Antrim Football Thread

[Mickey Linden]

Genuine question - How can St Johns not field a decent u16 team? Its a bad sign for Antrim football really when one of the cities biggest teams cant compete at u16 level in div 1. Are young people in the city going elsewhere to play football or are they just simply not playing GAA and choosing other sports instead?

[Gold]

Genuine question - How can St Johns not field a decent u16 team? Its a bad sign for Antrim football really when one of the cities biggest teams cant compete at u16 level in div 1. Are young people in the city going elsewhere to play football or are they just simply not playing GAA and choosing other sports instead?

Johns have been cleaning up at underage- Minor and U21.

One year without a Div 1 U16 team for them is not a concern.

Anyone heading to Brewster Park? I haven't been back since we played Armagh in McKenna Cup and kicked frees backwards all day. Last year was a great game but with ballers missing like  Mick, Tomas, Niblock and even Bam (was good in Brewster last year, not so much against Neil Magee) I don't know if I will bother. Good to see Kieran McGourty there but wish he and all our best players (mostly Galls) were there a few years ago fighting for places. We never once had all the best players pulling together at the one time--came close to it a few times but could never sustain it.

[SaffronHeart]

I'll be there. I go in the slimmest of hope rather than expectation. Hearing some discerning team injury news in regards to CJ and Murray plus no midfield which suggests we have a mammoth task v  a fully fit Fermanagh. This could well be one of the darkest years for Antrim with the hurlers potentially relegated to Christy Ring on Sunday. Antrim GAA is in dire straits and its sad to witness

[Farrandeelin]

Strong possibility I'll be at it as well as the OH is from Fermanagh. Are ye really that bad as the previous two posters suggest? How far off were Antrim from promotion? Fermanagh didn't look great in the Div 3 final either.

[country bumpkin]

Lotta noise in Portglenone last nite.....u there MR2.......pray tell.

[Gizzy15]

Genuine question - How can St Johns not field a decent u16 team? Its a bad sign for Antrim football really when one of the cities biggest teams cant compete at u16 level in div 1. Are young people in the city going elsewhere to play football or are they just simply not playing GAA and choosing other sports instead?

Cargin have been in Div 2 in Minor for the last few years and I may be corrected but are currently in 2B in Minor which is really Div3. don't hear anyone concerned for their future even though being at that level for more that 2 years suggests more problems (more that one weak batch) that a temporary 1 year drop to div2 at u-16. Just saying

[Points a Good Score]

Speaking to a few members of other clubs last night and all showed a large amount of apathy towards the referees in their particular games, is the standard of refereeing in the county at the minute a problem or is it simply a case of an easy target for blame?

I'm sure there are rules tests that must be passed before officiating at all levels but are there regular assessments or refresher courses to ensure all refs are up to speed.

Its a thankless task and our games wouldn't go on without them but there seems to be a worrying trend that some of these volunteers are being asked to take charge of games that are currently beyond their level.

[Gold]

Strong possibility I'll be at it as well as the OH is from Fermanagh. Are ye really that bad as the previous two posters suggest? How far off were Antrim from promotion? Fermanagh didn't look great in the Div 3 final either.

Antrim just missed out on promotion in a last day winner takes all away to Offaly. 2 days prior to that game our best player, Midfielder Mick McCann left the panel, having followed his brother, absolute flying machine and class act, game winning Tomas who left the panel a week or so before.

If we had all our best players we'd be fit to get promoted from Div 3 (never mind 4) and maybe battle to stay in Div 2. We never had due to various reasons and so basically play with a B or C team. We tore Fermanagh apart last year (only to sit back on a 10 point lead and just about hold on) but the players responsible for that performance decided not to play this year (their call as it's an amateur game but it's sad for supporters who feel pride seeing their county beating another).

We'll most likely be beaten by Fermanagh but be sitting there saying "you only beat our reserves, if we had our A team we'd win" --which is a shit and pathetic position to be in--we need to address the issues that make this the case, year on year, to ensure that it doesn't continue--or else what's the point in us having a (non ambitious) County Team at all.

Our support needs to get to Brewster but it's hard to support poor performances. I always went to all games and got laughed at for doing so. There's a real lack of pride in our county teams and ourselves. Suppose that can only change with winning ---the support we had in Ulster semi and then final in 2009 was unreal--first time we've ever had a proper support, on a par with any county in Ireland. But they all disappeared as quickly as they came. Proper support and pride in our team would drive players into wanting to represent their county--when 100 people and a dog turn up to watch a National League game it's a lot easier to walk away and leave a panel than if we had 8000 at each home game. Maybe getting/forcing all Primary/Secondary schools to bring (at least 1 per game) classloads to every home game in National League may boost numbers   

[Milltown Row2]

Lotta noise in Portglenone last nite.....u there MR2.......pray tell.

We are past it I tell ya, you never listen

[country bumpkin]

Well some of those oul guys can still throw the odd good punch......................I know it was the ref's fault.......................halos slipping.........Bannside will know.

[Milltown Row2]

Well some of those oul guys can still throw the odd good punch......................I know it was the ref's fault.......................halos slipping.........Bannside will know.

I know, we should be looking at Cargins great tradition of discipline , lol

[bannside]

St Galls looked awesome at times last night especially the Niblock Kelly and Ciaran Mc Gort  axis. They ran up a ten point lead but it was all Portglenone in the last quarter but the clock ran out. We had 12 players who were 22 or under, so all a learning curve. As a club we have nothing but respect for St Galls, but our young team feel that we can close that gap in the next few years and whether or not that happens we will encourage them to believe that.

[country bumpkin]

U sure can scrutinise Cargin's disciplinary record indeed Mr2 and consider the sanctions imposed ...and wonder why the goings on down in Portgenone on Wed nite in which the perimeter fence was ascended, hurls were swung withouta sliotar in sight, and most in attendance had a go does not warrant  such action as endured by those badm bad country gulpins.
Ah, I do beg ur pardon........sure it was the ref's fault and sure the Milltown dwellers all have halos.

[manballandall]

No doubt it will all be in the referees report

[bannside]

As rows go it was on the lower end of the scale CB. It had the potential to turn nasty but sensible parents close to the fracas got in quickly and pulled players apart. When you have two full teams and subs plus a few spectators all pulling and shoving it looked worse than it was but most players shook hands and despite a crowd which had assembled not one word was said to anyone as the teams left. Yes a St Galls supporter entered the pitch with a hurl but didn't swing it at anyone and it was taken from him by a Portglenone supporter.