Antrim Hurling

[manballandall]

5 games in and already talking about league winners. Catch yerselves on. Load of hard games still to come for all teams and every team has a slip up at some stage. When teams take "lesser" teams lightly that's when leagues are won and lost so long way to go. Paddies will relish this match on sunday. What's story with rossa and private jets?

[Milltown Row2]

reckon if carey were fit to be the paddies then no problem for an under strength st galls who are slight favourites now for league

No problem then, we'll beat them by 20. 

[btdtgtt]

Just saying Rossa would need a jet to get from clones to waterfoot - young armstrong playing and the hardy Rossa support! I agree early yet with leagues but hard to see anything outside of galls or Glenarrife. Carey seem to have improved? With sarsfields emergence it is a great league. Gort or Randalstown in relegation dog fight - Ooops! Sorry! I know I know too early but only fun guessing & predicting!

[Milltown Row2]

Just saying Rossa would need a jet to get from clones to waterfoot - young armstrong playing and the hardy Rossa support! I agree early yet with leagues but hard to see anything outside of galls or Glenarrife. Carey seem to have improved? With sarsfields emergence it is a great league. Gort or Randalstown in relegation dog fight - Ooops! Sorry! I know I know too early but only fun guessing & predicting!

Tightest league for years, Ballycastle were too strong last year. This year the teams have given up strange results, Lamhs drawing in Waterfoot, Carey having a shit start and then winning games handy, Gorts falling apart and Tir Na Og a shadow of the team they used to be. Rossa have hit a bitta form and should decide who wins the league. That's it in a nutshell.

I expect the odd slip up along the way. If we are lucky enough to be close at the end of the season then grand. Reality is this though, you are judged on the Championship, and we would like to put in a similar performance against Cushendall this year. McManus never played last year against us and that was a major factor, add in the fact that we were an unknown last year, and we won't be able to have the start we got against them this time.

Sure we'll give it a lash though and will be training hard for that.

[btdtgtt]

Good points mr2 although I doubt Rossa credentials - they have merely beaten the 2 weakest teams and are still fielding "weakened" line ups. I don't see them taking points in milltown or waterfoot. Lambs Rossa battling for 3rd with Carey and definitely sarsfields hoping to upset them.

More importantly do u not think promotion to div1 would be a better basis for the galls to develop than a championship shock / effort? Long term I think div1 would yield greater championship dividends?

[Milltown Row2]

Good points mr2 although I doubt Rossa credentials - they have merely beaten the 2 weakest teams and are still fielding "weakened" line ups. I don't see them taking points in milltown or waterfoot. Lambs Rossa battling for 3rd with Carey and definitely sarsfields hoping to upset them.

More importantly do u not think promotion to div1 would be a better basis for the galls to develop than a championship shock / effort? Long term I think div1 would yield greater championship dividends?

You'd be mad not to take the div 2 title, as you have said, long term development playing in div 1 can have more beneficial returns, was lucky enough to play in div 1 for years and it was great (bar the odd tanking) but we were always tanked in the Championship, so I can't see it being a automatic thing to win the Championship, Rossa played div 1b when winning their last Championship

Listen considering the teams we have been able to put out (we haven't had a decent team out since Glenariffe) and won our games, then brillo. We won't get anything easy from here on in. If the footballers win on Sunday (oh, i hope they do), that's 2 of our better players tied up for a while. We will just have to play on regardless, as the county fixtures committie don't take into consideration the dual clubs in a dual county!!

[btdtgtt]

Agree 100%

[CitySlicker11]

Div two is starting to take a bit of shape, Rossa won their last two games, and St Galls are still producing results. Glenarrife will always be up there and have the advantage being a single code club. The winner of the league should come from these three teams. If Rossa win away on Sunday they are right back in contention after their terrible start. However, I feel that it will come down to how these clubs do against the rest of the teams in the division and not the head to head games.

[Sleeping giant]

Is this not the exact type of thing that a manager is there for, to create a sense of team unity and purpose and to foster togetherness in pursuit of a common goal?

+1

[Onthehill]

OnTheHill what did Wallace say in the Irish news about hippy?

I mean his hurling is on a par with the top counties and hd is genuinely injured!

Basically said that Hippy shouldnt have been on the pitch when the fraca started, that it was a 'players issue' and nothing to do with the management which hippy 'was a part of' for the day.

This statement wont help his case if they try to suspend him.

Hippy played the second half on sunday against cushendall i believe, so he must be near ready to play again.

[johnneycool]

OnTheHill what did Wallace say in the Irish news about hippy?

I mean his hurling is on a par with the top counties and hd is genuinely injured!

Basically said that Hippy shouldnt have been on the pitch when the fraca started, that it was a 'players issue' and nothing to do with the management which hippy 'was a part of' for the day.

This statement wont help his case if they try to suspend him.

Hippy played the second half on sunday against cushendall i believe, so he must be near ready to play again.

He is right though as hippys presence could have made it spiral out of control if the Westmeath subs or whatever got involved.

Leave it to the players IMO.

Saying that it was silly of Wallace to say it in the press as no doubt hippy will be visiting Croke park (may be Leinster council??) shortly if the referee has it in his report which he probably will.

[Yeah]

Losing hippy is a massive loss surely. Carson seems to be an able replacement at 3. Hippy is our best hurler and i would have liked to have seen him at 6 instead of mcmanus who is struggling at this level. From what ive been told and seen at any home games herron is also out of his depth. A few swiches and I think this team can get going again. Thats my 2 pennys worth.

[btdtgtt]

Losing hippy is a massive loss surely. Carson seems to be an able replacement at 3. Hippy is our best hurler and i would have liked to have seen him at 6 instead of mcmanus who is struggling at this level. From what ive been told and seen at any home games herron is also out of his depth. A few swiches and I think this team can get going again. Thats my 2 pennys worth.

Dunno bout that - If Neil is out of his depth then we're in trouble - he's one of the best hurlers in the county with Hippy Watson & Karl Stewart.

[NAG1]

Losing hippy is a massive loss surely. Carson seems to be an able replacement at 3. Hippy is our best hurler and i would have liked to have seen him at 6 instead of mcmanus who is struggling at this level. From what ive been told and seen at any home games herron is also out of his depth. A few swiches and I think this team can get going again. Thats my 2 pennys worth.

What about the rest of them that you havent a clue who they are, what would you do with them?

[Yeah]

I think you would be kidding yourself not admit that mcmanus is struggling. What other centre backs in ireland run into dark alleys with the ball? A no.6 is the conductor of play who sits and holds and sets attacks. Not one trys to attack at every opportunity leaving the rest of the defence susceptible scores. Thats why its a pity hippy is out hes the better option.