Antrim Hurling

[imtommygunn]

They'll be in the Liam McCarthy group stages with early losers in Leinster, Munster and Galway all also in the hat.

Just on comments about the club game. Not a hurler but from the outside looking in I think the standard has dipped considerably. The standard of players in the county is not what it was ten years ago and definitely not what it was twenty years ago. Gone are the days when we could have a club team realistically make anything of a fight for the AI.

I think that the absence of club games has not helped. Three or four years ago the younger boys were getting nothing in terms of senior hurling as Dinny wouldn't allow club games and I think that has stifled development so the younger boys coming through are maybe not as good as they could/should be.

The better teams have dropped in standard considerably. I watched Cushendall - Dunloy last year and was shocked at how bad Dunloy had become. A lot of this however did look due to rustiness and I think that they can be serious challengers if they get the right games.The U21 team they had two years ago was really good and wiped the floor with what is now a good percentage of the Cushendall senior team. They need more from Darren Quinn and the like who showed so much promise early on Cushendall also have a few weaknesses in their team and really five to ten years ago would not have been near a county title with current team. Loughgiel possess about 7 or 8 good players and the rest they could interchange quite easily with boys on their reserve team to no great detriment. The Down teams I don't know enough about but I think Down have some hurlers like Braniff, Coulter jnr, Magic and maybe one or two others who I'd love to have in an Antrim team. Rossa are realistically an aging team but hopefully St Johns will improve from their underage structures. St Galls have all the potential but realistically hurling is second to the big ball and unless they can change that I can't see them challenging seriously for senior honours.

The club leagues look to be running well this year though and that will hopefully increase the standard. The ulster league however appears to have become a bit of a joke. I never thought this league would be of great benefit to top antrim or down teams but really it's a league which could have been very beneficial to Derry teams and Armagh teams and lower league down/antrim teams.

[aontroim]

http://antrim.gaa.ie/news/details/?id=459

Antrim minor team for Ulster Final.

[imtommygunn]

That McCaffrey fella who it states is from Rossa - I thought he was from St Galls if my memory serves me correctly from last year? Milltown has he changed club?

Don't really know what to make of the team. Young hippy though should be a damn good player for that age group.

[North Antrim]

Was talking to a relation of young donnellys, who informed me he is suffering from an injury at present. Think he will have to go for an operation in the very near future. Wud be a massive loss to the team. Team doesnt seem as gid as past couple of years, although i do know michael mcCarthy, Conor Rocks, Peter Dallat and Darren Hamill are top players. Young McCloskey wud normally be a defender, think he played centre back for Cross & Passion. Hopefully they will deliver on Sunday and then we will see if they can mix it with the big boys. Young hippys fitness will be crucial though

[PlayWithTheWind]

Mc Caffrey is definatly from st galls, son of ref speedy!

Last night must have been the night for incidents then, as there were several in ballymena at their div 3 game v Aggie's. Some fairly brutal sledging after the match was abandoned by ref, leaving an Aggies member in hospital overnight. hopefully his injuries aren't too bad, and the guilty player or players are given appropriate punishment.

i heard roy mclarnon from aggies spend 4hours in hospital with a broken arm and jaw. he was attacked outside the changing rooms after the match while the players were getting changed.
there must have been murder for the ref to abandoned the match!

[PlayWithTheWind]

Was talking to a relation of young donnellys, who informed me he is suffering from an injury at present.

heard during the week he will play at full forward.
anyone know the full panel for the match?

[Ruairi Og exile]

No subs given on antrim website. Gort na Mona had a forward who played against us in the minor final last year who was very good...think his name is Desi McClean..is he minor this year/on the panel. Eoin Gillan from cushendall was named in nets but he injured himself in training so the Gorts keeper is in. Think it'll be  alot tougher than the last two years..but Antrim should win.

[North Antrim]

Wot happened Glenarrife against Carey in the Feis Cup last wednesday. Carey sprung a surprize to set up a semi-final with Ballycastle on Tuedsay week. Ballycastle will fancy that and will be in their first final in years where they play the winners of loughguile and cushendall at their home venue!! Cud their be a shock!!

