Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

As has been mentioned already to improve the overall standard of our championship, leagues and county team we must make our league meaningful and then expose as many Antrim hurlers to this as possible, yes Antrim, not Down. I agree that with a 10 or 12 team Div1 there would certainly be the odd hammering match, but as Milltown pointed out, those teams on their day would still be capable of claiming enough points to remain safe in Div 1. If the league was attached to the championship then league matches would have that extra bit of bite and improve the over all standard.

Div 2 could be linked to the intermediate championship and Div 3 linked to the junior championship. Why not give it a go, one match in August each year does not satisfy a senior hurler.

We need to look at how the championship is run. The problem with the league is some of the bigger division 1 clubs do not take it seriously.If we tied the championship into the league as some people are suggesting then some clubs would not play any championship games at all.

There will be the logistical nightmare for dual clubs who will not have all there best hurlers available due to football commitment. There will also be the problems with county players not always available.

We need to do a review on the championship and the clubs need to take the league more serious.

Cushendall are unbeaten. Loughgiel are a point or so behind after a long winter. Dunloy are starting to pick up points after a bad start. What do you suggest the two 2 do??

I think he may be saying that when it was a Div 1 with the so called lesser lights the bigger teams didn't take it too serious, (the league that is) this was mainly due to the fact that they could have stayed up while beating the lesser teams and  there was no real incentive to win the league.

But by making the league determine the seeding for the championship it may make it more competitive.

I remember playing Dunloy when they were Div 2, that was 24 years ago I think theyt managed to win shite load of titles based mainly on a great juvenile team that had great players. So it's possible for a team without pedigree to be a senior championship team

[optimus cheese]

U21 final in Armagh. Yes, I know

[manballandall]

There's been a lot of talk recently about how to improve the standard of hurling in Antrim and I think it's detrimental to Antrim to not have the likes of Rosas glens riff and st galls in div one. These teams already provide county players and playing in div one week in and week out will only improve these teams. Down county team has benefited from their teams playing in div one and I believe increasing the league will benefit Antrim county team. I also agree withMR2 for a change that seeding league for championship will ensure teams take it seriously. Agreed NAG?

[Seamroga in exile]

The problem with that is that if you introduce more teams the standard at the lower end of the division drops . You're only in division 1 on Merit. St. galls' first choice team would more than hold their own in division one but I'd suggest the teams they've been fielding this year wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. How would that benefit them? The likes of ourselves and cushendall would love a more competitive league, the only way that'll happen is to keep the numbers low and relegation/promotion a factor. I'm in no way belittling galls btw, just using them as an example

[Milltown Row2]

The problem with that is that if you introduce more teams the standard at the lower end of the division drops . You're only in division 1 on Merit. St. galls' first choice team would more than hold their own in division one but I'd suggest the teams they've been fielding this year wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. How would that benefit them? The likes of ourselves and cushendall would love a more competitive league, the only way that'll happen is to keep the numbers low and relegation/promotion a factor. I'm in no way belittling galls btw, just using them as an example

Agreed, we would hold our own with are main players playing every week, but I have said that if the leagues were played were every team plays each other once then it breaks into two groups based on there placings after they have played, then it really becomes competitive later on. All the stronger teams (based on their initial standings after the first games) in one group and the lower end teams in another competitive group.
Factor in the seedings for Senior championship and you have a competitive league with more Antrim teams playing. Everybody wins!!!!

[Seamroga in exile]

The problem with that is that if you introduce more teams the standard at the lower end of the division drops . You're only in division 1 on Merit. St. galls' first choice team would more than hold their own in division one but I'd suggest the teams they've been fielding this year wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. How would that benefit them? The likes of ourselves and cushendall would love a more competitive league, the only way that'll happen is to keep the numbers low and relegation/promotion a factor. I'm in no way belittling galls btw, just using them as an example

Agreed, we would hold our own with are main players playing every week, but I have said that if the leagues were played were every team plays each other once then it breaks into two groups based on there placings after they have played, then it really becomes competitive later on. All the stronger teams (based on their initial standings after the first games) in one group and the lower end teams in another competitive group.
Factor in the seedings for Senior championship and you have a competitive league with more Antrim teams playing. Everybody wins!!!!

That's fine but with the exception of the Down teams, I don't think the leagues/placings/ seedings would look much different than they do now. Same teams at the top and contending the semis/final. Same teams lower down getting beat early.

I actually don't think there's much wrong with the league structure as it is. The fact is that the "bigger" clubs like to win it but it doesn't really matter if they don't. That's just how it is up here. It means much more to the clubs struggling at the bottom of div. 1 and the clubs in contention at the top of div. 2. Your suggestion would probably benefit the likes of your own club MR2 but not really make much difference overall.

The conclusion is that Cushendall and Loughgiel will always have an advantage over the dual clubs because of that very reason, we only play hurling. Plus we are both big clubs with huge turnouts at training every evening at all ages and levels.  And as I've said before, maybe a few of the Belfast and country clubs should look at amalgamating at senior level , if even only in hurling, like some do already at underage levels. I know it's a tough ask but I believe it would be to the betterment of  hurling in Antrim. 

[Minder]

Glenariffe beat Sarsfields by 4 in Belfast, a game I thought we might slip up in.

[Milltown Row2]

Glenariffe beat Sarsfields by 4 in Belfast, a game I thought we might slip up in.

You would hardly have seen it seeing you were in M&S there

[Minder]

Glenariffe beat Sarsfields by 4 in Belfast, a game I thought we might slip up in.

You would hardly have seen it seeing you were in M&S there

No trailed out against my will, you don't miss much, were you in the ladies lingerie section again?

[Milltown Row2]

Glenariffe beat Sarsfields by 4 in Belfast, a game I thought we might slip up in.

You would hardly have seen it seeing you were in M&S there

No trailed out against my will, you don't miss much, were you in the ladies lingerie section again?

Was sitting in car waiting on the wife getting dinner!!
We beat Tir Na Og handy

[btdtgtt]

Thanks for any reports lads I didn't get to a match today.

Thought that would be a tight one for oisins so pulling thru perhaps shows they most deserving of promotion.

I thought Rossa would struggle Gort is a tight pitch great leveller and I see a club wedding lasts 3/4 days in Rossa!

What about st johns anyone?

Mr2 will the county footballers being finished help ur boys?

[CitySlicker11]

Went to the Rossa and Gort game today, agreed standard wasn't great, but it never really is on such a tight pitch and both teams giving it their all for the win. The main thing I took from this game was that it was the type Rossa considering the amount of players they were missing today that they would have lost in previous years. Bit of confusion over the dates of Rossa and Glenariffe games as Rossa are due to play Loughgiel in championship soon.

Good win for St Galls and hard luck to Sarsfields who seemed to have put up a brace performance against Glenariffe. Glenariffe still favourites for promotion, but if they face Rossa in two games with the city boys having a full team I would fancy Rossa for promotion. I always said it would be these two even when St Galls and Sarsfields were ahead of Rossa.

[Minder]

Glenariffe v Rossa is down for 5th August.

What are the championship dates?

[CitySlicker11]

Rossa v Loughgiel down for that same weekend also. Championship over league, plenty of time around end of August and September for those league games to be played. Considering both teams will more than likely have been knocked out of the championship.

[btdtgtt]

Fair enough city slicker I have often ruled hardstation
By knocking Rossa but credit to Shannon & aidan Hamill they have brought the side back against the odds. I just think the number of players continually missing will mean oisins deserve promotion.

Looks like the decisive league game will be moved then - this might mean both games are played close together. Oisins just need a draw from either game hard to see them not getting it.