Antrim Football Thread

[theskull1]

heard a rumour Paddy Cunningham is looking to play for another team

I have just heard that rumour myself. The rumour that I heard is that he is to become a St. Galls man.

What? Is the travelling getting too much for him? Doesn't say much about the person does it?

[Gold]

I have it on dvd already-i'll lend u it if u want and u can watch it after the game

[milltown row]

people in belfast clubs transfer all the time, internal politics/fighting it's difficult for players to enjoy playing hurling /football for a club when you dont get on with the team.

I'm not in favour of moving from club to club but does he just stop playing? he'd be a big player for any club, not sure if he's coming to Naomh Gall though, if he's leaving at all that is. these rumours can have a life of their own 

[theskull1]

people in belfast clubs transfer all the time, internal politics/fighting it's difficult for players to enjoy playing hurling /football for a club when you dont get on with the team.

I'm not in favour of moving from club to club but does he just stop playing? he'd be a big player for any club, not sure if he's coming to Naomh Gall though, if he's leaving at all that is. these rumours can have a life of their own 

These people who tranfer all the time milltown would not do so if there was a chance of success at the club he/she was at. The GAA is about the club not the self. Boys who transfer more often than not are in it for themselves and do nothing for the GAA in the long run. It's very easy to manufacture "understandable situations" which makes it easy for a player to walk away from his club. I've no doubt these "reasons" (if it is indeed more than a rumour) will be bandied about to justfiy things

On a side note milltown....what benefits do you think the country outsiders (raff, mccrory etc etc) brought to your senior set up. Did they instill a different ethic in the team/club compared to say an all city group of players would have brought?

[Balboa]

people in belfast clubs transfer all the time, internal politics/fighting it's difficult for players to enjoy playing hurling /football for a club when you dont get on with the team.

I'm not in favour of moving from club to club but does he just stop playing? he'd be a big player for any club, not sure if he's coming to Naomh Gall though, if he's leaving at all that is. these rumours can have a life of their own 

These people who tranfer all the time milltown would not do so if there was a chance of success at the club he/she was at. The GAA is about the club not the self. Boys who transfer more often than not are in it for themselves and do nothing for the GAA in the long run. It's very easy to manufacture "understandable situations" which makes it easy for a player to walk away from his club. I've no doubt these "reasons" (if it is indeed more than a rumour) will be bandied about to justfiy things

On a side note milltown....what benefits do you think the country outsiders (raff, mccrory etc etc) brought to your senior set up. Did they instill a different ethic in the team/club compared to say an all city group of players would have brought?

Have to agree Skull, as Declan Browne said last night there were overtures for him to play for different counties but if he couldnt win an All Ireland with Tipp he wasnt interested. That is the great thing about the GAA,playing with the fellas you grew up with. I know if i went to play for Cushendall and won an All Ireland Club medal it wouldnt mean anything to me.

[milltown row]

the 'outsiders' that came to our club are just that, outsiders, very rarely would they drink or have friends from within the club.

they have come from the contry to belfast for work and joined a club to save the journey home each week. some ( like Rafferty) go back to their home teams and play at the junior side of things 

the sucess of our football team has a lot more to do with the structures that were in place before these lads got to senior, four players on the all ireland team would have been classed as Country men the rest all played at juvenile level.

the hurlers well thats a different story all together, they are all Galls men born and bred into the team. the craic compared to the footballers is a world apart, maybe a reason why we have not made the break through.

so to answer your point country men do have a different attitude to training and looking after themselves than city folk, but during that run the work ethic was no different bewteen the city boys and country lads, Rafferty had a affilation with the club having played for 8/9 years with us. so he was committed

hurlers very rarely transfer between clubs footballers are very fickle

[imtommygunn]

To be honest moving club, especially within such close proximity, says a lot about a person with loyalties etc.

With regard to Rafferty, McRory etc. at St Galls those boys have a long way to travel and their decisions are understandable but there are a vast number of boys from within Belfast who have shifted between clubs for what it seems is just glory. You talk to boys from smaller clubs like for example O'Donnells and they had very good players jump ship for glory.

Realistically Cunningham will win nothing major with Lamh Dhearg. The only reason Lamh Dhearg are as good as they are is because of Cunningham. They are better than most in Antrim but are no world beaters either. Even saying that though they're his club he grew up with them etc. and should stay. I hope the rumours are wrong for two reasons 1) it would make me think a lot less of him and 2) st galls would become very very hard to beat with him and young mcgourty in the FF line.

