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I cannot understand the league restructuring.  Many other counties have been trying to get less teams in the leagues in order to make them as competitive as possible. 

But we here in Antrim seem to know better given the number of ulster championships & all-irelands we have in the locker.

Why is that game in Thurles?

So Darren hasn't to go that far!

Was chatting to him the other week, good guy, bumped into him at my Spar, lets just say its not a place that a Tipp man would normally be seen it with an Antrim trackie and hat!

Sure 30 years ago some of us thought nothing of standing on the Shore Road outside UUJ on a dark winters night with the hurl and kitbag trying to flag down a black taxi to take you back into Belfast, I kid you not.

100%! Some scary thoughts entered your head when you went off the main roads into rathcoole and other such places. Looking back at around 1993 and all that was going on, it was mental to do that. The innocence/bravado of youth!

Couldn't agree more MR2. It's just a false reading on where clubs are at by restructuring leagues etc. Every team is cyclical and  if you are lucky you can ride the bumps and keep at the higher level. This is just a nonsense restructure  and we will be back having another one to sort of out the mess that is coming this season, if not for next season-definitely  for the one after.

Bonkers stuff!
A Div.1 of 10 teams max would be ideal. It would be competitive and give the league credibility. A 16 team league would be farce.. in most counties, especially Antrim.

It'll only happen if the clubs vote it, not sure why the clubs would entertain it unless it's to suit themselves, which is usually the case.

Club members should ballot it with their membership and inform their county delegates to vote against it.

If it goes ahead, then it's the clubs, your clubs, that you are members of, or not, have agreed it, via a vote.

16 teams in D1 is far too many. The disparity  between the top teams and the bottom ranked sides (let's face it- practically mid D2 sides) will be enormous and many of the games won't benefit anyone. This is only being done to save some clubs, st endas  and Dunloy, from relegation for political reasons and not for the benefit of football in antrim. Glenravel earned the right to get promoted and deservedly so. You could even stretch
to aldergrove as they finished 2nd in the league. D2 was very competitive, as was the intermediate championship. Why  change to make both d1 and d2 weaker? To save st endas and Dunloy- it just so happens that moneyglass, aldergrove, Ballymena and lisburn will maintain  status or get promoted in a committe room rather than  on the field of play, after all, they wont vote to stay in d2 or get relegated on merit. A few easy votes to get it through the committee will ensure it goes through, hence the top heavy d1.
Convince me otherwise.

The GPO is a great idea and would work well and I'm sure all clubs would  love to have 1, although  I think to get the full benefit  you would need to have them employed  on a 3-5 year term to get everything set up and running properly. That's probably looking a club to commit to £75k-£125k if they were paying £25k a year salary (thats probably at the low end of the scale). That's a big commitment for most clubs given the risk of the GPO quitting a year/18 months into it, especially  if the person has no connection /affinity to the club, and you might have nothing to show for it. Obviously St Brigids can afford it and good luck to them, unfortunately I don't think most clubs can afford to go down this route at this time.

Ambitious. Do many clubs in antrim have a GPO?

Can many afford one?

What must the rest off the teams think in div 2 re GNM,Davitts,Glenavy, Sarsfields,surely these teams would have gripe about this

I would have thought they are happy enough because it gives them a better league standing and chance of championship success. With a proper intermediate championship from previous years I don't see any of those teams winning it but they now will be thinking they have a great chance to win Intermediate and to break into the top table (a mighty big table) but I can see how those teams would buy into it. If you were to ask them if they wanted Div 1/Senior championship next year I don't think any of those clubs would take you up on it.

TBH the intermediate  league & championship  in both hurling and football  have been the most competitive over the last few years, so why fix something  that was not broken? It's the senior grades that weren't really competitive outside of a top 3 or 4 teams. So in order to boost that, they bring in weaker teams? Doesn't  make sense. I still stand by the belief that its to keep st endas  in D1 and not for the benefit  of football in the county, no matter  how they dress it up.

The proposals are to help the county and clubs that could struggle without those players. Aldergrove and All Saints getting promoted is a by product of that. Same way it would save Dunloy playing Mitchell's and Eire Og. Having no relegation is the ludicrous thing about it. Only way out of it is to reduce the number of games - 14 max in league and spread out over an extra 4-6 weeks with a condensed championship is the solution to our problems imo

14 league games seems about right for a league but it was how this has been arrived at which doesn't sit right. If these  proposals  were voted in and everyone  knew what the plan was before leagues started this year- then it might be  palatable, but the fact this appears to  be being driven for different motives isn't right. I  think that there  needs to be joined up thinking between the hurling and football fixtures to allow for county involvement. We played football up until the split this year without 3 county hurlers, did they make a difference  when they came back to us- yes! Would our league position  have been different  if we had them for the first load of games-definitely.  Dunloy were the same and no doubt other dual clubs were the same. There seems to be a need to just tick a box and get the leagues run off. D2 was done by 28th June this year. That means if you didn't  make it out of your group, you had 2 or 3 championship games in July and August and wont play again until march. How does that drive standards? We played 4 league games in 10 days in June, that's a 1/4 of our league campaign. Never mind throwing a hurling match in the mix too (although we couldn't field in the hurling due to the football being less than 24 hrs before and a players stag do taking place away). Mental.
A condensed championship (straight
knock out) and running the leagues still parallel to championship
ie  still play league games once you are out of championship, against other knocked out teams of the same division, on football championship weekends, say on a Friday night, which gives the championship  games Saturday and Sunday to get played and take "precedence" and likewise  in the hurling. Just a (rather long) thought!

