Antrim Football Thread

[imtommygunn]

Kieran is a very good player too and one of only two to win the castlewellan sevens POT twice.

Also man of the match in the county final.

Any club in Antrim and a lot more further afield would welcome him.

[ONeill]

Kieran is arguably the St Gall's POTY this year and definitely the McGourty No.1 this season. A bit like Marc O Se out-performing Tomas and Dara in 2007.

[saffron sam2]

The McGourty question:

Kevin - Talented. Opinionated. Ambitious. Individualistic.
Kieran - Intelligent. Talented. Team Player. Untidy.
CJ - Brilliant. Natural. Over-used.

SaffronSam would know more.

Not sure that I do Shane. Three very talented boys in different ways. Kieran would claim to be the most intelligent because he passed the 11 plus, Kevin would disagree because he went to Queen's. Kieran and Conor won Colleges' football All-Stars, but Kevin has the Sigerson medal (admittedly won at about the age of 32). All three have played for Donegal Celtic's first team and have about three Colleges' hurling All-Stars each. Conor is the only one with a middle name (John) and Kieran has been known to spell his name Ciaran, depending on the day of the week.

I would have all three on the Antrim senior team. Kevin may be the least naturally talented, but he is a brave and gutsy footballer. His performance against Mayobridge a couple of years back was as good a midfield performance as I have seen. Lets himself down with his attitude sometimes, but should be one of the men that Jody Gormley would be building the Antrim team around. A very good goalie also and I think that Sean Boylan could do a lot worse than look at him for the number 1 jersey if the international rules takes place again.

Kieran is less in the limelight because he is the quietest and most laid back. Very skilful, intelligent footballer with a very accurate left foot. Well capable of taking scores from distance or hitting raking passes. Would be an ideal chf. As Shane says, probably the best McGourty so far this year and is benefitting from being the least well-known member of the family.

Conor, a precocious talent, allegedly made his Ulster colleges debut with La Salle while still in P5. More like Kieran in terms of ability and Kevin in terms of attitude. Certainly has the potential to be one of the best footballers of his generation, but must burn every hurl he owns.

Although a source close to the family, reckons the wee girl is the best footballer of the lot.

I would certainly rather have the three male McGourtys than the two Bradleys.

Max, don't ever question any of these boys attitude to St. Gall's. Their family is steeped in the club and winning an All-Ireland would be their main ambition. You certainly won't see any of them transferring to Derrytrasna Sarsfields.

Nor have they ever lifted the mitts to a referee.

[Gold]

The McGourty question:

Kevin - Talented. Opinionated. Ambitious. Individualistic.
Kieran - Intelligent. Talented. Team Player. Untidy.
CJ - Brilliant. Natural. Over-used.

SaffronSam would know more.

Not sure that I do Shane. Three very talented boys in different ways. Kieran would claim to be the most intelligent because he passed the 11 plus, Kevin would disagree because he went to Queen's. Kieran and Conor won Colleges' football All-Stars, but Kevin has the Sigerson medal (admittedly won at about the age of 32). All three have played for Donegal Celtic's first team and have about three Colleges' hurling All-Stars each. Conor is the only one with a middle name (John) and Kieran has been known to spell his name Ciaran, depending on the day of the week.

I would have all three on the Antrim senior team. Kevin may be the least naturally talented, but he is a brave and gutsy footballer. His performance against Mayobridge a couple of years back was as good a midfield performance as I have seen. Lets himself down with his attitude sometimes, but should be one of the men that Jody Gormley would be building the Antrim team around. A very good goalie also and I think that Sean Boylan could do a lot worse than look at him for the number 1 jersey if the international rules takes place again.

Kieran is less in the limelight because he is the quietest and most laid back. Very skilful, intelligent footballer with a very accurate left foot. Well capable of taking scores from distance or hitting raking passes. Would be an ideal chf. As Shane says, probably the best McGourty so far this year and is benefitting from being the least well-known member of the family.

Conor, a precocious talent, allegedly made his Ulster colleges debut with La Salle while still in P5. More like Kieran in terms of ability and Kevin in terms of attitude. Certainly has the potential to be one of the best footballers of his generation, but must burn every hurl he owns.

Although a source close to the family, reckons the wee girl is the best footballer of the lot.

I would certainly rather have the three male McGourtys than the two Bradleys.

Max, don't ever question any of these boys attitude to St. Gall's. Their family is steeped in the club and winning an All-Ireland would be their main ambition. You certainly won't see any of them transferring to Derrytrasna Sarsfields.

