Antrim Hurling

[milltown row]

I'm all for the group stages of the hurling championship at the minute but I think with having five teams in each group and only the top two going through to the semi finals is daft, if the team that finishes top of the group goes straight into the semi finals and then awaits the winners of 2nd and 3rd of each group who play off for a semi final spot.

So if Cushendall win their group and Loughgiel theirs they are into the semi final.

So if the johnnies finish 2nd and Ballycastle finish 3rd they then play off against 2nd and 3rd of the other group to gain a place in the semi finals. This would make all the games more competitive till the end, not the way it's been. Yes the best teams usually win through but sometimes a team can click on the day and cause an upset.

As it is Glenariff play on Wednesday night and if they are beaten they are out, two meaningless games to play with no competition and unfair on teams hopping for another team to take points of a team that will put them into that top three and a chance to get into a semi final 

I don't know if that makes sense, and I've just picked to teams random there Gorts and Rossa

[imtommygunn]

Sounds like an excellent idea Milltown. At present because it's open draw teams can slack off when they're through rather than play for first and teams at other end can have nothing to play for. Your suggestion knocks both of those on the head.

The Glenariff scenario really highlights what can go bad with these league stages.

[milltown row]

for this idea to work your club officers need to put it before the county board at the monday meetings. otherwise next year will be the same.

the Johnnies have had that group for two years now, while we have been paired with Loughgiel (every year) and Dunloy for the past two years trying to catch one of those teams on the hop does not happen too often and then not loose against one of the teams at your own level is hard.

[Balboa]

Aye its worked out crap for us this year, Dunloy & Loughguile in first two games. If Shamrocks beat us tomorrow night our season is to all intents and purposes over. We will probably stop training and if we dont we will probably only go 1 night a week with the numbers dropping drastically, we have been getting 25 nearly every night thus far. We also only have two league matches in the depth of winter, October & November i think.

[milltown row]

yes but if your league games dont involve teams in the championship then you can arrange them earlier, providing you inform the CCC.

will you just go out and give it a lash against Loughiel then? keep it tight for the first 30 slow it down no momentum and try and finish strong dont give up early as they will rake up a score

[North Antrim]

Our u-21 final is fixed for Friday 24th in Casement with floodlights in operation!! How ridiculous is this...our club have put in an appeal to CCC to look at this and move it to Loughguile. Why or why would they do something like this beggars belief.

By 2morrow nights games - Lamh dearg and Glenariffe could be out of the championship with still 2 games to play.......

Seen Winker in local paper scoring a hatrick for Ballycastle 1sts!! Hardly the sign of a man committed to the shams this year....... 

[Balboa]

yes but if your league games dont involve teams in the championship then you can arrange them earlier, providing you inform the CCC.

will you just go out and give it a lash against Loughiel then? keep it tight for the first 30 slow it down no momentum and try and finish strong dont give up early as they will rake up a score

Aye i dont think Loughguile are anything special, they can run up a big score if you let them though. We will have to have everyone playing to full potential, i wonder is Winker playing? Shows you how much they need him when he headbutted one of their selectors and they still take him back.

[theskull1]

If its played in casement we cud struggle cos of pace, but i wud think they will play it in loughgiel which will suit uor big players - who are good hurlers but as you pointed out lack pace

Our u-21 final is fixed for Friday 24th in Casement with floodlights in operation!! How ridiculous is this...our club have put in an appeal to CCC to look at this and move it to Loughguile. Why or why would they do something like this beggars belief. 

I agree with you NA, but not so sure about your motives 

[theskull1]

Regarding the championship format, is there not always going to be a scenario, whatever the format where one of the weaker sides feel hard done by? I can sympathise to a degree with the likes of glenariff this year the way the draw has worked out but is that not just the way it is....tough? An extra game wouldn't be favoured by the dual clubs like ourselves I don't think who have trouble enough with matches/training at this time of year.
Milltowns idea from a purely hurling perspective looks like a fairly decent one as it gives the weaker sides something to go for which I think would be no bad thing, but if you do cause an upset in the group stages it'll give the "stronger" sides a second chance.

[Glensman]

Our u-21 final is fixed for Friday 24th in Casement with floodlights in operation!! How ridiculous is this...our club have put in an appeal to CCC to look at this and move it to Loughguile. Why or why would they do something like this beggars belief.

By 2morrow nights games - Lamh dearg and Glenariffe could be out of the championship with still 2 games to play.......

Seen Winker in local paper scoring a hatrick for Ballycastle 1sts!! Hardly the sign of a man committed to the shams this year....... 

A bit of a joke alright - Loughgeil would be the perfect option.

Winker gets as much air time as Kevin McGourty does on the football page. He undoubtedly brings most of it on himself by doing foolish things (the list is too many) but he doesn't court the media like the aforementioned muppet. Give the guy a break, so what if he's lining out playing a bit of soccer. I'm not his biggest fan but he's not doing anything wrong in this instance.
Ballycastle should have learned a few things from the soccer and avoided back passes against the Dall.

[theskull1]

Ballycastle should have learned a few things from the soccer and avoided back passes against the Dall.

[Give-it-Timber]

have to agree with skull, if you add another game the same problems will just arise, also the big teams will know they can maybe afford two defeats and get through.

ps          @ Glensman

[milltown row]

agreed on the stronger teams having a better chance but lamhs and Glenariff will have two meaningless games to play after tonight. against teams that may need to improve their scoring difference to maybe top group, this would be unfair on other teams who played said teams at the start when the game was close/competitive. one more game wont kill it and theres more to play for to become top of the group to avoid the extra game.

[youngfella]

First of all at glensman!

second good news to here the under-21 game is going to be played at casement but why under floodlight?? seems very odd, they going to have it at midnight?

The why i see it is that both teams now have an venue to rise to as well as an occasion. the idea of fitness being a problem of the ballycastle lads is a silly reason not to have it at HQ for the following reasons:

• ballycastles main pitch is the biggest in the county if not country, why are they not used to running it
• The lads have prob ally being training from feb/march time how in 6 month could they not be fit enought
• If he is playing ryan donnelly is probably the fitness person of his age in the gaa

time to stop making excuses north antrim, the lads can win it

[girt_giggler]

better if match was in Loughgiel because

1. 2 north antrim teams contesting the final - so geographically (sp) a north antrim venue would be wiser for both sets of supporters

2. casement park will be/look empty with little/no atmosphere. Wouldnt be the case if in Loughgiel.