As I stated,this has nothing to do with Ciaran MC,this is purely on Quinn and Brady we are at our level now which is div 2,moneyglass being weakened shouldn't be in div 1 either proving by results this year when they were full strength,so how can any man tell me aldergrove and all saints deserve to be in it,when both ourselves and mg struggled and both teams are stronger than aldergrove and as

100% agree about aldergrove and Ballymena not being strong enough to compete at D1 level. No complaints about glenravel going up, they earned their shot and I wish them all the best, they were the best team in D2 by some distance. The whole league  restructuring just stinks of  personal agendas and back room deals. Is there another county in Ireland of any notable size that has nearly half their teams graded senior? It could be coincidence that the current chairman's club stands to benefit, but having been at the receiving end of some very very very curious decisions from county administration this season, I wouldn't be so sure. Does the restructuring get them out of a hole re Dunloy going to D3? Yes- half their team was gone county hurling and rightly could use that along with their championship run to argue that they are too strong for d3 and could have been challenging at the top end of D2 if they had all their players available. This isn't being done to advance football in antrim, its to soothe the ego of a few inviduals and their clubs. Increasing competition in league and championship
should lead to better players, these proposals will kill the leagues and ensure that 1 or 2wins in a convoluted  championship constitutes a successful  season. Sorry for the rant!

What are these "shenanigans that happened this year in D2 were unbelievable" you are referring to?

Some of the shenanigans that happened this year in D2 were unbelievable-even by antrim standards!

The season is done now and whatever I say won't make a blind bit of difference at this point. Safe to say that any trust I had in our county officers has gone and that the restructuring is not at all surprising.

On another note, What the f+ck is the point in the restructuring of the leagues, all its going to do is make our intermediate and junior leagues weaker, going to lead to more dead rubber games at senior level.

Our "best" intermediate teams got hammered by a poor glenuillin side what the hell will our 4th best team not be like...

What is the thinking behind this?  As you say, if our best Intermediate team is way off the pace, what will weaker sides be like?   

Im guessing there is some logic or strategic to this? is it to improve the senior league somehow?

Maybe the only logic behind it is so certain teams don't have to drop down cough st endas cough

If anything it makes Div 1 weaker cant see how the top teams would benefit off playing weaker teams.

Obviously the outgoing chair is looking after his own and couldn'thave them relegated on his watch. Glenravel are up on merit and I've no problem with that. Some of the shenanigans that happened this year in D2 were unbelievable-even by antrim standards!

Has there been any word of the football  leagues being restructured?

Never much between the sides and will all boil down to who takes their chances.
Sarsfields don't have a strong bench so with a straight red last night and mc Kenna carrying an injury they might struggle.However I watched sarsfields draw with St. John's a few weeks back and was impressed with them, should have won and this against a St. John's team who st galls handy a week before . This will go down to the wire and could be nasty
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Think you are being a bit harsh there. We don't have the players to earn that reputation! For once we have more skillful hurlers than physical hurlers and long may it continue. The sending off will probably help us for the semi final as he is always likely to do something daft. Hopefully niall mc alea and ciarnan rea will be available so we should be a bit stronger than last night. Both teams will fancy their chances.  Could even go to a replay. ... is Ballycastle free?

[1. Can a 30 yard free ever become a penalty?]

Sarsfields had a man sent off after about 15 mins too so great performance

Mate was at it and said the lights were pathetic

Straight red?


Straight red. Dirty pull.

Took a run over to it. Given I answered your question I've two of my own.

1. Can a 30 yard free ever become a penalty? Sars man went to hit shot for goal quickly, CMills man stepped across. Moved in for a penalty. They scored the rebound.

2. Quick puck out to a player in midfield who had broken a hurl in last phase of play and was running to sideline to get hurl. He had half a stick in hand. He caught, took 2/3 steps and laid off to teammate. Blown up, free given, point. If you have half a stick is that not technically a stick? Would say 75% of players and refs don't actually know exactly what rule is on playing with no stick, handpassing off if you'd dropped it etc.

Cheers

Penalty is when you foul the man in the, well penalty area, foul the ball 21 yard free and if you move it forward for dissent it's still a 21 yard free, anybody can play without a stick stupid rule/nonrule as such

Cheers - both decisions by Jackie were wrong therefore cost CMills 1-1. A bit of salt in their wounds I would say. The penalty was a pretty game-changing moment as got them some momentum as despite CMills getting a fee points after it they never properly shook Sarsfields off.
Momentum is a mad thing in hurling - seriously hard to break.

Was McKenna injured Gladiator - started very well but faded.

Yeah, tweaked a hamstring in a football game last Wednesday night. Didnt play in  the first game but took the risk last night. He is a very important player for us, unfortunately he only really lasted about 20 mins before playing on with it. Hope he didnt do too kuch more damage to it.