Antrim Football Thread

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

i was at quite a few of the ulster games for st galls, st pauls, cargin etc over the years and you got to see some fantastic club sides in action.

But it was a great time to be following the team. yes there was the disappointment of not winning the All ireland through that period but its a time you would never have swooped for the journeys, matches, venues, nights away etc.

we have had a good run at underage for a while which has fed into the current senior team but its just a time game to see if it will reap the rewards again.

[johnnycool]

our first hurling championship win in 1990. i was only 13 at the time so didn't really full appreciate what it meant to the older people around me and how much the club desperately wanted to win it.

i was lucky enough to have been to every game that year right up to the All Ireland semi final against Glenmore in Nolan Park and witnessed that first piece of history and therein the next lot of years and the success it brought.

That breakthrough team reminds me so much of our team of the 2000, great mix of kids coming through with that older heads for experience! Great times and an exciting team to watch, not so much when playing against them!

Isn't that the truth. Some fine hurlers on that team and they played as a team.

Your heart always sank when Nigel Elliott trotted out to midfield and the corner back was sent with him and you standing in an acre of space with Ally Elliott or Greg O'Kane for company and Pappy pinging the ball straight to them no matter what you tried to do.
Chastening experience I can tell you.

They deserved an AI but alas it wasn't to be. Great time over a long duration.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

our first hurling championship win in 1990. i was only 13 at the time so didn't really full appreciate what it meant to the older people around me and how much the club desperately wanted to win it.

i was lucky enough to have been to every game that year right up to the All Ireland semi final against Glenmore in Nolan Park and witnessed that first piece of history and therein the next lot of years and the success it brought.

That breakthrough team reminds me so much of our team of the 2000, great mix of kids coming through with that older heads for experience! Great times and an exciting team to watch, not so much when playing against them!

Isn't that the truth. Some fine hurlers on that team and they played as a team.

Your heart always sank when Nigel Elliott trotted out to midfield and the corner back was sent with him and you standing in an acre of space with Ally Elliott or Greg O'Kane for company and Pappy pinging the ball straight to them no matter what you tried to do.
Chastening experience I can tell you.

They deserved an AI but alas it wasn't to be. Great time over a long duration.

i used to feel sorry for anyone having to mark Ally as he was that good. took serious punishment in his day from defenders but he never let it phase him.

I mind Gerard McGratten bursting onto the scene for Down with the helmet strap hanging loose and all us in training and matches wanting to copy him! lol ourselves and Ballygalget and Ballycran had some serious tussles over that period of time so much so that you knew that going into those grounds you were lucky to get a result.

think i remember us robbing Ballygalget in Corrigan one day in a semi final. no idea what year it was mind

[Belfast GAA man]

Who do we think will Be the football team of the next 5 years

- Cargin - more to come
- St Brides - 2 x u21 titles I think
- PG1 - young team
- Aghagallon - younger team with a few showing well for county
..................

[Milltown Row2]

Who do we think will Be the football team of the next 5 years

- Cargin - more to come
- St Brides - 2 x u21 titles I think
- PG1 - young team
- Aghagallon - younger team with a few showing well for county
..................

Cargin, minor champions and history

No tradition with the rest, so they could win the odd one here and there between them but these titles generally go with your 'bigger' teams.

You only have to look at the figures for previous 40 years? The Ports got to a few finals but came up short, new team now, Rossa might come good again, the Johnnies not great last year but will bounce back no doubt. Cargin still very hungry and not ageing as quick as people think. Lamhs will have felt very disappointed in themselves and will be close again.

Prediction. No winners this year! 

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

i put nothing into winning senior titles with minor titles. we have 2 of them in recent years but it wont translate into a senior/intermediate title.

the potential is there with what we had with the U21s but with the hurling being a stronger game it will always mean that football is a second code for them.

If we put our strongest 15 on the pitch id be more than confident of us holding our own in Div 1.

[johnnycool]

our first hurling championship win in 1990. i was only 13 at the time so didn't really full appreciate what it meant to the older people around me and how much the club desperately wanted to win it.

i was lucky enough to have been to every game that year right up to the All Ireland semi final against Glenmore in Nolan Park and witnessed that first piece of history and therein the next lot of years and the success it brought.

That breakthrough team reminds me so much of our team of the 2000, great mix of kids coming through with that older heads for experience! Great times and an exciting team to watch, not so much when playing against them!

