Antrim Hurling

[imtommygunn]

Great result. Especially after losing McManus so early.

[marty34]

Great result for Antrim. Best team in league all year. Playing in better league will bring them on really well.

This is more important than Joe Mc Donagh but now it's out of the way, they'll be under no pressure and can give it a good rattle.

[Milltown Row2]

Was a polished performance from the guys. Outstanding scores and matched a Kerry team that have given us our fill of it for a few seasons!

Lost Neil After his first run for the ball, big loss and to come off so quickly I'll be hoping it's not to bad

[ciaran1988]

Great result and performance against what is a very dogged Kerry team. We were far superior than the 3 point win suggested. Gave away two soft goals but other than that our defence seemed well on top our half back line immense and up top the work rate of our forwards and scores was class all this with losing our talisman early on. Today was more important than the Joe McDonagh cup but this will instill great confidence into our lads for the upcoming games. Here's to division 1 hurling next year and who knows maybe a trip to come this year to Croke Park on all ireland final day. Up the Saffs

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

great performance from the lads yesterday. Really impressed with how we played and dealt with each of the Kerry goals and how they responded to it t get a goal back themselves.

Losing Neil never seemed to hinder us at all. i was surprised he started considering he hasn't hurled much this season but we have the players there now who can step up. Hopefully hes back again for the JMcD Cup matches

Coby was fantastic up front and so was James McNaughton when he came out of the corner. Even bigger bonus was now we have two accurate free takers on the forward line with Neil missing.

Overall we looked the better team and fully deserved the win. Division 1 next year and some really good games to look forward to.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

[NAG1]

Great result. Especially after losing McManus so early.

To be honest I actually think this helped the performance. Meant we had to go with quick ball into the faster forwards and let the game flow.

Both teams better up front than at the back, but we were definitely the better team comfortably I thought.

Some great pieces of play throughout the match.

[Milltown Row2]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

Without the minor finalists teams available then we'd be naturally short of our better players

[up the rovers]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

Without the minor finalists teams available then we'd be naturally short of our better players

It was u-17 so a lot of the better minors are too old. Loughgiel had 1 player on the team/panel Ballycastle had none, not sure what that was about but last year at U-16 Glenarriffe and Rossa were the dominant sides, particularly Glenariffe who won the McMullen cup and the championship, both sides had lots of players on the panel and in Rossas case in the starting 15.
I watched the second half myself and it was poor enough although the red card was harsh

[clootfromthe21]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

Serious question - when was the last time that Antrim beat a minor team from outside Ulster? We got to the final in 1940 so presumably we beat someone to get there. But other than that?

Even our "good" team of two years in the mid 2000s - McManus, Graffin, Hippy Donnelly, Shanebo, McAuley, Shiels etc - didnt win one, although they were terribly unlucky against Limerick and a bit unlucky against Galway

[imtommygunn]

Leinster either very late 70s or early eighties I would imagine. I think we competed in Leinster then.

We were unlucky against I think tipp? the year Brian mcfall was a minor. Must have been 95 or so? From memory Kieran Kelly playing and maybe Conor cunning if I mind right?

[north_antrim_hound]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

Serious question - when was the last time that Antrim beat a minor team from outside Ulster? We got to the final in 1940 so presumably we beat someone to get there. But other than that?

Even our "good" team of two years in the mid 2000s - McManus, Graffin, Hippy Donnelly, Shanebo, McAuley, Shiels etc - didnt win one, although they were terribly unlucky against Limerick and a bit unlucky against Galway

That good minor team got more work and training than any team since 1940. Fair dues to woods and sambo for putting in the work and raising the money to go down south and play all those challenge matches. What's the chances Kildare got some good matches in for preparation.

[clootfromthe21]

Leinster either very late 70s or early eighties I would imagine. I think we competed in Leinster then.

We were unlucky against I think tipp? the year Brian mcfall was a minor. Must have been 95 or so? From memory Kieran Kelly playing and maybe Conor cunning if I mind right?

You are quite right - Antrim got to a Leinster minor final in 1979 when they were beaten by Kilkenny. I think Niall Patterson and a couple of others on the 1989 team were on that team.

Buit the general point still stands - we have been (generally) woefully uncompetitive at minor and indeed under 21 level (save for the victory over Wexford in 2013) - for our entire history.

[imtommygunn]

Yeah you aren't wrong. I was just thinking out loud. I do think we were robbed against limerick mind you but that would just be the one game.

[johnnycool]

did anyone watch the minor game on sat?

I sat through the most of it and to be honest we looked very poor. I think it was actually U17 was it rather than minor?

Even still we looked way off the pace against an average Kildare side.

Without the minor finalists teams available then we'd be naturally short of our better players

It was u-17 so a lot of the better minors are too old. Loughgiel had 1 player on the team/panel Ballycastle had none, not sure what that was about but last year at U-16 Glenarriffe and Rossa were the dominant sides, particularly Glenariffe who won the McMullen cup and the championship, both sides had lots of players on the panel and in Rossas case in the starting 15.
I watched the second half myself and it was poor enough although the red card was harsh

That's the one upside of playing U17 club championships like we do, although for the year that's in it our county U17 management invited three of our lads who're U15 onto the panel without realising they were ineligible...........