Antrim Football Thread

imtommygunn · March 24, 2019, 07:16:04 PM

We had the opportunity to play in Croke Park by being able to finish top two division 4. Our hurlers did not have that though with the tiering of championships more "lesser" counties will have that opportunity so to be fair to the Gaa division 1-4 you all get that chance.

BigBallWeeBall · March 24, 2019, 08:05:47 PM

We need to swap hurls and footballs to mics and discoballs then. Croke Pk is for the GAA folk

Belfast GAA man · March 24, 2019, 08:09:22 PM

Is right BigBall - GAA HQ is guilty of in your face Elitism - Leinster counties get to play routinely at Croke and our lads get Corrigan !

imtommygunn · March 24, 2019, 08:33:33 PM

We had casement and we gave it away!

Milltown Row2 · March 24, 2019, 09:31:09 PM

Quote from: Belfast GAA man on March 24, 2019, 08:09:22 PM
Is right BigBall - GAA HQ is guilty of in your face Elitism - Leinster counties get to play routinely at Croke and our lads get Corrigan !

Oh dear!

bannside · March 26, 2019, 06:51:28 PM

The football league is almost upon us once again and this year I foresee the most open division one league in memory. The race to the top six will be interesting with most teams quietly fancying their chances of achieving that. No one looks unbeatable at this stage and it wouldn't surprise me if four or five points separated the top half dozen positions.

Dunsilly King · March 27, 2019, 10:28:20 AM

Quote from: bannside on March 26, 2019, 06:51:28 PM
The football league is almost upon us once again and this year I foresee the most open division one league in memory. The race to the top six will be interesting with most teams quietly fancying their chances of achieving that. No one looks unbeatable at this stage and it wouldn't surprise me if four or five points separated the top half dozen positions.

Cargin, Creggan and St Galls still ahead of the rest in league & championship. More wishful thinking Bannside without any logic applied

Belfast GAA man · March 27, 2019, 12:18:49 PM

I would see St Johns as one of the favourites as they have been very close in the last 2 years and still have a young side. Also LD/NE and Aghagallon will be close too - very wide open imo

ahoy hoy · March 27, 2019, 02:36:14 PM

anyone have the dates for the senior football championship?

Milltown Row2 · March 27, 2019, 05:26:52 PM

It never stops with dates of games!

bannside · March 27, 2019, 07:27:05 PM

I see it as wide open between seven or eight teams all beating each other. Maybe I'll be wrong but I don't see any super forces out there the way St Galls and Cargin undeniably were a few years ago. I predict things will continue to level out even further this year....but time will tell. Atm probably about 8 clubs will fancy their chances of finishing in the top 4. That's healthy and should make for plenty of competitive action in the months ahead.

delgany · March 27, 2019, 08:32:46 PM

Quote from: ahoy hoy on March 27, 2019, 02:36:14 PM
anyone have the dates for the senior football championship?

All fixture dates are provisionally arranged

https://antrim.gaa.ie/news/antrim-2019-fixture-calendar

Spike · March 29, 2019, 10:02:24 AM

Quote from: bannside on January 24, 2017, 08:20:53 PM
For what it's worth I think we will be much improved this year. A lot of posters don't see us in the top half dozen (we finished 9th in the league last year) but if we weren't top four this year I'd be disappointed.

Always love your optimism Bannside! keep it up!

Spike · March 29, 2019, 10:11:22 AM

Straight fight between Cargin and St Galls for the league provided Cargin can keep their squad which was decimated last year (and still won the championship!) and St Galls don't have too many retirees. St Galls are slick, but can they sustain another season of it after the effort they put into last years big push.

Creggan pounced on the stumbles of the big 2 last year but need to develop to be more than just a counter attack team to have a shot again. Last years shambolic final showed a team could conceivably play 'keep ball' against them for 15 minutes as they wont come out.

St Johns had their 'one swallow summer' in 2018, potential for top 4, no chance of top 2.
Lamhs can be top 2 or top 4, difficult to know which side will turn up. Conor Murray will be a big asset returning.
I think the bottom half are very evenly matched, the relegation battle will be fierce.

imtommygunn · March 29, 2019, 11:41:04 AM

I notice Domhnall Nugent playing hurling for st johns so must have moved back there. I would say he's a big addition in both football and hurling for them (assuming he still plays football).

Whatever about Creggan in the county final they still won last year's league so I suspect shouldn't be discounted. They might have learnt from last year.

Be interesting to see how St Endas do. You would have to expect that at some point St Brigids with what they have coming through will make a breakthrough though I suspect a little early. A lot of Creggan's better players are round the u21 mark and they seemed to take care of them at that age group.