Antrim Hurling

[saffronog]

Just wondering how many of that minor team ie mcmanus made it through.

N mc manus
A graffin
C donnelly
E mc closkey ?
B mc faul
S mc naughton.

Probably not a bad return

[imtommygunn]

N McAuley
S McRory(Crory)

I would say Colm McFall has made it from there too.

Not too sure who else. Thought Randal McDonnell would have made it a bit further.

Can't recall who else was on it.

[Two Hands FFS]

Shorty & Chrissy as well. I think Neal McAuley & Graffin were injured for the Limerick match. Paddy McGill played that day too. That was a seriously talented team by Antrim
Standards. CJ could have played only he was chucked off the panel earlier that year(I think)
Collie McFall wasn't on the 05/06 teams. Couple of years older.

[imtommygunn]

McAuley came on late as a sub that day but was carrying an injury. He came on at full forward late on.

I'm not sure Graffin was quite on the team at that stage. I do recall they played galway prior to that match in a friendly and he was supposed to have held Canning scoreless so was heralded as a great talent and do think he was injured but not sure he was on the 15.

[Minder]

Karl played wing half forward for the minors one year too. 96 I think it was.

Yeah I think you are right, Cloot took them that year and they took a tanking against Tipp in the AISF.

There was a year where we had a great showing against KK and nearly won. McFall and Conor Cunning were on the team - Pinky Kelly too if I recall correctly. Was that 95 or 96? It was the year Danny McNaughton died but maybe that was the year before Karl played minors. Conor Cunning was maybe a minor a year or two early as he was outstanding at that age.

Pretty sure that was 1995 as they played before the Clare v Galway AISF.

[Two Hands FFS]

I definitely think he would have started that day if fit. Very good return of senior players from them 2 years. Those players are the spine of our senior team & still only 23/24

[clootfromthe21]

Then I think that was the year Karl played. He wasn't on the team in the AI- just the ulster final.

That was a very good minor team actually - the best I've seen by a mile bar the one with Neil McManus / McNaughton etc on it.

Wasn't there two good teams in a row - the first should have beaten Limerick and the second was unlucky to lose to Galway. McManus was on Joe Canning and did extremely well on him. Paul Shields and (I think) Darren Hamill were on that team, along with Graffin and Hippy.

[saffronog]

That's as good a return as ever u would get.  Yeah mcdonnell was talented, not bad at basketball but lazy

[btdtgtt]

We got close to cork around then as well. Played them in Parnell park with most their team goin on to win an all Ireland with jimmy Barry Murphy. Not sure if Karl played then but that was as good a showing I can remember from u21s?

1998: cork 3-15 Antrim 0-11
Antrim level at half Time - Joe Deane, Ronan curran etc went on to win all-Ireland that year and follow it up at senior level.

[imtommygunn]

Then I think that was the year Karl played. He wasn't on the team in the AI- just the ulster final.

That was a very good minor team actually - the best I've seen by a mile bar the one with Neil McManus / McNaughton etc on it.

Wasn't there two good teams in a row - the first should have beaten Limerick and the second was unlucky to lose to Galway. McManus was on Joe Canning and did extremely well on him. Paul Shields and (I think) Darren Hamill were on that team, along with Graffin and Hippy.

A lot of the team was the same for both years. (At least half I'd say). Disappointing to not get a win against any of the southern teams with that crop.

Yeah Minder think you could be right - it was 95. All Antrim's opponents from early - mid nineties on blurred into one with the hammerings we got so very easy to confuse the years.

[clootfromthe21]

Did Derry get (relatively) close to Kilkenny once in the mid 1990s?

[Minder]

Then I think that was the year Karl played. He wasn't on the team in the AI- just the ulster final.

That was a very good minor team actually - the best I've seen by a mile bar the one with Neil McManus / McNaughton etc on it.

Wasn't there two good teams in a row - the first should have beaten Limerick and the second was unlucky to lose to Galway. McManus was on Joe Canning and did extremely well on him. Paul Shields and (I think) Darren Hamill were on that team, along with Graffin and Hippy.

A lot of the team was the same for both years. (At least half I'd say). Disappointing to not get a win against any of the southern teams with that crop.

Yeah Minder think you could be right - it was 95. All Antrim's opponents from early - mid nineties on blurred into one with the hammerings we got so very easy to confuse the years.

There is a photo of that team somewhere on the net, will try and track it down.

[Forever Green]

Just saw it in the Irish News today that Karl McKeegan had officially retired. What a player he was throughout the years and such a great servant to the county team. All the best to him

[the colonel]

McAuley came on late as a sub that day but was carrying an injury. He came on at full forward late on.

I'm not sure Graffin was quite on the team at that stage. I do recall they played galway prior to that match in a friendly and he was supposed to have held Canning scoreless so was heralded as a great talent and do think he was injured but not sure he was on the 15.

I think Graffin had a knee injury which he suffered in training. Neil McAuley had a severe back problem I'm sure at that age

The two Dallats from Ballycastle played that year? Ryan Donnelly would have also played

Edit- picture of squad- http://www.sportsfiledublin.com/id/217029/

[oisinog]

I see Watson has packed the football in.

This is a good boost for the Shamrocks