Antrim Hurling

[bigleesy]

Any merit to this chat St John's have to play the Donegal champions?

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Great to see a Belfast Club win the Hurling; first time since 2004 is it?

Have they any imports from Hurling Strongholds down the country or are they all home grown Antrim lads?

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Any merit to this chat St John's have to play the Donegal champions?

Yeah they do. They play Setenta in the semi final. Sneill play the Down champs in the other semi final.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Been a few years since 4 teams were in the Ulster SHC. Good to see.

Slaughtneil will be favourites id imagine

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

St John's managed the game well. Full value for their victory. Loughgiel are a very young team and a very proud club. They made a real fight of it.

I can't help but feel we constantly undervalue our great game playing the showcase events at times, places and venues that aren't suited to platforming the spectacle it is.

Congratulations St John's and unlucky to Loughgiel. Good game of hurling under very challenging conditions.

No idea what you mean about the venue.

Landed to the game with 50mins to throw ij, got parked with no issue. Into the ground with ticket scanned fast and had a great place to watch the game.

The pitch was in great shape considering it rained for about 5 hours steady.

Where would you have taken it to that could have made life any better.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Great to see a Belfast Club win the Hurling; first time since 2004 is it?

Have they any imports from Hurling Strongholds down the country or are they all home grown Antrim lads?

Oisin macmanus is one of the ards clubs

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Great to see a Belfast Club win the Hurling; first time since 2004 is it?

Have they any imports from Hurling Strongholds down the country or are they all home grown Antrim lads?

Oisin macmanus is one of the ards clubs

The ards has grown. He previously hurled for Liatroim Fontenoys.

[johnnycool]

Great to see a Belfast Club win the Hurling; first time since 2004 is it?

Have they any imports from Hurling Strongholds down the country or are they all home grown Antrim lads?

Oisin macmanus is one of the ards clubs

The ards has grown. He previously hurled for Liatroim Fontenoys.

I think the family live in and around the Loughinisland area, and he did indeed play for Liatroim and Down for several years.
The Da was a dyed in the wool Rossa man, so not sure how he ended up with St Johns but Oisin has been living in the city for a few years now.

[LC]

Been a few years since 4 teams were in the Ulster SHC. Good to see.

Slaughtneil will be favourites id imagine

True, they are at a level in terms of experience, tactics and physical conditioning way ahead of the rest of the teams.  Its theirs to lose at this stage.

[NAG1]

LG looked to have played their final against Dunloy and didn't turn psychologically on the day.

Conditions played toward St Johns more with their short running passing game and they took advantage. St Johns always were going to need a big start and that's exactly what they got heaping the pressure on LG.

All of St Johns big players stood up and were counted and even some of the fringe players popped up with massive contributions and scores at various times in the game.

[Antrim Coaster]

Fair dues to our neighbours I'm sure they'll party all week! Hope they sober up for Ulster, will Peter stay for Ulster or was a Volunteer cup enough?

Now that's said, can't wait to someone else wins it next year 😂

They are straight into the Ulster final so a bit of time to go on the drink

Im sure they might have something to say about that around the Crossroads..

A good few Setanta heads at the semi final and probably in attendance yesterday checking up on the Ulster semi final opposition, obviously hoping for a Loughgiel victory...

[Antrim Coaster]

Great to see a Belfast Club win the Hurling; first time since 2004 is it?

Have they any imports from Hurling Strongholds down the country or are they all home grown Antrim lads?

Simon Doherty, keeper, until Big Domhnall stepped between the posts this season. Think he's Armagh Chchullians

[Milltown Row2]

They did their homework and got the start as you say NAG1 to at least get Loughgiel feeling the pressure

In most cases they took the right options and there wasn't too many wrong decisions, they were physical in the tackle and the match ups where as good as they could have been, used the spare man well and whether you like it or not, when the house was down they took the man down, yellow card and moved on.

That will fairly sting for their Rossa friends who had the Johnnies well beaten up at St Enda's, could be another season or 2 out of the Johnnies yet but age profile is getting on, as for Loughgiel their age profile is great so expecting them and Dunloy along with Cushendall to be back at it again next year

[NAG1]

They did their homework and got the start as you say NAG1 to at least get Loughgiel feeling the pressure

In most cases they took the right options and there wasn't too many wrong decisions, they were physical in the tackle and the match ups where as good as they could have been, used the spare man well and whether you like it or not, when the house was down they took the man down, yellow card and moved on.

That will fairly sting for their Rossa friends who had the Johnnies well beaten up at St Enda's, could be another season or 2 out of the Johnnies yet but age profile is getting on, as for Loughgiel their age profile is great so expecting them and Dunloy along with Cushendall to be back at it again next year

The one time they didn't do this they conceded the goal. LG will be sick.

St Johns could actually have won more comfortably had they taken some of the good chances that they created.

[SaffronOak]

My tuppence worth after yesterday. 

Loughgiel played their final against Dunloy - extremely difficult to reach those heights back to back matches.  They looked slow and lethargic in the first half in comparison to St John's.  They performed much better in the second half but the Johnnies game management for 95% of the second half was spot on.  Their decision making towards the end with ball in hand wasnt great and could have stretched their lead further on a couple of occasions but tactically they got it spot on for the hour.
Peter McCallin at 6 and Oisin Donnelly were my two top performers.  The Johnston brothers were also excellent, as was Ryan McNulty but this was a top team performance from a well coached and drilled side.  A hat tip to Gerard Cunningham on that note.

Note on the referee.  Biggest compliment I can give Colum is that not one soul was talking about him after the game.  I couldnt disagree with any of the decisions he made and he let the game flow as much as he could - give the conditions that wasnt an easy task.  In my opinion, he gets top marks.