Messages

My team and Panel

Chris o Connell

Ryan McCambridge, Cormac Donnelly, Aaron Graffin

Neal McAuley, Conor McKinley, Kevin Molloy

Ciaran Johnson, Mark McFadden

Eddie McCloskey, Neil McManus, Paul Shiels

Ciaran Clarke, Liam Watson, Shane McNaughton

Ryan McGarry, Michael Bradley, Odhran McFadden, Stephen Shannon
Simon McCrory, Conor mcclelland, Jackson McGreevy, Eoghan Campbell
Tony McCloskey, Stephen McAfee, PJ o Connell
Shea Casey, Dan McCloskey, Conor Carson, Saul McCaughan

Also i would want Antrim to to look at entering a 2nd team into the Intermediate Hurling Championship, were you may be able to get a few more players through for the following year, like the way the bigger counties seem to do.

Players i would look to go to this team would be:

Eoin Gillan, Martin Burke, Paddy Burke, Paddy McGill, Cormac McClafferty and Christy McNaughton - Ruairi Og
Ronan McCloskey, Tiernan Coyle, James Campbell, James McNaughton and Maol Connolly - Loughgiel
Kevin McKeague, Nicky McKeague and  Nigel Elliott - Dunloy
Ciaran Butler, Matthew Donnelly,  James McShane, Eoin McAlonan and Shane Jennings - Ballycastle
Conor McCann and Thomas McCann - Creggan
Darren Hamill - Glenarm
Tomas O'Ciarnan - St Galls
Daniel Mckernan, Kevin McKernan and Niall McKenna - Sarsfields
Stephen Beattie, Michael Armstrong, Gerard Walsh, Deaglan Murphy and Seaghnan Shannon - Rossa
Michael Dudley and Conor Johnston - St Johns

Has anybody's U16 club coaches complaining about the lack of league fixtures? League starts on Easter Monday and no hint of fixtures on the horizon!!!

Awful result. Moral victories are for nothing. Antrim hurling has not improved one bit in 3 years. Sport is a results business and were not getting them. We'll struggle with Kerry and Westmeath and by rights deserve to be in 2a next year

Eoin Gillan from Cushendall called up as Chris O'Connell is carrying a slight injury.

On the Antrim Gaa board a while back, the question was asked about relegation from division 1 and promotion from division 2 and the moderator replied 2 will leave division 1,and no one will come up 

My Antrim team if everyone was injury free, committed and toed the line

Chris o Connell

Ryan McCambridge
Cormac Donnelly
Aaron Graffin

Neal McAuley
Conor McKinley
Kevin Molloy

Ciaran Johnson
Mark McFadden

Eddie McCloskey
Neil McManus
Paul Shiels

Ciaran Clarke
Liam Watson
Shane McNaughton

Ryan McGarry
Michael Bradley
Odhran McFadden
Stephen Shannon
Simon mccrory
Conor mcclelland
Jackson McGreevy
Eoghan Campbell
Tony McCloskey
Stephen McAfee
PJ o Connell
Shea Casey
Dan McCloskey
Conor Carson
Saul McCaughan

Total and utter disgrace that St John's won't field tonight in U21 Championship, all because 3 players went on a jolly to America.

Between having meetings with wee Joe to get match off because off Feile, then because of pitch availability, then asking Kevin Ryan to get it postponed due to county fixtures, then finally an injury crisis on morning of the match, unreal!!

I think they should get fined to the hilt and banned from this competition for the next few years. Pure awful decision in not fielding and anyone who says they shouldn't, well that tells another story

Does anyone know the way relegation works from NHL1B?  If Antrim finish bottom (which i presume is gonna happen)  do they get relegated straight off, or do they play a relegation playoff?

Liam has undoubted ability, and is on his day is one of the best forwards in Ulster.

If he transfers to another intercounty team, then this means he has to have a permanent address in that county and also needs to transfer to a club in that county.

Also if i'm not mistaken, he also needs to play a championship match for his club in his adopted county before he can hurl intercounty.

I can't see this happening, so i'd Liam will be hurling for Loughgiel come September.

Sarsfields lads do ok?

In my opinion, were both a bit out of their depth but would like to see more of them.

McKernan was deployed as 3rd midfielder and it didnt seem to work for him.  McKenna linked well at times but lacked a bit of composure 

I was at the match today and I couldn't understand Antrim's tactics at all.  With the wind in the 1st half we played a 2 man full forward line and played a natural corner forward in midfield.  A few times we had chances for shots at the posts from 50-60 yards but we decided to pump ball continually into the wexford full back line and with the spare man there, the ball got cleared easily.

Then when Clarkie got took off, Mattie Donnelly went to c3q's and Conor Carson went into full forward line, which I think was a bad call by the sideline cause Lee Chin came well into the game and Conor Carson effect on the game waned.

When Wexford went down to 14 men (think decision was softish) we still let Wexford have a free man in the back line and we had 2 men spare who basically done nothing productive at all round the middle of the field.

I didnt see many positives at all today, apart from Woody, Ciaran Johnston, Conor Carson and Shorty from the team that started and Conor Johnstom and Eoghan Campbell when introduced went well.

Wexford were there for the taking we were very, very poor.  i think a long hard season is in store for the lads.

Club all stars - antrim Div 1 Hurling

DD Quinn

Ding Gillan
Neil McGarry
Martin Burke

Odhran McFadden
Conor McKinley
Ryan McCambridge

Mark McFadden
Eoghan Campbell

Paul Shiels
Conor Carson
Eddie McCloskey

Benny McCarry
Joey Scullion
Liam Watson

This is my opinion please don't kill me

I stand by what I said the league will improve - ruairi og will probably be missing 6 starters from our strongest team if county players aren't there for league games. We have put a lot of work in at underage and our reserves were unbeaten last year so it gives our younger senior panelists a chance to stake a claim on the team and get a consistent run of games in a competitive setting of Div 1.

this will lead to the standard improving of our squad (hopefully) and give our manager plenty of headaches come the business end of the season. If all clubs approach it the same way it can only improve each squad and then this will knock on to the league and then may have a knock on to the county set up.

I say this because some players can maybe 'hide' when the county men are playing in any club team as they are usually the leaders of the team, no other graded players will need to step up and lead from the front if no county players are present.

Re the new league proposals for Div 1.

The reason my club decided on putting this proposal in is for the following reasons:

Some teams struggled to play all 18 league matches last season.

With county players away from mid April to mid July, it means teams can play on without county players and know when the 2nd phase kicks in they will have their county players on board.

All games will mean something instead of some league games being boring and mediocre

Finally, it should improve div 1 in general, as the first 9 games will dictate we're ull be after the split so if u wanna be in top 5 you should be busting a gut and be prepared to mix with the top boys!!

Also, when talking to the guy who tabled the motion from my club he didn't once mention a north antrim elite, his main concern was the improvement of hurling in div 1, and he didn't consider div 2 - 4 as it has no concern to him as his team does not play in them leagues!!

Was just wondering who the new faces are on the Senior hurling panel this year?

I have heard rumours that the McCloskey clan from Loughgiel have not been asked back.  Anybody know if there is any substance to this as well?