Nor have they ever lifted the mitts to a referee.

Hilarious! La Salle debut in P5! haha!

[OUR BOY]

As an outsider it never ceases to amaze me why so many in Antrim continue to rave on about Kevin mc Grourty but to say Jody Gormley should build a team aroung him is hilarilious. Lets just say i dont think the building built on that foundation would last very long.We are talking here about someone who altough undoubtedly talented is one the most indisciplined players (on and off the field) in the present game. On the pitch he manages to annoy his teammates,the opposition and the referree in virtually every game while off it he has a track record of insulting the co board,management and his so called team "mates". Until Antrim forget about him and his like and start to build a team of talented, strong minded and discilpined individuals they will continue to go no where. I appreciate this is easier said than done and takes time and patience. JodyGormley seems to be going the right way about this. He sent out a strong message last year by dropping Kevin and not asking him back. This long term plan is the way forward for Antrim not by building a team around the afore mentioned individual.

[gallsman]

The McGourty question:

Kevin - Talented. Opinionated. Ambitious. Individualistic.
Kieran - Intelligent. Talented. Team Player. Untidy.
CJ - Brilliant. Natural. Overused.

SaffronSam would know more.

Are you still as friendly with Sean Mc Gourty, O'Neill? Not the most impartial observer are you?

ONeill is as impartial a man as we have in Antrim. Sure he's only an aul blow in who crept silently but dangerously across the lough. He'll be alright as long as he gets a fair amount of eels every month.

The only thing I'd say though ONeill, is regards "CJ - overused". At one time (2 years ago) I would have agreed but now I think he is playing the right amount. When he was playing minor football + hurling for Antrim, U21 football for Antrim (I think he missed the main game though), St. Galls minor football and hurling (they had a serious campaign for the UMFC), U21 for club, senior for club (All Ireland run) and schools football hurling and soccer (Mc Larnon and All Ireland run).
I think he has settled into playing Ryan/Sigerson/McKenna, Club U21, senior. County U21, senior. Still a fair bit but definitely not as hectic as two years ago.

I was part of that team two years ago and there's no doubt that CJ was playing far too much back then. It was the same with Niblock, started playing regular Senior football whilst still an U16. An honest assessment of the three of them from a clubmate and teammate.

Kevin- Ambitious, Dedicated, Immensely strong, mouthy, arrogant

Kieran- Intelligent, quick thinking, spontaneous, mouthy

CJ- Outstanding, nimble, slippery, completely confident in his own ability, deadly accurate, mouthy, arrogant.

The only problem CJ has is that he's still a wee bit small, but then again, look at the Gooch. I have no doubt whatsoever that he has the ability and potential to walk onto any senior inter-county team in the country.

Worth pointing out that all three of them are serious hurlers as well and if were to solely dedicate themselves to the small ball code, would undoubtedly be part of the Antrim setup.

[Maximus Marillius]

I guess y have never stood beside the Gooch then, he is not small, he maybe light, but he is about 5ft 11

[saffron sam2]

As an outsider it never ceases to amaze me why so many in Antrim continue to rave on about Kevin mc Grourty but to say Jody Gormley should build a team aroung him is hilarilious. Lets just say i dont think the building built on that foundation would last very long.We are talking here about someone who altough undoubtedly talented is one the most indisciplined players (on and off the field) in the present game. On the pitch he manages to annoy his teammates,the opposition and the referree in virtually every game while off it he has a track record of insulting the co board,management and his so called team "mates". Until Antrim forget about him and his like and start to build a team of talented, strong minded and discilpined individuals they will continue to go no where. I appreciate this is easier said than done and takes time and patience. JodyGormley seems to be going the right way about this. He sent out a strong message last year by dropping Kevin and not asking him back. This long term plan is the way forward for Antrim not by building a team around the afore mentioned individual.

Your post would have had some semblance of sense if you hadn't used the words "Jody Gormley", "Antrim" and "long term plan" in the post. Unless it is to say something like "Jody Gormley is using Antrim as part of a long term plan to make Jody Gormley plc an internationally recognised brand".

