Antrim Hurling

[auld stock]

great point about armoy being poor for the viewing so heres one for all you conspiracy theorists. dun v st galls on wed night. the winner then expected to play a semi final 4days later??? methinks not. i know that on the tues following our match v g'arriffe 5 players were unable to train due to knocks, dead leg etc. dun or st galls will defo appeal & rightly so in my opinion. will the county show a total diregard for the occassion & put that semi final back to wed 13th under lights at casement??? complete farce if they do.dont forget a double header in the county eyes will bring in less spondolacs so they could use an appeal by either team as a smokescreen to their real plan to have 2 gates at diff venues.hope im wrong but watch this space!!! why could dun & st galls not have played yesterday & the football be put back to this wed???

[maxpower]

Why would the winners of Wednesday night not play on Sunday

[Milltown Row2]

I heard that Dunloy asked the county to delay the semi!! While i was at Headquarters did i miss something?? Was the replay played?

[auld stock]

if you have a tough game 4days doesnt really give you time to recover. if you have any knock at all you would have to rest & a couple of days & most probably miss any training session the team may have before the semi.what is there 7,8 teams in total??? why cram the whole c'ship into 4 calender weeks???  anyhow someone says the c'dall game on sun at 6 in loughguile so there is the 1st part of the conspiracy theory up. now just waiting to see how long it takes to put the date back also!!!

[gelvis]

if you have a tough game 4days doesnt really give you time to recover. if you have any knock at all you would have to rest & a couple of days & most probably miss any training session the team may have before the semi.what is there 7,8 teams in total??? why cram the whole c'ship into 4 calender weeks???  anyhow someone says the c'dall game on sun at 6 in loughguile so there is the 1st part of the conspiracy theory up. now just waiting to see how long it takes to put the date back also!!!

Pish! If the knock is too bad for 4days to take care of then it'll probably take longer than the extra week aswell.  If they really want to play they'll play.  No point delaying one game and leaving the other teams champing at the bit in training.  Knocks and slaps happen, boys get injured, c'est la vie.  Get the championship games played before every pitch turns into a bog.

[auld stock]

fair enough then. should work to our advantage. in theory!!!!

[Milltown Row2]

It's to piss down the next few nights so Wed nights match may be a lottery!!

[Seamroga in exile]

It's to piss down the next few nights so Wed nights match may be a lottery!!

Let's hope so!     

[Bog Ash Camam]

I see our beloved referees are getting a touch on the county website.  In most part, I would have to agree with some of the comments, in particular that our refs do not let the game flow and are quick to blow the whistle for menial technical fouls and the odd bit of slapping.

No question the game down south is a lot more abrasive than ours, and our teams, mentors and supporters are just too quick to commence lambasting the referees.  Truth be told, our lads are have never really been exposed to the level of physicality that the top hurling teams play both at inter county and club level.

That said, referees in the six counties and in Antrim and Down in particular, are much too focused on the old inter club rivalry and feel the necessity to blow for some of the rough and tumble that takes place.

Watching yesterdays game at close quarters, there is no question that the physical aspect of the game among the premiere hurling teams in the country is part and parcel of what is expected within the game at this level. Yesterdays game was "savage" yet entertaining, theres not one of us would deny that.  However, our players and our referees are nowhere near the that standard or capabilty when it comes to playing or marshalling the games such as yesterdays intense showpiece.


Our top refs, such as Elliot, Hassan, Duffy, Mathews, Cunning, Magee etc. in my view feel the focus of the game is more about them than the teams participating.  They are always quick to blow for the slightest hint of physical contact and tend also to anticipate fouls before they actually happen.

Elliot in my view, is probaly the least likely to blow for the menial stuff that occours among our teams here in Antrim
and probably has a greater grasp and understanding that the game is physical.  Other than Elliot, I feel the rest have  alot to learn!

[Arthur_Friend]

I see our beloved referees are getting a touch on the county website.  In most part, I would have to agree with some of the comments, in particular that our refs do not let the game flow and are quick to blow the whistle for menial technical fouls and the odd bit of slapping.

No question the game down south is a lot more abrasive than ours, and our teams, mentors and supporters are just too quick to commence lambasting the referees.  Truth be told, our lads are have never really been exposed to the level of physicality that the top hurling teams play both at inter county and club level.