Isn't that the truth. Some fine hurlers on that team and they played as a team.

Your heart always sank when Nigel Elliott trotted out to midfield and the corner back was sent with him and you standing in an acre of space with Ally Elliott or Greg O'Kane for company and Pappy pinging the ball straight to them no matter what you tried to do.
Chastening experience I can tell you.

They deserved an AI but alas it wasn't to be. Great time over a long duration.

i used to feel sorry for anyone having to mark Ally as he was that good. took serious punishment in his day from defenders but he never let it phase him.

I mind Gerard McGratten bursting onto the scene for Down with the helmet strap hanging loose and all us in training and matches wanting to copy him! lol ourselves and Ballygalget and Ballycran had some serious tussles over that period of time so much so that you knew that going into those grounds you were lucky to get a result.

think i remember us robbing Ballygalget in Corrigan one day in a semi final. no idea what year it was mind

That was 93 or 94.

We'd lost a few lads to suspension in the Down final and were that stuck that Graham ended up coming out of goals and was put in corner forward and put over two fantastic points in a matter of minutes still with his keepers hurl. Graham was a flying machine back in his day.

We couldn't close it out that day and were made pay by a team who knew how to win.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

our first hurling championship win in 1990. i was only 13 at the time so didn't really full appreciate what it meant to the older people around me and how much the club desperately wanted to win it.

i was lucky enough to have been to every game that year right up to the All Ireland semi final against Glenmore in Nolan Park and witnessed that first piece of history and therein the next lot of years and the success it brought.

That breakthrough team reminds me so much of our team of the 2000, great mix of kids coming through with that older heads for experience! Great times and an exciting team to watch, not so much when playing against them!

Isn't that the truth. Some fine hurlers on that team and they played as a team.

Your heart always sank when Nigel Elliott trotted out to midfield and the corner back was sent with him and you standing in an acre of space with Ally Elliott or Greg O'Kane for company and Pappy pinging the ball straight to them no matter what you tried to do.
Chastening experience I can tell you.

They deserved an AI but alas it wasn't to be. Great time over a long duration.

i used to feel sorry for anyone having to mark Ally as he was that good. took serious punishment in his day from defenders but he never let it phase him.

I mind Gerard McGratten bursting onto the scene for Down with the helmet strap hanging loose and all us in training and matches wanting to copy him! lol ourselves and Ballygalget and Ballycran had some serious tussles over that period of time so much so that you knew that going into those grounds you were lucky to get a result.

think i remember us robbing Ballygalget in Corrigan one day in a semi final. no idea what year it was mind

That was 93 or 94.

We'd lost a few lads to suspension in the Down final and were that stuck that Graham ended up coming out of goals and was put in corner forward and put over two fantastic points in a matter of minutes still with his keepers hurl. Graham was a flying machine back in his day.

We couldn't close it out that day and were made pay by a team who knew how to win.

yeah it was around that time we played you. i def mind the old stand was still there and we literally stole the game.

1990 we played in the final at casement and there was a fella playing corner forward with really long hair. cannot mind his name at all for the life of me.Would you rem who he was JC?

[johnnycool]

our first hurling championship win in 1990. i was only 13 at the time so didn't really full appreciate what it meant to the older people around me and how much the club desperately wanted to win it.

i was lucky enough to have been to every game that year right up to the All Ireland semi final against Glenmore in Nolan Park and witnessed that first piece of history and therein the next lot of years and the success it brought.

That breakthrough team reminds me so much of our team of the 2000, great mix of kids coming through with that older heads for experience! Great times and an exciting team to watch, not so much when playing against them!

Isn't that the truth. Some fine hurlers on that team and they played as a team.

Your heart always sank when Nigel Elliott trotted out to midfield and the corner back was sent with him and you standing in an acre of space with Ally Elliott or Greg O'Kane for company and Pappy pinging the ball straight to them no matter what you tried to do.
Chastening experience I can tell you.

They deserved an AI but alas it wasn't to be. Great time over a long duration.

i used to feel sorry for anyone having to mark Ally as he was that good. took serious punishment in his day from defenders but he never let it phase him.

I mind Gerard McGratten bursting onto the scene for Down with the helmet strap hanging loose and all us in training and matches wanting to copy him! lol ourselves and Ballygalget and Ballycran had some serious tussles over that period of time so much so that you knew that going into those grounds you were lucky to get a result.

think i remember us robbing Ballygalget in Corrigan one day in a semi final. no idea what year it was mind

That was 93 or 94.

