Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

I've been to many grounds over the years.... There's always going to be that.

Why anyone gets bothered about it is beyond me..

[marty34]

I've been to many grounds over the years.... There's always going to be that.

Why anyone gets bothered about it is beyond me..

What?

[Milltown Row2]

I've been to many grounds over the years.... There's always going to be that.

Why anyone gets bothered about it is beyond me..

What?

Steward's opening the gate, some may be officials and defo some 'mates' but it's nowt to get the knickers in a twist

[Oso]

Toss a coin for Owenbeg or Corrigan.
[/quote

Toss a coin for Owenbeg or Corrigan.

Nearly all ulster games used to be in casement. Was no home advantage back then!

I beg to differ and was pretty vocal on here at the time about the advantage afforded to the Antrim club champions who'd already had competitive club games there prior to playing the Derry or Down club champions.
And don't start me on the stewards etc etc who refused the disabled brother of three of our players a parking permit inside the ground only to be met by all the Dunloy team getting allowed to drive in past them.

Toss a coin for Owenbeg or Corrigan.
[/quote

Toss a coin for Owenbeg or Corrigan.

Nearly all ulster games used to be in casement. Was no home advantage back then!

I beg to differ and was pretty vocal on here at the time about the advantage afforded to the Antrim club champions who'd already had competitive club games there prior to playing the Derry or Down club champions.
And don't start me on the stewards etc etc who refused the disabled brother of three of our players a parking permit inside the ground only to be met by all the Dunloy team getting allowed to drive in past them.

I'm going to disagree with you there. There isn't a hurler in Ireland would have turned down the chance to hurl on the casement surface. Down and Derry teams were well accustomed to playing there so it was familiar and it was still always a big deal for Antrim club teams to play there.   If you're going to turn down the opportunity of hurling on casement, as it was, in favour of Newry or Armagh or Owenbeg then it's not the pitch that's the advantage, it's getting found out on the ideal hurling pitch that's your concern.

The days of home and away at club grounds are gone, this is supposed to showcase the best of ulster club hurling (in November/December very few pitches are ideal).  Bringing teams competing at this stage to a less than ideal pitch which merely serves as a leveller just shouldnt apply.  The Gaelic grounds surface for Ballygunner and Na Piarsiagh at the weekend looked immaculate.

I take your point regarding the stewards and agree entirely, found many of them to be obnoxious all the while letting their pals from West Belfast in without paying. Some people can't help themselves, desperate for a little authority and ultimately just an embarassment.

You can disagree with me all that you like, I've played on plenty of Down teams, club and county that have been treated abysmally in Casement and the great surface wasn't always the case as we'd played Dunloy in an Ulster semi-final there and they'd obviously just vertidrained the pitch that week and there was loads of surface sand which prevented the ball from bouncing. Dunloy were far superior on the day, so can't say the pitch ultimately played a part in the result but the game should not have been played there.
Also,
Down had repeatedly asked for access to the pitch in the lead up to the Ulster finals and access was only granted once in my time with them whilst we knew Antrim were training on it regularly.
It was far from a neutral venue.

So now you're talking about county matches when we are talking about Ulster club championship? Where do you think these county matches should have been played? Newry? Sure Down hurlers don't even want to play in Newry.  Or you're proposing to bring everyone down the Ards peninsula and cater for an intercounty Ulster Hurling final back in the days when we had big crowds attending?  There's no point ranting if you don't provide a realistic alternative. I was at the  ulster hurling final in 1989 when it was reinstated between Antrim and Down as a kid in the athletic grounds and my abiding memory is how bad the pitch was and how bad the goalmouths were. Many county grounds in ulster even in this day and age don't have an ideal surface for hurling, none of them could hold a candle to casement.

Sure we've all been treated abysmally in belfast/casement, I wouldn't take it personally nor that one time the pitch had sand on it.

[NorthAntrim]

A lot of unhappy people on the camogie side of the County

[SaffronSports]

A lot of unhappy people on the camogie side of the County

Yeah, I've seen a few bits and pieces about it online but wasn't at the AGM or anything so no idea how exactly it all came about.

Tbh I felt she was doing a good job. She was part of the backroom team that won the All-Ireland and then took the job herself over the last two years. Under her guidance, the team was still moving forward in my opinion as they established themselves well at the senior level in her first year and then reached the All-Ireland quarter-final in her second year. I felt she deserved to get another year if she wanted it.

If she had said she was stepping down, the lads that got the job would have been on top of my wishlist. They did well with the Intermediate team and had two great years there. That team should be as much about setting up management for the senior as it is about getting players the experience so I think they were the right men but not in these circumstances.

Not sure what led to how this has worked out but I do feel for her. It seems she had the support of the players too. Not sure if any of them will reconsider if they want to commit for the year or not but it's certainly an ugly episode that could have easily been avoided.

[Saffrongael]

Seems the new senior management said that Neil McManus & Johnny Campbell were part of their setup, only for it to be clarified (after the votes were counted) that this wasn't the case 

[SaffronSports]

Seems the new senior management said that Neil McManus & Johnny Campbell were part of their setup, only for it to be clarified (after the votes were counted) that this wasn't the case 

Yeah I saw the email they sent clarifying it. Is Johnny not involved with the hurlers and I would have thought if Neil wanted to be involved in a county set up it would have been as a player still as in the retirement interviews it still seemed like he felt he could still do a job and wanted more family time so doubt he was going to jump into a coaching role so quickly.

The Irish News article today mentioned Jane Adams was coming on board with the previous management. I'm sure she would have brought plenty to the role too.

[NorthAntrim]

Seems the new senior management said that Neil McManus & Johnny Campbell were part of their setup, only for it to be clarified (after the votes were counted) that this wasn't the case 

Yeah I saw the email they sent clarifying it. Is Johnny not involved with the hurlers and I would have thought if Neil wanted to be involved in a county set up it would have been as a player still as in the retirement interviews it still seemed like he felt he could still do a job and wanted more family time so doubt he was going to jump into a coaching role so quickly.

The Irish News article today mentioned Jane Adams was coming on board with the previous management. I'm sure she would have brought plenty to the role too.

Id doubt mcmanus would be involved. maybe take a few sessions. I'd say after finishing county club work and family will take priority.

[Saffrongael]

The point is the new management team said they would be involved, to try and sway delegates into voting for their ticket & it was then clarified by the Antrim secretary that they would not be involved. A "misunderstanding" apparently

[SaffronSports]

Was it even voted for at the AGM? One of the things I read said she got the email at 2.18 and the AGM began at 2. That suggests the decision had already been made.

I doubt Antrim will say anything. Probably just close ranks and hope it blows over.

[HealthySaff]

That team should be forced to step down from  the Camogie job. All smells vary bad indeed. The board should walk.

[imtommygunn]

Even one of the players kicking up a stink about it.

[HealthySaff]

A few players are very unhappy online. It will all blow over no doubt. Instead of restoring credibility in the board. Brothers in arms together. In more ways than one.
Poor girls just should keep quiet and play for their bosses.

[imtommygunn]

It's a pity because the camogiers have been going really well.