[Syd]

Was talking to a relation of young donnellys, who informed me he is suffering from an injury at present.

heard during the week he will play at full forward.
anyone know the full panel for the match?

He looked injured during the match, he was hobbling about the whole match, he should never have started, they will end up doing him more damage playing him when he is injured.

[PlayWithTheWind]

very little coverage of the minor game on the championship, some things never change!

[Whitehair]

I may have heard him wrong but i thought i heard Austin O'Callaghan sayin that that 'Antrim ran out comfortable 9 point winners'!? Shocking that after he closest final in a few years where antrim just pulled away by 3 points in the end that the BBC dont even relay the proper info. The re-run show is tommorrow night, due to today being a bank holiday.

[North Antrim]

Took in minor final at the weekend. Was a poor enough standard although the tightness of the game kept it interesting. Couldnt believe Young Donnelly was played the entire game as he was hobbling about the entire game. Either he has no sense or the management dont care bout his health. That young lad will be littered with injuries all his career. Which is a pity as he is a truly outstanding prospect. But i fear for them once they hit All-Ireland stage. A real lack of committment shown by the players all season was evident as they didnt have any real pride or willingness to put their head on the block. Young Dallat was atrocious in midfield and i hear his twin just didnt bother - he pulled out of panel!! Now i dont want to sound negative but again Leadership comes from the top and from what i have heard over the past few months the lads have a real lack of respect for McStravick which is poor! I said on this site that players were just missing training for any excuse imagionable and they were allowed to get away with it. Now they have about 5/6 weeks to lay down a marker at training....either players want to make a go at it or just go thro the motions, but the management MUST DEMAND 100% committment or else they drop.

Syd - you have been quiet....two poor results this week, humiliated by Carey and beat by Ballycastle.........Not looking good my old friend.

Cushendall & Shamrocks had good results both in County Down. Any reports from these matches??

[johnneycool]

Shamrocks pulled away well in the end in what was a tight game for the first 50 minutes. The County lads were out on their feet at that point, so it wasn't surprising.

It was a fairly good standard of a game with good scores from both sides, but the shamrocks were sharper throughout but didn't get the scores they should have until late on. Ray Matthews officiating fairly helps the game and he isn't afraid to tell players whats happening as he goes.

The bodies seem to have went back to a few of the more physical oldies like shrebby or whatever they call him starting in fullforward. He played a bit better out in the centre berth when moved there, but more worrying for the shamrocks was that Joey Scullion went AWOL when he was most needed. The big lad in fullback did OK on Magic who's sharp at the minute irrespective of what Noel Sands says.
Johnny Campbell is a tidy hurler but too loose for centre back IMO.
They'd a very young scrawny lad in midfield yesterday who's neat but will get lost in a more physical battle when championship time comes around.
Chopper, Oran Scullion and Joey Quinn were all playing seconds yesterday, so must be out of the reckoning with the new management at this time, but that can change.


Ballygalget are stretched at the minute with injuries and the likes. Three of our starting forwards were either injured or stagging and were a big loss as there was no one to take the burden off Magic especially when the shamrocks deployed and extra man in front of him when playing against the breeze. If only they'd done something similar against Cushendall last year they have the volunteer cup in the pound.

[Syd]

Syd - you have been quiet....two poor results this week, humiliated by Carey and beat by Ballycastle.........Not looking good my old friend.

We are not going well at the minute but its relatively early in the season, time to put things right. By the law of averages youse were gonna beat us sometime, i think thats the first time you have beaten us in 4 yrs so we will give you that one.

[theskull1]

Liam Richmond got a broken hand last week against Rossa. Went up for a puck out and caught it (text book catch while protecting himself with the stick). The problem is he needed another hand to protect the hand he was holding the stick with. Typical Seamus Shannon - Cold and Yellow. I've never seen him put his hand up under a dropping ball in my life yet he'll sit behind and sledge and try to look like a hard man.