Antrim Football Thread

[Níl a fhios agam]

id include Ballymena in that bracket too. If they continue to progress the way they have been, they are capable of beating any of the top teams. Bakers doing rightly

[Caesar]

Would be great if the new rules could throw a spanner in the works and unearth a few new contenders to add to the mix!

[AllStar15]

Too many teams is right, at least 8 too many. The bottom half of the division should be contesting IFC between them come August. Even at that there would be a couple at least in the top 8 with no chance of winning SFC. Outside of Cargin, Creggan, Portglenone and St Brigids (in that order IMHO) I don't give the rest a look in.

Aghagallon got to a couple of finals and put up a massive game vs Cargin but have faltered since, wouldn't be a huge surprise if they broke into the reckoning either I suppose but they were miles off last year.

Trouble in paradise at Aghagallon I hear, squad not too fond of PMcG

[Gael-in-exile]

Can anyone update on the football league structures and formats now that some fixtures have been released?
How many rounds? What's the planned promotion/relegation regulations? For each division?

I know I have no involvement or way to be involved but a 16 team, 10 team and 8 team league seems so disjointed it is almost humorous.

[Take the Mark]

Too many teams is right, at least 8 too many. The bottom half of the division should be contesting IFC between them come August. Even at that there would be a couple at least in the top 8 with no chance of winning SFC. Outside of Cargin, Creggan, Portglenone and St Brigids (in that order IMHO) I don't give the rest a look in.

Aghagallon got to a couple of finals and put up a massive game vs Cargin but have faltered since, wouldn't be a huge surprise if they broke into the reckoning either I suppose but they were miles off last year.

Trouble in paradise at Aghagallon I hear, squad not too fond of PMcG

Been the case for 2 years now, maybe a bit too old school for the Lurganites.

[paddyjohn]

Newry it is.

We'll see the guts of the players, management and county board now

[BigGreenField]

Antrim need to hold firm, principles matter.

[toby47]

Praying you guys hold firm. Stinking decision

[johnnycool]

Antrim need to hold firm, principles matter.

Strings will be pulled/ threats made.

I don't envy Frankie Quinns position in times like this.

[groundlie]

What a ridiculous decision! Another twist in the Casement debacle and an unnecessary one. I would imagine Antrim will stand firm and I don't think many GAA fans inside and outside the county would disagree with thier stance. Shame on Ulster GAA.

[SaffronSports]

Antrim absolutely have to hold firm. I expect they'll be offered money and/or threatened with expulsion from the Tailteann Cup but if they back down you may as well just accept Antrim will never play another Championship home match.

[Hectic]

Dunloy could be pipped in the intermediate championship, wouldn't say they are miles ahead of st endas or Moneyglass on their day.  Just makes a mockery of the whole thing.  Dunloy are in division 1 this year,  if they don't give a hoot about league football,  surely it would be better for them to be in division 2 then? Championship needs to go hand in hand with the league, I don't think the current format really works.

An even more simple solution is keep Dunloy in the intermediate until they decide to put more effort into the league. The special treatment given here is scandalous. Our reserves were told they couldnt enter Div 2 as the league structures were set in stone until 2026, then they discover Dunloy have been parachuted into Div 1. Only in Antrim

Also, above is correct ref Dunloy.  Ref Cargin reserves, where they looking to be parachuted into D2?  Should they not start in D3? 

Are some of you saying League should trump Championship in criteria for deciding Senior teams (now that leagues and championships are to be aligned)?

Because thats certainly not the way the vast majority of clubs approach the competitions.

[YoungSaff]

Corrigan or nowhere , we need to stand strong and stick the fingers up to Ulster GAA

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

We need to do more than that. We need to strap on a pair and stop being Ulster GAA's lapdog on the Casement Park issue. They have been keeping us on the never never for far too long waiting on the non-existent money man to ride in on his white horse. And we have just accepted it.
We need to withdraw support for the never never stadium and begin campaigning that the GAA uses the substantial sum of £120 million to put right the wrongs of the last 15 years.
They've shown that they have little sympathy or loyalty for us on our stadium plight but we continue to support them like we have Stockholm syndrome.

[SaffronOak]

Dunloy could be pipped in the intermediate championship, wouldn't say they are miles ahead of st endas or Moneyglass on their day.  Just makes a mockery of the whole thing.  Dunloy are in division 1 this year,  if they don't give a hoot about league football,  surely it would be better for them to be in division 2 then? Championship needs to go hand in hand with the league, I don't think the current format really works.

An even more simple solution is keep Dunloy in the intermediate until they decide to put more effort into the league. The special treatment given here is scandalous. Our reserves were told they couldnt enter Div 2 as the league structures were set in stone until 2026, then they discover Dunloy have been parachuted into Div 1. Only in Antrim

Also, above is correct ref Dunloy.  Ref Cargin reserves, where they looking to be parachuted into D2?  Should they not start in D3? 

Are some of you saying League should trump Championship in criteria for deciding Senior teams (now that leagues and championships are to be aligned)?

Because thats certainly not the way the vast majority of clubs approach the competitions.

Dunloy league and championship different due to player county commitments in hurling.  All those lads you see hurling for Antrim bar Ryan Elliott are dual players and more than handy when it comes to the big ball also.  Ryan himself was a very handy footballer (to say the least) but chose to go with hurling only.
You just have to look at Dunloy's hurling league form also - nothing spectacular but they would probably have a bit more strength in depth when it comes to hurling to never be in any danger of relegation.

To say Dunloy need to take the league more seriously is wrong.  It would make for interesting discussions if they were asked to play Intermediate - penalised for basically providing 8 if not 9 players for county hurling.  Potentially putting those players who play county into a position where they have to chose... Division 1 football or Inter County hurling?