We'd lost a few lads to suspension in the Down final and were that stuck that Graham ended up coming out of goals and was put in corner forward and put over two fantastic points in a matter of minutes still with his keepers hurl. Graham was a flying machine back in his day.

We couldn't close it out that day and were made pay by a team who knew how to win.

yeah it was around that time we played you. i def mind the old stand was still there and we literally stole the game.

1990 we played in the final at casement and there was a fella playing corner forward with really long hair. cannot mind his name at all for the life of me.Would you rem who he was JC?

Probably Philbin Savage.

Having long hair was the default setting back then 

[imtommygunn]

JC you're way older than I thought you were lol

Yeah those were good times hurling wise. Even our county teams were doing pretty well. I really enjoyed the league games back then when we were able to give a lot of teams a real rattle in casement and beat a lot of them bar them Tipp so and sos who we nearly beat bar Bobby Ryan lifting the ball and putting off our penalty taker in casement that time

[johnnycool]

JC you're way older than I thought you were lol

Yeah those were good times hurling wise. Even our county teams were doing pretty well. I really enjoyed the league games back then when we were able to give a lot of teams a real rattle in casement and beat a lot of them bar them Tipp so and sos who we nearly beat bar Bobby Ryan lifting the ball and putting off our penalty taker in casement that time

I was only a young cub back then and thrown in at the deep end against men with hairy arms and legs that I'd never seen the likes off before 
Brian Donnellys arms were thicker than my legs FFS.

We'd Tipp on the rack in Ballycran back in the day until a certain Nicky English went and told Babs Keating to put him on, the hoor came on in the last few minutes and scored 1-2..
Sean McGuinness then went and started a row in the Tipp changing room after the game over something Declan Carr had put in the papers at the time about setting up a special province for the likes of Antrim and Down and other lesser counties rather than give them a semi-final slot.
Cork we could never work with either. Kilkenny we'd beat in Nowlan park, Offaly a few times during those years, Clare once, and got close to Limerick in 96 in the Athletic Grounds and they went on to get to the AI final. Beating the likes of Laois, Dublin, Westmeath, Carlow and Kerry were a given back then...

Antrim may get back there but I can't see Down ever doing it again.

[imtommygunn]

Actually I think we beat Tipp in Cushendall this century.

Sounds like u14s when I fist started as a 12 year old and some boys came out to mark you with moustaches before I even knew what facial hair looked like

Dunno if either of us will get back there but we can only hope. The gap is widening.

We have never been able to work with Cork or Limerick. Limerick especially. We should have beat waterford one day in casement(and may have beat them I can't recall) but the ref needed a few guards round him to get off the field he was that bad.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Actually I think we beat Tipp in Cushendall this century.

Sounds like u14s when I fist started as a 12 year old and some boys came out to mark you with moustaches before I even knew what facial hair looked like

Dunno if either of us will get back there but we can only hope. The gap is widening.

We have never been able to work with Cork or Limerick. Limerick especially. We should have beat waterford one day in casement(and may have beat them I can't recall) but the ref needed a few guards round him to get off the field he was that bad.

when i was playing st pauls were the best team in the city. Kieran Killyleagh, the gamble brothers, Joe quinn were all playing then. i was only like a skinny wain and these lads were massive, all with facial hair when they were last year of u16 and me still and u14 with no pubes! lol

never understood how st pauls didnt translate that into senior success in the hurling as they were very good at underage level. football wise they did but not in hurling.

[imtommygunn]

It was a couple of your boys I was referring to DR  Ernie was a fully grown man by about 13 lol

Yeah St Pauls had some real good ones. Not sure Quinn played hurling at senior level if you're referring to them. The Gambles never seemed to play as much.

On another st pauls note that Ó Caireallain family seem very successful and were very handy hurlers too.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

It was a couple of your boys I was referring to DR  Ernie was a fully grown man by about 13 lol

Yeah St Pauls had some real good ones. Not sure Quinn played hurling at senior level if you're referring to them. The Gambles never seemed to play as much.

On another st pauls note that Ó Caireallain family seem very successful and were very handy hurlers too.

aye now he was always alot bigger than all of us at that stage.

they all played around U14, 16 and minor. towards U21 time they didnt play anymore. i rem marking Joe when i was still an U16 in a Minor championship match up in Dunloy. he was bloody massive compared to me. lol