[SeanSouth]

I go up and down to training from Belfast, 100 mile round trip. People that dont know much about the GAA always ask why i dont play for a team in Belfast, if i ever won anything with them it would mean absolutely nothing to me.

[Gold]

was at the LD v St Galls game tonight-

st galls won by 7--  2-6-0-5

Aidso gallagher was sent off 5mins before half time with the sides level--galls scored a point to go in 1-2--0-4 ahead

LD were useless in 2nd half--if they couldnt beat a team minus aidso, kev and kieran mcgourt--then they'll never beat them --they couldnt beat the back door

LD's didnt have one forward on the field, not one--difference between the teams was galls had kark stewart and CJ in forward line and LD had nothin bar maybe micko.

Most of LD's startin forwards are defenders in my opinion--they had most of the ball but just went sideways when they were 40yards out before hoofing the ball wide or not even wide and hittin the corner flag.

for me Karl Stew was the differnece--first to the ball, deadly from frees-was either taken down or he scored--leathal

[aontroim]

Cargin 0-6 v 1-4 St. Paul's - heard there was a big shock in tonight's game with St. Pauls snatching the win with a late penalty 

[milltown row]

does this result make St Pauls the favourites? can we have a match report from mister Slim Shady, not sure if there are any real 'Shaws Road' men on the board.

the game against Lamhs on friday night was terrible, Lamhs played 2 men on CJ he still scored 2-2, in the secondhalf they still played the extra man in defence when they were a man up!!! so they had an extra man on cj and Karl Stewart. pure madness they scored one point i think in the second half.

we were dreadful in the first half with 15 men but played a lot better with 14 men, Aidso was silly, Micko had a wee sly dig at him and a rush of blood saw Aidso off. Micko for a big lad fairly threw himself to the ground.

we have put them out of both championships. Micko made a fool of himself after the match by coming over to the crowd and inviting the Galls supporters down for a fight!!!!!!!!!!! 

[Maximus Marillius]

Cargin gone...where is Slim Shady when you need him

[imtommygunn]

0-6 to 1-4 and the weather wasn't bad yesterday either - hardly a prolific affair!

Looks like St Galls could walk this now especially as they have Kevin and Kieran McGourty to come back. St Pauls have a bad record of late against St Galls.

Micko has a lot of ability at football and hurling but if he doesn't buck his attitude up he will fast go the same road as Kevin McGourty. He should take a leaf out of his brother Ciaran's(Herron I mean here) book who has always let his hurling, and football when playing football, do the talking. A man with a lot of ability who by continually doing nothing but acting the b*****s is letting it go to waste. The man spends more time in club matches moaning at referees than playing football. He didn't do that in the sigerson for he knew McGuckin would haul him straight off.

[Glensman]

Won't go into a full match report but suffice to say that the Cargin St Pauls match was a pretty dire affair all round. Anyone in attendance from St Galls and to a lesser extend Creggan must be rubbing their hands.

The weather was not far off perfect to be honest, a bit of damp on the ground but a decent enough pitch at Ahoghill and a slight breeze.

The standard was pretty shocking all round (with the exception of Michael McCann who, for about 15 minutes in the 2nd half, lit the game up with a few great catches and by simply taking more than one second before hoofing the ball away).

Cargin were most definitely the superior team, better on the ball and better skills generally but I think they became complacent with everyone thinking someone else was going to step up and stick over a couple. They were too interested in diving (Eoin O'Neill looked like a sniper had taken him out a couple of times) and their big lump of a midfielder (Eddie?) was too interested in hitting boys late/off the ball. The one time he actually went on a solo and struck a pass through in the first half it was a great ball through from which they got a point.

Mc Greevy pulled off a couple of great saves in the first half.

I can't see St Pauls troubling either St Galls/Creggan to be honest. They were pretty limited on the ball. In fariness to them they were tough tackling and crowded Cargin out a few times but outside of that they didn't offer much.
I think it was Joe O'Neill who came on for them and he added a bit of class that had been lacking.

Someone said to me after it it throws the draw wide open. It doesn't. It just means St Galls are that one step nearer.

[Balboa]

Milltown....I hear the St Galls and Lamh Dhearg boys were boxing in the town on Friday night after the match. Anyone shed any light?