoring one point in the second half until stoppage time, they finished strong with two Neil McManus frees and another from Eoghan Campbell to set up an All-Ireland semi-final against the Galway champions next February."

http://gaa.ie/hurling/news/cushendall-finish-strongly/

[Sweeper 123]

I just dont get why some folk on here are giving the referee a hard time. I thought he done a good job, didnt think it was a particularly physical or dirty match.  I didnt see any off the ball incidents that were not dealt with (thought the linesmen /umpires highlighted everything to the ref). I did see McManus trying to conn the ref a few times, over play acting - yep he did get a strike which was correctly punished - very similar to the picture that Curly captured of a Cdall Player striking a Crans player on the helmet.

Ballycran missed a lot of frees, McManus missed none. The Crans were too late in coming to the party and you cant miss scores like they did.  Natty once again when they were coming under pressure got a few scores (hes been immense all year) and he can last a full 60mins. Graffin was brilliant in chb as was Sean D. Mc Afee really threw himself about in FF and caused a lot of trouble also getting a good goal. McManus has been a class act all year for club & county.

Fingers crossed they can get to the final now and do us Antrim folk proud.