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Last 4 of the SFC are from the south west, obviously the semi finals will be held in the locality with Dunsilly being a sure bet for one of them at least. But the final, should it be the same? Or is it all hands up to the city again? 1 final appearance from city teams in 8 years now...

Last time Cargin and Creggan played they had it in St Endas so you never know.

I don't think anyone hates them.

If anything I've been impressed at the work they have done in their club. They are making strides in hurling and camogie which is good to see.

Belfast esp. needs more camogie as its dying badly in the city. Sarsfields have made a good push this past few years and will, in all likelihood win the junior championship and progress to intermediate level - to back up their promotion to Division 2.

I hate them

If you call any young professional that moves to the city transferring to them as the club putting work in fair enough

It's just a pity they were only beat by 1pt. Bigger shower of gurns and ganches you'll never meet.

I had to bite my tongue over this PJ at the game.

I have been to a lot of games in my life and experienced some mouth pieces along the way - on our own side included - but i am glad never to have to listen to the SB fans again.

Every call was wrong, every foul their own players committed was an injustice. The ref was in Dunloy's pay roll, he was a member of our club, he loves country clubs etc. etc. etc.

My favorite movement was the man who walked past me (and had done this pacing up and down the grass bank for most the game complaining) to tell me that the latest call by the ref was 'absolutely incredulous, incredulous i tell you'.

I didnt even know what to say to him other than laugh. I wanted to tell him to fuk up and get back to that fence again but it just made me laugh too much

Middle class entitlement, everything for them is correct, everything against them is wrong.

Most hated club in Antrim for a reason

Not much chat of the Cargin result, saying all predictors were giving a Dunloy win. Bet if it was the other way it would be the chat of the board Cargin finished etc........They havn't gone away yeno.

On another note and nothing to do with the Cargin game just from being at different games this weekend, but the advantage rule isn't an advantage rule, its a second chance.
Soccer do the advantage rule correct if there's a foul ref plays advantage if you get a shot away that was your advantage. Football you get a free shot at goal and if you miss you get the free, the length of time the advantage is allowed to run for too is insane.   

last weekend there was 8 SFC games if you were to attend all you would have to attend 8 different venues (which with the home/away netural venue thats fair enough) you would have had to pay £56 with zero season pass to enter all championship games available.

In comparsion Derry last week 8 SFC games if you wanted to catch all games, you had to travel to 1 venue. you would have had to pay £25 with an option of a season pass which gets you into every game and allows you to stream and rewatch every game.

If anyone has ventured to any other counties for their SFC is it as dear as antrim is?

What happens if, Aghagallon beat Bridgits and ahoghill beat st pauls.

Gallon would have h2h over bridgits
Ahoghill would have h2h over Gallon
Bridgits would have h2h over Ahoghill

all teams on 4 points, does h2h go out the window and it comes down to score difference?

I think Dunloy will win SFC this year

We've heard this story before yet whenever they meet a serious contender they've been threw out of the way like twigs in a storm both physically and tactically.  No surprise about beating St Johns but the size of the defeat is worth taking a 2nd glance at.

Perhaps this year will be different. No better time to meet Cargin than in the group stages where there is less riding on it. The likes of St Brigids would be a very different animal to a St John's side that just need put out of their misery.

Its pointless anyway debating. Cargin at a Canter again this year,  let's be honest,  who has any realistic chance of beating them?

I don't see Cargin winning it this year. It's between the Ulster select crowd and Creggan.

You'll have to show your working out son. Can't see anyone getting close to Cargin. The only team in Antrim that can beat Cargin is.....Cargin.

Cargin nearly at full strength just got by TNN , in fairness I heard they missed plenty of chances but TNN were right in the game until maybe the last 10 minutes.

Glenravel , Johnnies both better sides than TNN so I can see why people are seeing past Cargin after PG1 and Dunloy beat both these sides easily also Creggan seeing off Ballymena relatively easily.

Correct me if I am wrong about Cargin being full strength and I know it is just the first group game but a lot of teams look like they have closed the gap , can never write Cargin off but certainly not as confident this year as previous.

What you should be worried about is cargin played poor and won easy. Everyone predicting everyone but Cargin so then in the off chance Cargin dont win they can wave their flag, but if they do go onto to win it everyone will be saying "sure that was always going to happen"

As previously stated the only club in Antrim that can beat Cargin is Cargin

PG1 Lucky there's no FFP in the gaa, bradley gilligan and hampsey 50k wouldnt look at it...

