Messages

1

Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 09, 2019, 12:22:22 AM »

Great to see that win tonight. After a shaky first quarter where we gifted them most of their scores, it was encouraging to see Antrim players driving at the Louth defence, taking men on, breaking tackles, making smart passes and working either a score or drawing a foul. In the second half when a Louth assault might have been expected, we pushed on from the throw in and grabbed control of the game.

Haven't seen as positive a performance in the Championship in a very long time, too long. And yes there were mistakes tonight for sure, around some decision making, and handling....but overall this was a brilliant performance.The desire and commitment was at times matched by skill and smart play, some of the passes into the forward line were 100% accurate and they usually led to scores. Some of our points were absolute top drawer as were the two goals.

Fair play to this squad and management. After a difficult league and heavy USFC defeat it might have been easy to drop the head and exit meekly. They have done the opposite.

2

Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 05, 2019, 10:49:17 PM »

If the tiered system runs in parallel to the existing provincial championship, and grade 2 or B only kicks in after a lower level team gets their fair crack at the provincial, then it can work. I don’t think there was too much wrong with the old Tommy Murphy Cup. We reached 2 finals in a row, winning it in 2008, the year before reaching the Ulster Final and winning first of 2 successive promotions.

We broke our dismal Ulster Championship sequence in 2000, year after winning the old All Ireland B Championship.

Surely those 2 wins can be seen as having had some part in the subsequent successful seasons?

Under the Tommy Murphy Cup format our match this weekend would be in the 2nd tier, in a completion we could compete in.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: May 02, 2019, 11:30:49 PM »

Just to back up comments on Saffron Gael - superb really. I hope those involved are getting something out of it, I know individuals and clubs can sponsor, buy ads etc. Keep it up folks.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: April 05, 2019, 01:11:00 PM »

Big miss indeed, Mark's commitment levels over recent years beyond reproach. But really its not hard to understand, from two games into the league the footballers faced training multiple times per week with promotion off the agenda and a championship match v Tyrone to come. I am sure it was not an appealing prospect.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 23, 2019, 11:02:40 PM »

No

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 15, 2019, 11:21:52 PM »

McCabe not available?

We’ve not contested a final in a few years, we’d be well down on the pecking order at county level. Creggan the johnnies, Cargin and Lamhs are the new kingpins.

Add in your up and coming teams like  Endas and that’s our future

It’s hardly a ‘must win’; group games in the McKenna Cup carry more weight than this. The points do nothing to either team.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 14, 2019, 11:25:47 PM »

Gaelfest is one plan, leadership has changed very recently so that needs time to flourish. The schools have had varied attempts to improve on their worth but unfortunately not enough kids are interested, so if you’ve not got them at primary school level then they are completely lost come secondary school!

A Belfast league? The reason we go all county is to give kids more games, the reason these games aren’t played can be as you’ve mentioned is schools, exams and so on, one other reason is having games on a Friday night, where travel to Ballycastle is difficult, the sensible fixture should be Belfast games should be during the week while weekend games should be against teams from 30 plus miles away..

 how can soccer be played ever weekend on grass pitches from August through to May?! Should we look at changing the dates ?

Rugby at juvenile level is only played at school level competition wise in the north, they don’t play for clubs as such until they play for senior clubs or old schools clubs.

At a leadership level putting measures in place quickly to change current systems is harder than we think I’d imagine. If someone put your proposal in place and it didn’t work then where do we go?

The beauty of being a member of a club is you can put these proposals to your club committee and they can bring that to the county.

There is something worth looking at in the idea of a Belfast league, maybe as a pre regular league competition or at the end of the playing calendar. Even a south Belfast league would be worthwhile as a mini competition

8

Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 10, 2019, 10:17:01 PM »

I hope the players aren’t doing 5 sessions a week with the county. I’m no expert but that would surely be wildly excessive.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 10, 2019, 05:31:00 PM »

Just disapointed as a fan that we went from a resurgence of sorts 10 yrs ago for a few years to the bottom. Those days in Clones, Tullamore and Newbridge were class....like we suddenly had a proper county team. Besting Meath in Div 2 at Casement.

Kerry football fans are notoriously demanding re their team.  Here we dont have radio shows discussing our team or holding the mgt to account...we have about 5 of us who care on Gaaboard discussing it

Very well said and this sums it up for me. Jeez, for a few years there I never missed a match. My kids, admittedly they are older now and more wordly wise, pestered me to go to every game, with no worries about distance. And we went - some brilliant days and nights  that I hoped were the start of something, rather than the effing highlight of a lifetime supporting the Saffrons. Now I can barley convince myself to go to Corrigan. On my own.

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: March 06, 2019, 09:51:14 AM »

Maybe the more expensive option would make it more attractive to play for the county.

How? What could be done that isn't being done? Really? I can think of absolutely nothing and certainly nothing that would stop a fella committing. Have you any examples of how spending more money on the team set up would attract the mythical better players?

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: January 27, 2019, 10:11:47 PM »

Yes, agreed Bannside. I went along today in trepidation but in truth it was a much more positive performance than I had expected. Very unlucky to not get the draw; thought after the penalty save the ref could have blown and no one too disappointed. Even after their winning point we had two spells of possession but made the wrong decisions on the ball.

But there was much to take heart from. Three of today’s games in the division ended in 1 point margins so it’s gong to be a tight division. Hopefully the boys take confidence from today into the Wexford game.

12

Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 09, 2018, 11:18:00 PM »

Ok, fair enough. What do you think is the answer to that question? I wasn't at today's match so can't really comment in detail. But take say the drawn league game v Wicklow which was really the damaging game in terms of promotion. Should a member of the county board come on to take the last, late free to win the game? Who, the treasurer, or vice Chairman? Or in the championship game v Down...should the Chairman have pressed up on the Down kickouts, or maybe the PRO? 

Sorry man, but sniping from the sidelines is just poor form. We are all hurting today, course we are. But throwing blame on the night of two defeats is no good to anyone.
 

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 09, 2018, 09:54:53 PM »

So what are your questions then?

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Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 09, 2018, 09:31:30 PM »

Go ahead Sportacus. Ask away. Now is the time to blame our Co Board on Carlow and Waterford winning matches and on SF / DUP not doing a deal to get into Government and make a planning decision on Casement. That  Saffron Vision shower. Bringing millions of euro into the development of our games, putting the Gaelfast project in place. Who do they think they are?

15

Antrim / Re: Antrim Football Thread

« on: June 06, 2018, 04:11:46 PM »

Well unless Diarmuid Connolly has re-aLigned himself as a Saffron we probably have fairly limited options. The lads who are there have done the work, will hopefully amend the system accordingly and give it a lash. There's no point going down tamely in a narrow, tight, dour match.