Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

Seems Creggan and Gaels won in high scoring games, well done lads

[theskull1]

Belfast Gaels?

[Milltown Row2]

Belfast Gaels?

Piss taker, I'll end up refereeing for Armagh at this rate lol

[north aontroim gael]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

[Seamroga in exile]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

Just a bit, but fair dues to 'galget, at least they went out to hurl.

And I agree, it's a great venue. Fantastic view and great surface.

[Milltown Row2]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

Don't think the result was ever in doubt in fairness but the margin of victory gives the impression that Ballygalget were able to at least get the measure of yous but never apply real pressure to win the game. It's good to have game like that so that it keeps the team (maybe not the team but supporters) from thinking the games will be a walk over. Slaughtneil  beat the Fermanagh champions and by all accounts they had it handy due to the poor indiscipline (I've mentioned it before ) as they had 3 players sent off.

Final in Owenbeg?

[north aontroim gael]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

Just a bit, but fair dues to 'galget, at least they went out to hurl.

And I agree, it's a great venue. Fantastic view and great surface.

Actually that would be my one gripe.  Grass looked a little long and seemed to stop dead any time it was hit low / no bounce of dropping ball etc.

Benny McCarry was excellent, some great scores in the second half.

[north aontroim gael]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

Don't think the result was ever in doubt in fairness but the margin of victory gives the impression that Ballygalget were able to at least get the measure of yous but never apply real pressure to win the game. It's good to have game like that so that it keeps the team (maybe not the team but supporters) from thinking the games will be a walk over. Slaughtneil  beat the Fermanagh champions and by all accounts they had it handy due to the poor indiscipline (I've mentioned it before ) as they had 3 players sent off.

Final in Owenbeg?

The game never really started MR2.  We got an early goal so always had a cushion.  Anytime Ballygalget came within 5 we went and got a score.  It was just flat from us the whole way through.

No Joey or JC for us which obviously wasn't ideal but we got 2 young fellas (1 minor) a game and emptied the bench.  Players no doubt looking forward to the final and a few weeks rest win or lose.

[north aontroim gael]

I heard Owenbeg and Newry mentioned.  Think its announced later in the week.

[johnneycool]

We won by 7 points in the end up, result never in any doubt.  Referee was very generous to Ballygalget at times IMO.

Owenbeg is a fantastic venue.

I must have missed that said generosity, apart from one instance where our fullback was lucky not to get a second card, I didn't see much going our way. The same generosity was then shown to Neil McGarry who took to assaulting magic before a line ball was taken and both ended up with yellow cards. Hasson bottled it big time there.

The same generosity was shown a few minutes later where he pulled down Magic in the square in a similar tackle which resulted in the 21 yard free for Loughgeil in the first half where their goal came from, after the short pass which looked a bit too short.

The better team won, but in the second half DD was by and far the busier keeper and kept the lead up to 6 points which we couldn't close.

[The Memory Man]

Was the Rossa v Portaferry game played yesterday?

[north aontroim gael]

Its funny how opposing sides can view a referees performance, shows how hard the job is.  I'd love to see the free count. 

I thought your boys got away with a lot of pulling and slapping at our forwards throughout the game.  Didn't think our backs had anywhere near as much grace from the referee (again I'd love to see stats on this, I'll try to get watching a replay at some point over the next week).

Magic appeared to be giving as much as he was getting on the edge of the square.  As he was getting tired in the last 15 he seemed to want to niggle and slap more and more.  I've no doubt Neilly fought his corner as well.

Ballygalget seemed more up for the game and looked most dangerous with Magic at the edge of the square.  He was wasted in the first half out the field as he seems to have lost a bit of mobility / fitness.

[johnneycool]

Its funny how opposing sides can view a referees performance, shows how hard the job is.  I'd love to see the free count. 

I thought your boys got away with a lot of pulling and slapping at our forwards throughout the game.  Didn't think our backs had anywhere near as much grace from the referee (again I'd love to see stats on this, I'll try to get watching a replay at some point over the next week).

