Antrim Hurling

[youbetterbelieveit]

lads just wondering do creggan have a hurling team and what grade are they at?

[johnneycool]

Cushendall may well beat Loughrea but I'd doubt if they could handle Ballyhale Shamrocks who I'd imagine will beat Toomevara.

I sincerely hope they do get to the final as they've never been, but I'd fear they could get hammered a la Dunloy by an exceptional club team in Ballyhale.

 I'm sure that's a chance Cushendall would like to take glens73.

I must say I really don't rate young McManus as a forward. In the Antrim final, roadstone didn't play him like a true fullback should and gave him too much latitude. With the time and space afforded to him he done well, he didn't get that same leeway against Hinphy in the first Ulster final and was non existant. In the replay he swept up behind his half backs and had a stormer but wasn't really in a forward position that often and didn't bother the scoreboard operator either. With Karl McKeegan staying very deep in front of his fullback to prevent the ball getting to McGonigle this system worked well for them, but I can't see Skinner adopting this tactic against Loughrea unless they are playing against a gale in the first half and aren't chasing the game.

Skinner faces the same problems a lot of club managers face, too many defenders and not enough scoring forwards and my theory on this is that it stems from 'win at all costs' juvenile hurling. It's not uncommon in juvenile teams that the defence is packed with your best hurlers and then whoever is left fights over the 13, 14 and 15 jerseys especially if the team requires kids quite young for that particular age group to put out a team.

The Dunloy team of the ninties were the exception to this when they had good scoring forwards in almost all the six forward berths. If one was having an off day, another would step up to the mark and so on.

Cushendall will be very reliant on Monty ,Aidan Delary and to a lesser extent on Shane McNaughton for their scores. If another forward can weight in two or three points from play then they're in with a very good chance.

[nrico2006]

I think Creggans hurling team played in the lowest division, 4, until last year when 3 and 4 were consolidated.  So they play in 3 now.  They would be one of the weaker sides in the division

[aontroim]

lads just wondering do creggan have a hurling team and what grade are they at?

Yes they have a hurling team in Div 3 of the league. More focus placed on football at senior level but they have a decent juvenile setup.

[imtommygunn]

Creggan are in division 3.

They've notably had a few boys in good county panels over the last few years so must be doing something right at underage as not too many from south west clubs get near county panels.

I think possibly the advent of the north antrim indoor hurling league has improved teams like them and their senior football team is young so won't be so much a conveyor belt over the next few years and some younger ones might get peeved with this and pay more attention to hurling.

[podge]

Any truth in the news that Dinny is in  charge of the shamrocks this year?  brings back memories of PJ furiously trying to find the mobile phone in the coat as Dinny tried to get messages to him during L'giels collapse in the county final....

Humpy and Dessie at Ballysatle.  What about Dunloy and Rossa- who is in there?

[aontroim]

Heard Rossa have got Jim Nelson in from the Camogs. Think its the usual suspects for Dunloy

[Baile an tuaigh]

Johnnecool would you say a lot of Ulster Hurling problems lie with the fact that they don't play quality opposition often enough? Thus learning to many bad habits and then when they go over the border they get it square on the chin....

[milltown row]

Naomh Gall Poker Night
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Saturday 3rd February at 7:30pm (reg 7:15pm)
£10 Entry. No tickets needed just pay at the door.

[Guillem2]

Yes youbetterbelieveit Creggan have a hurling team. About as low a standard as you can get (being honest). Are you moving North?
GAC Meeting on Thursday night to organise leagues. I hope they do a better job than last year.

[theskull1]

Well you wouldn't say that about thier juvenile set-up. They are doing great work up there at the minute and making good progress from what I have seen

[johnneycool]

Johnnecool would you say a lot of Ulster Hurling problems lie with the fact that they don't play quality opposition often enough? Thus learning to many bad habits and then when they go over the border they get it square on the chin....

That's probably a big part of it IMO but the actual speed at which the basic skills are carried out is probably the major difference between the top hurlers and the rest. We're (Nordies in general) inclined to dwell too long on the ball, probably because we need that time to get the feckin thing under control and then to decide what to do with it when we get it.

We get hung up a bit on how fast someone can run but if you take the likes of Eoin Kelly from Tipp, he isn't the best athelete but there's not many who can pick a ball without slowing down and turn a man as quick as him not to mention how quick he can strike a ball off either side when in confined spaces.

I've seen so many coaches run drills where the emphasis it to meet a ball coming the opposite direction at speed where most of the hurlers sprint out to meet the ball, then either stop or slow down to control it, then take off in a sprint again. I believe that the onus should be to continue sprinting through the whole exercise. The same applies for a lot of the shooting drills I've seen as well, guys mad sprinting then either stopping to shoot or turning to the side to get the shot away. There's very few intercounty hurlers in the North capable of doing both on a consistent basis.

You'll get away with these inadequacies against the inferior opposition but not against the better teams where time and space are at a minimum.

[Baile an tuaigh]

"Johnneycool" just when your on the subject a bout Eoin Kelly he's up given Cushendall a few training session's. Last week Cushendall lost a challenge to UCC by around 2-17 to 1-11. College Hurling can be a very high standard plus the fact Cushendall had a heavy training session the day before it. So its very hard to learn anything from that.

Declan Mc Killop is doubtfull after tearing a muscle. Two weeks ago a lad from Cork was up training Cushendall as-well. Apparently the lads trained Friday, Saturday and Sunday trying to make full youse of the trainer. It rained all weekend and now some of the lads were suffering from the flu. Other than that I don't know any further information  on Cushendall's preparation's.

[johnneycool]

"Johnneycool" just when your on the subject a bout Eoin Kelly he's up given Cushendall a few training session's. Last week Cushendall lost a challenge to UCC by around 2-17 to 1-11. College Hurling can be a very high standard plus the fact Cushendall had a heavy training session the day before it. So its very hard to learn anything from that.

Whilst its always good to hear a different voice with different drills at training I have reservations about trying to change the style or focus of a team at this late stage. It can do more harm that good IMO.

With their game only 10 or so days away I'd expect them to be easing up on the physical stuff and concentrating on the sharpness aspect of their hurling. At this stage tiredness is probably setting in with all the training etc, so skinner will need to ease up to ensure he has fresh legs on the day.

What sort of formation are they going with, is Mickey McCambridge starting?

How are the Gorts and Clooney Gaels getting on?

[Guillem2]

I don't think it's fair to ask them to reveil their tactics on the board Johnnycool! They have computers in Galway 
There's a meeting of the GAc tonight to arrange the leagues for the coming year. Anybody know if changes to structures are to be proposed? Milltown Row was convinced towards the end of last year that there would be major changes for this coming season.