Antrim Football Thread

[Spike]

Anyway, are the any AGMs coming up in any of the clubs where there is expected to be big turnarounds or new management teams?   

[Milltown Row2]

I did say it was harsh.. So ref's don't always back ref's 

[country bumpkin]

Is 'Gaelfast' a body only interested in Belfast based schools for their awards?
South West clubs with huge attendance at St Pats, St Mary's, St Pius x, and St Ronans not mentioned.

[Milltown Row2]

Is 'Gaelfast' a body only interested in Belfast based schools for their awards?
South West clubs with huge attendance at St Pats, St Mary's, St Pius x, and St Ronans not mentioned.

Think the hint is in the title

[imtommygunn]

There are non belfast, but still antrim, schools nominations. Nothing to do with clubs.

[toby47]

No Cargin are a very good team spike but it's just Glen are double ulster champions now - tbh only Kilcoo or Scotstown beating them wouldn't be a surprise. I still think Kilmacaud will beat them though.

I would expect Cargin to dominate antrim for a while now and for them to get beat would be the exception rather than the norm so they will probably build up plenty of experience in ulster.

Yeah cargin are a good team, actually a very good team. But them beating Glen would be as big a surprise to me as anyone else in Antrim beating Cargin.

Cargin a step above any team in Antrim, and Glen a step above Cargin. Double Ulster champs, 3 in a row winners in Derry and to be honest it's in their own hands how many in a row they want to win in Derry. Won the last 3 finals by 9 points each, against what people would see as their nearest rivals. Even if their nearest rivals half the gap, theres stil 4/5 points in it.

[barnish oggie]

Is 'Gaelfast' a body only interested in Belfast based schools for their awards?
South West clubs with huge attendance at St Pats, St Mary's, St Pius x, and St Ronans not mentioned.

The competition is for Antrim schools, not Derry schools.

A great effort by those involved to promote the games in Antrim, although I would say that generally the football and LGFA awards do favour the Belfast schools, probably due to familiarity.

Those in charge know a lot of the Belfast based players by first name which gives them an advantage I would say.

Same as the development squads in both football and LGFA.

I had a good laugh at the recent LGFA u14 and u16 panels that were selected.

Moneyglass ladies won u14 championship, u15 all ireland feile and u16 championship.

They have 4 players on those 2 squads.

I think on the u14 squad, 25 out of 30 are Belfast based.

I get that they need to push hard to keep the Belfast players involved in the game and to maybe push them a bit more to challenge the SW teams, but it looks a bit daft when you consider how successful one team was this year and their players are deemed not good enough to make county.

And I am not from Moneyglass so no bias is being shown.

[Spike]

I have no idea of the personnel involved but given that it is an Under 14 team for 2024, would that mean their best players of 2023 are now 15 and therefore ineligible? Is the 2024 crop expected to take the title?  should the Under 16s therefore have more representation?

[barnish oggie]

I have no idea of the personnel involved but given that it is an Under 14 team for 2024, would that mean their best players of 2023 are now 15 and therefore ineligible? Is the 2024 crop expected to take the title?  should the Under 16s therefore have more representation?

Yes, my point was that the u15 squad won the All Ireland Feile so across u14 and u16 you would think they would have had a better selection of players.

Coaches/Selectors were all Belfast bar 1 at u16 with none at the u14 age.

I know there would be the argument that people from SW should step up and be part of those management teams but it shouldn't matter where they are from, the best players should be the ones who are picked, not just those that they are more familiar with.

And it would be hard to argue that such a dominant set of players would only have 4 players who could make the grade.

Or maybe they weren't interested in attending and giving it a good go, as they saw how last years selections went, which were of a similar spread.

[barnish oggie]

I have no idea of the personnel involved but given that it is an Under 14 team for 2024, would that mean their best players of 2023 are now 15 and therefore ineligible? Is the 2024 crop expected to take the title?  should the Under 16s therefore have more representation?

Yes, my point was that the u15 squad won the All Ireland Feile so across u14 and u16 you would think they would have had a better selection of players.

Coaches/Selectors were all Belfast bar 1 at u16 with none at the u14 age.

I know there would be the argument that people from SW should step up and be part of those management teams but it shouldn't matter where they are from, the best players should be the ones who are picked, not just those that they are more familiar with.

And it would be hard to argue that such a dominant set of players would only have 4 players who could make the grade.

Or maybe they weren't interested in attending and giving it a good go, as they saw how last years selections went, which were of a similar spread.

It isn't just lgfa either, the boys selections wouldn't have been too dissimilar from what I have seen in the past.

A panel of 60 lads at u14 would have been 3/4 Belfast and 1/4 SW with the majority of the coaches/selectors being Belfast based.....and obviously the trials were all held in Belfast.

[Walter Cronc]

Congrats to Cargin for being Ulster champions at talking sh1t!! Happy Christmas and see ye next year lads.

[WattyMan]

Congrats to Cargin for being Ulster champions at talking sh1t!! Happy Christmas and see ye next year lads.

Ulster champions 2024

[SaffronSports]

I'd say there's a lot of people can't be arsed with the travel involved. It's a long journey a couple of times a week from some of the clubs. I've heard of a few people who just wouldn't attend county trials due to the commitment needed.

At the local club I'd say there's a few might be good enough but a load of them play Camogie for the county instead but there's one girl who doesn't play Camogie and she's an outstanding footballer but only one parent drives so she has never been to any trials.

[Milltown Row2]

I'd say there's a lot of people can't be arsed with the travel involved. It's a long journey a couple of times a week from some of the clubs. I've heard of a few people who just wouldn't attend county trials due to the commitment needed.

At the local club I'd say there's a few might be good enough but a load of them play Camogie for the county instead but there's one girl who doesn't play Camogie and she's an outstanding footballer but only one parent drives so she has never been to any trials.

Back in the day, we made our way to Casement, the south Antrim minibus picked us up and we went to Dunloy or Loughgiel and vice versa the county lads got in a bus and headed to Belfast for training

Kids are soft or their parents are nowadays.. probably both

[SaffronSports]

I'd say there's a lot of people can't be arsed with the travel involved. It's a long journey a couple of times a week from some of the clubs. I've heard of a few people who just wouldn't attend county trials due to the commitment needed.

At the local club I'd say there's a few might be good enough but a load of them play Camogie for the county instead but there's one girl who doesn't play Camogie and she's an outstanding footballer but only one parent drives so she has never been to any trials.

Back in the day, we made our way to Casement, the south Antrim minibus picked us up and we went to Dunloy or Loughgiel and vice versa the county lads got in a bus and headed to Belfast for training

Kids are soft or their parents are nowadays.. probably both

If you were able to put kids on a minibus then it might see more people willing to do it.

If my daughter made it to that level, you're talking a 70 mile round trip to Belfast however many times a week and I've got two other kids who do stuff too. Not only is that expensive but there's nights it just wouldn't be possible when they all have stuff on.

Sticking you on a minibus as a kid for however many hours is a totally different level of commitment required from parents and it doesn't make anyone soft.