Messages

Ah, no silage to cut or ewes to rear, that explains it...

I would attribute part of their success to their pick as well though.

St Pats Maghera has basically the whole of south derry plus more to be honest as you see dungiven and banagher boys at that school so in essence it has players from every hurling club in derry.

CBS probably has the pick of the Belfast clubs. There is La Salle and a few others that get small numbers of players.

Garron Tower really only has Cushendall ,and just for you Balboa, and Glenariff as hurling strongholds. You could argue small picks of Cushendun / Ballycastle. Cross and Passion would have Ballycastle and some of Loughgiel - though I've never heard of too many Dunloy boys there. St Louis should have Dunloy and Loughgiel and a few Cushendall ones. In each of those three schools you can see a split between clubs which you can't see anywhere near as much of in South Derry or Belfast.

However even so you would have expected more from the Belfast clubs with their schools success.

Developing talent at schools is important.

However for all St Mary's success from the late 90s / early 2000s it doesn't appear to have progressed Belfast hurling as much as you would have thought it would.

There's a junior semi too.

I recall talking to a boy who played in it for northbrook the other year and the team they played was a Cork team who had Johnny Crowley, I think, and a Cork boy Cronin playing for them. Seems like a different standard down there!

Looks like Antrim are going to make an application to play in the munster shc.

Liam Richmond is one that's hard to mark too though I think he may have slowed a bit with that back injury.

Does Eoin McCloskey still play at all for Loughgiel? They would strike me as not having any wise old heads. I assume that's Eddie in midfield? It's a big position for one so young but he seems to have plenty of ability. The other McCloskey is very young for a big day too but he seems useful.

I'm looking forward to this game. I'm not too bothered who wins it but you will see people going mental in the stands given the rivalry between the two - plus having sat beside Loughgiel people on the last few final days their nerves are generally pretty bad no matter who they play but playing Dunloy will multiply them by a few times. I wish I could say I was looking forward to the football but seems a foregone conclusion.

It should be an interesting game and I'm looking forward to it much more than the football I have to say.

Dick O'Kane v Johnny Campbell should be a good battle though I think Dick might have a wee bit too much guile for them.

Who will mark Liam Richmond - Loughgiels full back is a bit young maybe...

Then on the other end you have Joey Scullion, Watson and the other fella who scored big in the semi - Laverty was it? - to be marked. I imagine Mullan will get Watson as discussed bu am not too sure on the other two.

Midfield should be interesting too.

Dunloy by 3...

this made me so hard.

?

In the, 2002 I think, world cup turkey played brazil and rivaldo was at the corner flag waiting on the ball. A turkey player drove it at him and it hit him about the knees somewhere. Rivaldo went down holding his face. Nothing was done about it at all!!

Dida was an embarassment. I'd be interested to read Milan's team news at the weekend to see if he's available. He undoubtedly will be!!

We have a small population but in addition to that we have a large number of sports getting peoples attentions which probably doesn't help.

Hurling, football, soccer, hockey and rugby seem to be ones that would get the crux of people with hockey being in the minority of that group. Look at some of the great GAA teams - you could have got world stars in some of those sports from some of them boys. Also for ladies football / camogie seem to be predominant.

Athletics is a poor second best in the country. You get clubs here and there but , for example, in a lot of rural areas there is nothing for miles. The investment in athletics in comparison to the UK is very small. Soccer -likewise - has no clubs in a lot of rural areas so again a lot of untapped resource.

Basically ask yourself this - in the area where you are from did you have the opportunity to try your hand and develop at many sports? I'd bet not. Most areas are specific to rugby / GAA / soccer. Most of us are pigeon holed.

Don't get me wrong I grew up playing football and I wouldn't have it any other way but there was no scope for anyone in any other sports.

It's very hard to see anything other than a St Galls win. Portglenone have some decent players granted but none of them seemed to ever make the cut of county football whereas St Galls have quite a few who have.

In saying that I think Portglenone have capable enough defenders so young CJ won't score anything like 2-7 and it should be tighter than the Creggan game. I'd love to see Portglenone win, no offense Milltown, but I just can't see it.

They will BC.

The intermediate is usually tight enough for Antrim teams as you're up against Armagh's best and Donegal's best but it should be within their ability. GNM won it last year and Glenarriffe the year before. Not too sure of the dates/schedules for it though.

Hungry I'm no expert but I'd very much doubt a Diamond started out at Lavey.

Whatever happened to bograt - he was the best player at his age for Dunloy and now I don't see him in football or hurling...

I actually remember being at that game. Gary O'Kane left footed free taker and wee Eamon McKee playing too if I mind rightly.

Blondie Gallagher beat youse that day if I mind rightly. Then Cargin got beat in the final by St Pauls.

Not too many starters there though max...

If all your hurlers played football over the years you'd have had some fine football teams. Pity your football suffered on account of the hurling. Dick O'Kane, Gary O'Kane, patch, Conor Cunning, Elliots etc. would have been very handy footballers.

Anyone seen a show called dexter on the channel fx?

It's meant to be very good and given there's nothing but tripe on at the minute seeing I've seen Heroes and Lost is off could be worth a try.