That said, referees in the six counties and in Antrim and Down in particular, are much too focused on the old inter club rivalry and feel the necessity to blow for some of the rough and tumble that takes place.

Watching yesterdays game at close quarters, there is no question that the physical aspect of the game among the premiere hurling teams in the country is part and parcel of what is expected within the game at this level. Yesterdays game was "savage" yet entertaining, theres not one of us would deny that.  However, our players and our referees are nowhere near the that standard or capabilty when it comes to playing or marshalling the games such as yesterdays intense showpiece.


Our top refs, such as Elliot, Hassan, Duffy, Mathews, Cunning, Magee etc. in my view feel the focus of the game is more about them than the teams participating.  They are always quick to blow for the slightest hint of physical contact and tend also to anticipate fouls before they actually happen.

Elliot in my view, is probaly the least likely to blow for the menial stuff that occours among our teams here in Antrim
and probably has a greater grasp and understanding that the game is physical.  Other than Elliot, I feel the rest have  alot to learn!

A referee pointed out to me once that the players in Antrim wouldn't accept the slaps that the southern players take for granted and that most games would descend into a bloodbath if they let that kind of stuff go.

[Milltown Row2]

I agree Arthur, there would be a full scale riot at every game if they let the hard stuff go.

I refereed a minor game a few weeks back, one of the teams had a player who was only interested in whacking his man, I warned him and ticked him and eventually yellow carded him. A couple of hard hits followed and then one incident descended into a free for all. The managers blamed me for not controlling the game!!

Ya can't win, dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. Itry and ref the way I would like to see the game played, it's then down to the players to control their emotions. There are some gurny fcukers out there though

[Last Man]

I know anytime we take our kids to Kilkenny in particular initially they struggle with the amount of timber left in in tackles, looking to the ref to blow for the free which he rarely does. There's nothing vicious about it and when they realise thats the way it is they just get on with it.
But coaches have to INSIST on good discipline. It always turns me to hear coaches saying a player needs a bit of dirt in him.

[Milltown Row2]

I see the betting is a lot closer for tomorrows match, William Hill have us at 5/1 and Dunloy at 1/8. A far cry of 1/20


Noticed Loughgiel are 1/12 and the Town are 6/1


What i would pull for in a match (If i see it)

In a ruck a player pulls both ways

An early pull in the air

A push in the back while going for the ball, managers and players think cause a player has his hand on your back that that's a foul, its not, he has to push him

Playing someones hand when trying to block a ball, sometimes its an accident but still a foul

Players not trying to play the ball, holding or grappling with a player this is the one that gets players/managers annoyed in a game.

And the foul that is daft but players still do it, pulling a jersey, why oh why do they do it???

Technical fouls are simple to call but only if you see it, lifting ball off the ground, again only if you see it.

Three in the hand seems easy but the players pop the ball on the stick so quickly now that it's getting harder to see

If players had respect for the referee and kept quiet regardless of whether they think they are right then the games would be better

[theskull1]

I agree Arthur, there would be a full scale riot at every game if they let the hard stuff go.

I refereed a minor game a few weeks back, one of the teams had a player who was only interested in whacking his man, I warned him and ticked him and eventually yellow carded him. A couple of hard hits followed and then one incident descended into a free for all. The managers blamed me for not controlling the game!!

Ya can't win, dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. Itry and ref the way I would like to see the game played, it's then down to the players to control their emotions. There are some gurny fcukers out there though

Take it you were the home ref MR 

[north_antrim_hound]

I agree Arthur, there would be a full scale riot at every game if they let the hard stuff go.

I refereed a minor game a few weeks back, one of the teams had a player who was only interested in whacking his man, I warned him and ticked him and eventually yellow carded him. A couple of hard hits followed and then one incident descended into a free for all. The managers blamed me for not controlling the game!!

Ya can't win, dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. Try and ref the way I would like to see the game played, it's then down to the players to control their emotions. There are some gurny fcukers out there though

completely agree the reaction from your average club supporter when something is let go, its ridiculous. as for the ref in the all ireland, players from kilkenny,tipp or cork will get away with alot more than a antrim player or any lesser county. sundays game wasn't a classic, theres a thread on another site referring to the game as rugby with sticks due to all the dragging, pulling and pushing on the back that went on.  there are double standards at intercounty level and croke park in there wisdom refuse to acknowledge this, what incentive is there for club refs to perform to a consistant standard.