Magic appeared to be giving as much as he was getting on the edge of the square.  As he was getting tired in the last 15 he seemed to want to niggle and slap more and more.  I've no doubt Neilly fought his corner as well.

Ballygalget seemed more up for the game and looked most dangerous with Magic at the edge of the square.  He was wasted in the first half out the field as he seems to have lost a bit of mobility / fitness.

Neilly certainly fought his corner, he started it, but TBH if I was in his position I'd have done it too, get the big lad off his game and it worked to an extent.. Magic isn't a dirty hurler but he's slowly learning not to let lads hammer and smash at him all the time. If Magic was a dirty hurler he'd have taken DD ball and all into the net the time the ball dropped in behind him. DD got there in the nick of time, Magic had only eyes for the ball or he could have done DD a serious disservice. Magic would have got up again if the two collided, DD wouldn't have.

We got off to a terrible start, nerves or whatever, gifted the goal and a few points to Loughgeil I think it was 1-3 to a point for a good while. Our sweeper wasn't working at all as Loughgeil were bossing the middle third and getting the man in possession to put good ball into Watson and the other corner forward, McCarry?? bypassing the value of an extra man. Up the field a lot of passes went astray and resulted in nothing where scores should have come for us. In saying that Loughgeil hit a few bad wides, dropped a good few into graham and shot from impossible angles. With Magic out the field he was being covered by three men for our puck outs. Why Graham didn't try to find an advantage on the other side of the field I don't know because when Magic went to full forward the lad brought out, Bo Duke did well aerially and set up a few scores from clean catches. We were holding on for most of the first half.

I thought we played much better in the second half pushed wee Eoin further up the field and allowed Gabriel Clarke to cover in and around the half back line which he did admirably. At the same time we put much more pressure on the ball coming out of the Loughgeil defence meaning the clearances were higher, rather than the low raking balls in the first half which were killing our corner backs. The higher balls didn't suit the Loughgeil forwards that much, Watsons habit of batting the ball down to himself was stifled as Gabriel Clarke was on to it quicker as well as the 19 year old John McManus who's a fantastic wee hurler marking Watson was going well. McCarry in the other corner was still putting over some nice scores from wide angles, but the lad who was marking him was going a good job and didn't let him inside him once. I can't remember Graham having a single shot to save in the second half whereas DD pulled off one superb save from Stevie Clarke and his bravery at taking a good catch with Magic bearing down in him.

All in all we'd a youngish team, Mcmanus in the corner, Mcgrath at centre back and Caolan Baille are only out of minor last year and holding their own but there's a lot more in Baille if he'd work a bit harder during games. The rest of the team aren't old either barring Graham, but keepers are keepers and can go of for a few years yet.
Fitness wise, Stevie Clarke has been out all year with a shoulder injury, yesterday was his second game in a year and he's still rusty, Shane Baille has been plagued by injuries all year too, so has Deccy McManus who'd to come off due to a recurring groin injury and didn't look himself anyway. You're always going to have injury problems but if we can get some of those to clear up and work like f**k with a good set of young fellas coming out of U-16, a few who are big and can run as well as hurl then we'll be in a better position.

From a Loughgeil perspective I'd be a bit worried about the lack of aerial power you have in your half forward line, once young Mcgrath got the better of Scullion (Martin??, haven't got my program with me), you relied very heavily on the midfield to pick up breaking ball, the smaller of the two midfielders is a great hurler, but on wet pitches like the one in Owenbeg yesterday it didn't always come off. I know Eddie came on (emptying the bench or shoring things up    ) and he's an option as well as Joey Scullion who's also an option. But I thought that was your downfall last year against St Thomas'.

The poor striking for scores, Liam Watson was uncharacteristically guilty a few times would need addressed too, but there's two weeks for that.

Owenbeg is a good set up but I'd be worried about that pitch if it was a wet winter. It was wet yesterday and that was after a dry week.

[north aontroim gael]

Thats a fair enough assessment, wouldn't disagree with too much.

Eddie started, think you're maybe referring to Barney coming on.

[johnneycool]

Thats a fair enough assessment, wouldn't disagree with too much.

Eddie started, think you're maybe referring to Barney coming on.

Probably.