Have the county board started the hunt for a new manager?

It is early to be looking but im sure they would want to give the manager a chance to watch the club championship.

[You can also field intermediate and junior teams the same that happens in many counties]

Creating 5 super clubs in west Belfast should bring county championships to the city. If that is what you see as important in the GAA.

Losing a vast amount of players to other sports because they couldn't get a game of football or hurling is not my idea of success however.

You don't grow a sport by greatly reducing the number of available playing opportunities. There are a lot of players in west Belfast who are getting enjoyment from playing our games, be it Junior football, reserve, South Antrim. In my view, that's what our association was founded to do.

And if the 5 super clubs aren't cutting the mustard anymore, I imagine the great plan would be to reduce the number of clubs towards 1?

Why stop at Belfast? Outside of Cargin, we have had only 1 SW championship winner in over 50 years. Do we combine all of those SW teams down to 5 as well?

- Dublin (city) have 27 clubs for 600k population
-The have mass numbers of teams across each age group so you wouldn't be reducing access or cutting numbers. It would likely have the opposite impact on participation. There would be bigger numbers taking part
-You can also field intermediate and junior teams the same that happens in many counties


This model drives participation and engagement underage
Promotes and develops better use of limited resources
Caters for all levels and abilities
Drives high performance (for those who want it) at elite level
It would also most likely increase the county success

It's always failed me as to why Antrim don't look to Dublin as the model of success for all things GAA. That's including Gaelfast as a strategy. Why did we reinvent the wheel?

Regardless of the funds put into Dublin, their model works for urban GAA success and this is clear to see on both hurling a football fronts in Club and County


If you look at the development and plans within SW clubs, the numbers they have underage per team. you'll see that it's more future proofing that's all

You can pick out the small details and find the ifs buts and maybes but it's hard to argue against the concept in its totality

Can't do it in Antrim for some strange reason Cargin res got 5 games last year, better this year with 9 but seems to be Bride's have played all their games with 11 played. But nearly every team in the Div 1 Res league have nearly played a different amount of games. Don't see why clubs who can field every week in reserves are not allowed to enter teams into senior leagues.

Its allowed in Hurling within the county, but why not football?

I get what you are saying but you are adding these players to a group of high quality players who are approaching the end of their careers. Once they go the quality goes with them, it is fair play to them that they have made this model work.

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Cargin have been in 23 finals in the past 38 years, how long do you think this group of 'high quality players' have been around?


[/quote]

Was just about to point this out   

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

See this is the difference in Cargin and other clubs. Although Cargin have been at the top of the tree now for a few years now but when St Galls were the main team Cargin were still always second best, since probaly 1995 (or earlier) Cargin have been one of the top 2 teams. But we have not always been the strongest at Juvenile one or two good teams through the years back to back minor championships 2019/2020. But what makes the difference Cargin will get as many senior players from a bad minor team as they get from a good Minor team.

You don't need a conveyor belt of minor championships, you need a conveyor belt of 3/4 good players in every team to develop through to senior teams.

You can count PG1 out of the championship now. Cargin got stuck in and hit them hard they lay down and threw away a 6 point lead.

By laying down i literally mean it, their full back caught the ball and looked like something out of the premier league he let out this cry and held his hand to his face. Collie to his credit was having none of it he fisted it to david johnston who stuck it in the net. Embarrassing stuff.

Everything goes through their blow in he is their only threat in the forward line if he gets injured they wont make it out of the group. Outside of McKeever they were full strength, BS is playing it off if i was a PG1 man id be very worried.

Who are the top refs in the county ? is there a ranking as to who gets big games or what way does it work?

Theres a ranking system.

Whoever takes Toland on the most Coffee dates throughout the season.
Minimum of 10 or he does the final himself.

If it happens 2 or more take him on the same amount of dates it will then go to the Ref who spent most money buying coffees for him.

If that ref happens to be from a club in the final it will go to the ref who took Brendan on the 2nd most dates.

And so its an easy system to follow.

Upwards of a minute? Wise up. Parke was grand yesterday, and no scrums on show! Gave a yellow instead of the most blatant black card you'll ever see for Cargins penalty (which we missed anyway) but apart from that he had a decent game.

St Brigids impressive enough too, could make for a good game come the business end, hopefully it won't take 20 odd minutes for a score.

I can recall at least 2 scrums. Never said he had a bad game making the point that he needs to be pulled for letting the scrums happen for much longer than they should before a game ends in a brawl that he is in charge of.