Antrim Hurling

[btdtgtt]

Absolutely it's the norm - and that's the problem.

I agree the limerick result should be taken with a pinch of salt however - my barometer is more the fact that Westmeath Laois and in particular Carlow are now real tests for us.
The days of picking off results against Wexford and Offaly seem gone. The current team don't look like changing the slump.

Let's hope I'm wrong and we turn the faithful county over in that game - we should beat Laois (?!) and cork game intimidating.
And on that note good luck to the players and management - if the effort goes in and they do their best that's all can be asked. Some of our woes lie outside their realm.

[Tony Baloney]

Absolutely it's the norm - and that's the problem.

I agree the limerick result should be taken with a pinch of salt however - my barometer is more the fact that Westmeath Laois and in particular Carlow are now real tests for us.
The days of picking off results against Wexford and Offaly seem gone. The current team don't look like changing the slump.

Let's hope I'm wrong and we turn the faithful county over in our next game.
And on that note good luck to the players and management - if the effort goes in and they do their best that's all can be asked. Some of our woes lie outside their realm.

Ignoring the fact that Laois etc are much improved?

[imtommygunn]

The fluked the win statement is bs hs. We were knocking on the door for a good few years and had a great crop of players.

[theskull1]

Listen to the atmosphere and level of vocal support provided during the KK Tipp game and compare that to Antrim supporters. A deaf and dumb group would make more noise. We don't fully embrace our county team and thats symptomatic of an overall apathy thats always been there. 

[north_antrim_hound]

We haven't competed properly since hurling began ffs. And don't fcukin 1989 me, we fluked a win and then got tanked.

It isn't going to change at senior level until we are competing/winning consistently at underage, which we aren't. This talk about Loch gCaol, Neil McManus, Kevin Ryan etc etc may all be true but its irrelevant.

That's strong words but hard to argue with, especially the underage bit

I see we are a getting a windfall from croke park. If enough people give a shit we could use it to travel south with all those young teams right up to minor. But god knows what Antrim board has planned for it. Need to try something different that's for sure

[imtommygunn]

The fluked the win statement is bs hs. We were knocking on the door for a good few years and had a great crop of players.

One win. One. Great crop alright. Followed up by one of the biggest tankings in an AI Final. That isn't competing. Don't kid ourselves.

Did you follow that team in the eighties and early nineties at all? Do you not think they were a great crop?

We are far away from that level now but for antrim there were great players in that area. That one win wasn't a fluke.

[btdtgtt]

In relation to the top teams I don't think Laois have improved tony. We used to sit between the like of them and the top tier - now we sit along side them.

HS your critique of 89 is spot on - but don't forget that crop did compete for a few years either side. Although I agree perhaps only the provincial structure at the time allowed this.

Skull is correct however - as a group of Gaels / supporters we don't get behind our county. Why? Lack of success, parochial preferences, and perhaps most importantly our seasons are generally all too predictable. We can't almost call every result before a ball is pucked.

Don't start HS on the sight of hill16 in 89 tho!

As for our windfall - kiss it goodbye into the black hole of dunsilly like the money from opening Croker! Our county officers will look nice in the photos though!

[btdtgtt]

The fluked the win statement is bs hs. We were knocking on the door for a good few years and had a great crop of players.

One win. One. Great crop alright. Followed up by one of the biggest tankings in an AI Final. That isn't competing. Don't kid ourselves.

Did you follow that team in the eighties and early nineties at all? Do you not think they were a great crop?

We are far away from that level now but for antrim there were great players in that area. That one win wasn't a fluke.

Great? Teams that lose one match in years can be considered great, not teams that win one match in years. We went close to Kilkenny in 91 but couldn't get out of Ulster in 92, got drilled by Kilkenny in 93. It was an anomaly. The final showed that.

Time does wonderful things to memories HS!

[Tony Baloney]

This windfall, correct me if I'm wrong, is 800k between 4 counties over 5 years - so 40 grand a year. Will pay for a few banquets and "fact-finding" missions no doubt.

[imtommygunn]

You may note the "for antrim" part i put before that comment.

You haven't commented on the 80s? Ok early 90s was 91 really.

Mayo got to multiple finals against kerry in recent years where they got "drilled".Were they all anomalies because they got hammered?

We were knocking on the door and we made it through with the team at their peak.  I don't believe in the anomaly thing at all.

We are not a "top table" hurling county and have always been high division 2 / low division 1 status. Those boys in the 80s had us as more than that.

[btdtgtt]

This windfall, correct me if I'm wrong, is 800k between 4 counties over 5 years - so 40 grand a year. Will pay for a few banquets and "fact-finding" missions no doubt.

Quick question:
When this money is spent - does anyone believe Antrim hurling will be better off in relation to other counties?

For me - no.
History tells me it will be squandered or used in the wrong manner by the usual cronies.

[Tony Baloney]

This windfall, correct me if I'm wrong, is 800k between 4 counties over 5 years - so 40 grand a year. Will pay for a few banquets and "fact-finding" missions no doubt.

Quick question:
When this money is spent - does anyone believe Antrim hurling will be better off in relation to other counties?

For me - no.
History tells me it will be squandered or used in the wrong manner by the usual cronies.

They should send a couple of development officers down south and bring something back to the juvenile ranks. There is no point crying about the senior team as it will take years to sort that out. Prepare for the future.

[imtommygunn]

Mayo getting to 'multiple' finals can't be an anomaly, by definition.

Next you'll be telling me last year's u21 team was a great team.

No comment on the 80s prior to 89 no? Or does that not suit your point?

There are some good u21s there. The Clare team that hammered them we a great team. Any team from antrim that makes an ai final isn't a bad one in my book. The u21 match was more of a shock though. No history from that team of being a threat like say the antrim team in the 80s 

I clarified that i said the 89 team was a great team "for antrim". I don't see any problem with that comment.

[north_antrim_hound]

Ok HS we get it even our best teams ever are sh..te in your book
They dished out all those all stars out of sympathy

It was our most productive era and I for one felt good about county hurling. So even if they didn't live up to your dizzy standards I cherish those memories

Hurling has move on a lot so imm think it's unfair to judge our current teams to them either
The whole thing has gig very professional and we hit the lottery with talent it wouldn't matter if they didn't put on the work.  We are all very good at whinging on here about things like the pounding our boys took today but they the ones that are probably still getting home and the manager is trying his best. Time to start talking about what could be done for the better instead of who should be playing and how we lick there ba.lls to come back.

[bannside]

88/89/90/91 we were a top team. Feared no one and feared by most. Definitely a top 4 or 5 team consistently during this period. I dont think we should ever take away from that. Clute Ciaran Barr Dessie Donnelly Humpy etc etc were all top top players, and well managed by Jim Nelson/John Crossey.

Its all changed since then.  The speed, the strength the professionalism, the sportys science - of course it comes down to money. Creagh cant do it all.The money being pumped in, in Dublin needs to be put into our second city (you know what I mean).

We have the classic chicken and egg situation going on. Businessmen would get behind hurling ( and football) if there was trust in board to be open and transparent about its use, and a professional plan put in front of them. Of that I have no doubt. But it needs driven, and by a group of young professionals who want better than what they have. See the county website re hurling golf classic and particularly the statement from the players about their passion to make things change.

Its hard not to be impressed -  and its been a long time since I saw such passion coming from the players to implement change from within. Read it, and maybe you might just see the future. Knock it, and maybe you are a person who gets off on knocking everything. Go on lads. Make it happen lads - you have plenty of support.