[Maximus Marillius]

As an outsider it never ceases to amaze me why so many in Antrim continue to rave on about Kevin mc Grourty but to say Jody Gormley should build a team aroung him is hilarilious. Lets just say i dont think the building built on that foundation would last very long.We are talking here about someone who altough undoubtedly talented is one the most indisciplined players (on and off the field) in the present game. On the pitch he manages to annoy his teammates,the opposition and the referree in virtually every game while off it he has a track record of insulting the co board,management and his so called team "mates". Until Antrim forget about him and his like and start to build a team of talented, strong minded and discilpined individuals they will continue to go no where. I appreciate this is easier said than done and takes time and patience. JodyGormley seems to be going the right way about this. He sent out a strong message last year by dropping Kevin and not asking him back. This long term plan is the way forward for Antrim not by building a team around the afore mentioned individual.

Your post would have had some semblance of sense if you hadn't used the words "Jody Gormley", "Antrim" and "long term plan" in the post. Unless it is to say something like "Jody Gormley is using Antrim as part of a long term plan to make Jody Gormley plc an internationally recognised brand".

Maybe but don't put the county football team and Kevin Mc Gourty in the same sentence either.

[saffron sam2]

As an outsider it never ceases to amaze me why so many in Antrim continue to rave on about Kevin mc Grourty but to say Jody Gormley should build a team aroung him is hilarilious. Lets just say i dont think the building built on that foundation would last very long.We are talking here about someone who altough undoubtedly talented is one the most indisciplined players (on and off the field) in the present game. On the pitch he manages to annoy his teammates,the opposition and the referree in virtually every game while off it he has a track record of insulting the co board,management and his so called team "mates". Until Antrim forget about him and his like and start to build a team of talented, strong minded and discilpined individuals they will continue to go no where. I appreciate this is easier said than done and takes time and patience. JodyGormley seems to be going the right way about this. He sent out a strong message last year by dropping Kevin and not asking him back. This long term plan is the way forward for Antrim not by building a team around the afore mentioned individual.

Your post would have had some semblance of sense if you hadn't used the words "Jody Gormley", "Antrim" and "long term plan" in the post. Unless it is to say something like "Jody Gormley is using Antrim as part of a long term plan to make Jody Gormley plc an internationally recognised brand".

Maybe but don't put the county football team and Kevin Mc Gourty in the same sentence either.

Surely "Kevin McGourty has the ability to make the Derry county football team." is a perfectly valid sentence.

[Maximus Marillius]

On ability without doubt, super player, but, and this is the rub, I'm looking from the outside in, with no agenda, and his committment to Antrim is zero.

Kevin would make the Derry team alright. He should be on the Antrim team but it wouldn't be Antrim unless there was some sort of infighting to feck their chances up.
You're awful cynical about Jody, SS2. That aul Tyrone hatred coming out on you?

Lets not get this story all messed up. Mc Gourty wanted to treated differently from all of the players on the Antrim panel. He did not want to do what all of the other players had to do. He wanted to do what he has generally done with Antrim come into the panel at the end of the league and play in the championship. In my world that is not how it works. Asd I have said before their is no 'me' or 'I' in team sports. Ice skating offers that 'I' syndrome.

[Stalin]

I bet 'shawsroad' is creaming his pants at this thread

[Maximus Marillius]

That's fair enough about last year, Max. The whole thing was handled in true Antrim style though.
What is worrying is that the same thing is going to happen this year by the looks of it. He should be there. Kevin knows it and Jody knows it.
I just hope that between the two of them they sort it out. To have this nonsense going on for two years is just unbelievable.
Jody as manager should make the first move and ask him to attend training/trials.
Kevin should attend.
Easy to say but I would just like it to be sorted for the benefit of Antrim football.

agreed...and the initial onus is on Jody, but if Jody is happy with the committment of the squad and feels that he knows what he has in terms of committment he may well be prepared not to take a chance on a loose cannon. If it works all would benifit, if it fails Jody is the one who has the most to loose.

[Glensman]

Jody should ask him back. He should ask him back now, while St Galls are training away for something else. Get a commitment from him that he will rejoin the panel in tandem with the rest of the St Galls players and he can slip in without the media circus that might and would occur if he was asked any later...that media circus might very well be created by Kevin McGourty himself.

If he has any sense of cop on he will say yes and then rejoin the panel and give it his all. If he has any shred of gael in him, which he must do, he will realise that this constant attention he gets takes away from the efforts of other.

He is a very good footballer of that there is no doubt but the amount of air time he gets annoys my happiness (me writing posts about him doesn't help).

Do any of the Galls men on here know what drives him? Does he get a kick out of the attention? Does he get a kick out of being universally called mouthy/arrogant?

[gallsman]

Kieran wouldn't be anywhere near the level of CJ or Kevin in terms of mouthiness, but speaks more than he should all the same. It all comes from the da!