Antrim Football Thread

[southderryman]

just dropping in to see your opinions on the forthcoming championship game.

Derry , without Bradley, should lack real potency in attack. If Muldoon can be denied goal chances in there I don't think they have forwards capable of hitting 3/4 points in a game and if they can stifle Gilligan they should cut off any good supply. Have yet to see Lynch do anything of real merit at intercounty level - hopefully I won't eat those words!

Optimistically - Antrim by two...

a lot of people are of the same impression that derry struggle for scores without PB. while admittedly he'll be missed, i do feel that derry sometimes play better without him in the side. it gives the other forwards a better chance to sparkle, because certainly in the last few years the only game plan has been get the ball into bradley at all cost. the other forwards rarely see the ball and when they do are under alot more pressure to do something with it.

i feel that with muldoon gilligan and devlin we have the players to get enough scores to suffice. lynch should also weigh in with a few and depending if they are selected james conway and barry mc goldrick are usually good for a couple of points.

anyways all the best and here's hoping for a decent game

[johnjoe]

Going by the Derry thread, Paddy Bradley looks to have won his appeal, and is technically available to play against us.

Question is will P. Crozier pick him, and after all he has been through, will PB return to the Derry set up this year?

Any word out there on our team yet?

[girt_giggler]

he said himself on the championship on bbc last night that he hasn't been training with the county for couple of weeks & if he won the appeal he wouldnt be expecting a start against antrim

[PlayWithTheWind]

i was told the team last night by a starter this sunday

[The Real SlimShady]

so was i.

a major surprise don't you think pwtw?! it was for me anyway.

[loughshore lad]

I see a lot of chat that two young cargin players will play for Antrim in defence on sunday - Justin Crozier and Kevin O'Boyle.
Do you reckon they will start slim? Do you think they are up to that level? Cant say I ever saw O'Boyle play although I read he got cargin player of the season last season? Crozier is a class act saw him play a few games last year - he reminds me of Henry Downey the way he carries the game to the oppposition.

[The Real SlimShady]

Crozier is a class act, he's starting alright. I suppose you're going to try and claim him a Tyrone man?! 

kevin has had a few injuries since the U21 final in December, but he'd fit into corner back without a problem. very tidy player.

[loughshore lad]

Crozier is a class act, he's starting alright. I suppose you're going to try and claim him a Tyrone man?! 

I dont think you can deny he is from Tyrone stock - is his father not from the Moortown?? 

[The Real SlimShady]

indeed, he's a Moortown man alright. if he plyed his Trade in Tyrone he'd start for you as well.

[loughshore lad]

indeed, he's a Moortown man alright. if he plyed his Trade in Tyrone he'd start for you as well.

He possibly would feature alright from what I have saw he looks the business.
I hope Antrim do the business on Sunday and take Derry - no other county rises the same sense of hatred in me than the oak leafers, cant stand them.
There will be plenty of Tyrone men on show anyway between Crozier and the Ballinderry contingent!

[CSC]

Slim
about O'Boyle, is there a real mean streak in Kevin. I didn't think there was. CB at county level need to have that nasty side to there game and I always though of him as an out and out footballer, great on the ball and VG positional sense and generally a classy footballer. I though that he would be more suited to a WHB role, napping up breaking balls and playing good balls into the forwards. What are your views

[The Real SlimShady]

i disagree with you saying that a mean streak is needed, to do what? knock Mickey Lindens teeth down his throat with an assault?!

CJ McGourty came on for St Galls in the c'ship last year against us at corner forward, after scoring a clinking point O'Boyle moved onto him and had him in his pocket that day. He played at CHB for our u21's and done very well, I'd still prefer him in the corner though.

[Maximus Marillius]

Tony Scullion won four All stars an All Ireland 3 natioanl Leagues and 6 Railway Cups. He was an outstanding corner back...he never left a hnad on you, he attacked the ball all the time with pace and postional play. Dont get me wrong, he was as tough as nails, but football was the game for him.

[CSC]

Fair point Maximus Marillius about Scullion, but at the same time I played against him a few times and when he hit you in a tackle, he didn't hold back. Fair hit but def tough.
Slim I don't mean that he has to know somebodys teeth out, but at a county level will he be able to put in those hard tackles.
My opion of Kevin was when he was playing against us at U-16-minor level, and in my view was the outstanding player on the pitch most times we met. Crozier was also very good, but O'Bolye had that extra bit of class about him at that age. He was always in the HB line and he just seemed a natural

[The Real SlimShady]

Kevin played forward at u16 for certain.

I'm against what you're saying, just because he hasnt this 'meanness' about him doesnt make him any worse defender. his tackling is second to none and a natural reader of the game. this makes up for not throwing weight about- those days are gone.