Antrim Hurling

[Two Hands FFS]

Would it be Ballycastle v Dunloy on Saturday in Loughgiel £8 and double header on the Sunday with intermediate final on before Cushendall v Loughgiel possibly in Dunloy or Ballycastle. £10.

Junior and intermediate finals are weekend of 19/20 whereas I think senior semis are in two weeks.

Agree - definitely not Ballycastle. Wind ruins too many (every?) game.

Dunloy was a bog last night and its quite often like that. I'd rather go to Armoy than Dunloy.

[theskull1]

Both Dunloy and Loughgiel were soft from the terrible weather there's been, but suggesting our pitch was like a bog is just plain wrong

[Two Hands FFS]

Both Dunloy and Loughgiel were soft from the terrible weather there's been, but suggesting our pitch was like a bog is just plain wrong

It wasn't far from it. It was a swimming Pool last year. Double header should not have been played there. Disgraceful for the 4 teams involved. Sure the Dunloy match v Rossa was moved the previous weekend.

[theskull1]

It wasnt even close to what you're describing. Really strange you're making an issue of something that wasn't a issue on the night of the games.

[north_antrim_hound]

It didn't look like a bog but players in both games were slipping about a fair bit. Hardly matters though. It's the same for both teams though of course.
[/quote

Pitch has had the drainage fixed and it's draining well

As for being wet, would all the rain have anything to do with it

I think the comments on Ballycastle are a bit harsh to

[getevennotcross]

Yes of course. I think you'll find my comment wasn't a criticism.  Dunloy are a great club and the day was well stewarded as expected.  Well done to them and indeed to all clubs who carry out such thankless tasks when it comes to championship.  Not allowing Casement to become a hayfield would relieve the burden from them I'm sure.

ah sure your just sniping at CB again.  Well as I said 'Championship is Championship' Johnnies and Galls certainly raised their respective games which u should expect in knock out anyway. Not enough to get over the line all the same but serious endeavour.  Cant wait to see what semis-throw up.

[aontroim]

Senior Hurling Semi Finals
Dunloy v Ballycastle           Saturday  12th September 17.00    @ Loughgiel
Loughgiel v Cushendall     Sunday     13th September 17.00    @Dunloy


Junior Hurling Final             
Saturday 19th September  15.00 @ Armoy
St Teresas v Rasharkin

Intermediate  Hurling Final
Saturday 19th September  16.30   @ Armoy
Creggan v Carey

Minor B Hurling Final  : Creggan v Oisin  Saturday 26th September  15.00   @ Cushendall
Minor A Hurling Final  :  Naomh Padraig v  Dunloy   Saturday  26th September 16.30    @ Cushendall   

[Gizzy15]

Senior Hurling Semi Finals
Dunloy v Ballycastle           Saturday  12th September 17.00    @ Loughgiel
Loughgiel v Cushendall     Sunday     13th September 17.00    @Dunloy


Junior Hurling Final             
Saturday 19th September  15.00 @ Armoy
St Teresas v Rasharkin

Intermediate  Hurling Final
Saturday 19th September  16.30   @ Armoy
Creggan v Carey

Minor B Hurling Final  : Creggan v Oisin  Saturday 26th September  15.00   @ Cushendall
Minor A Hurling Final  :  Naomh Padraig v  Dunloy   Saturday  26th September 16.30    @ Cushendall   

Sad to see so little City Interest at these stages bar Tessies in Junior final and Jonnies u-21 we are really in a bad place with hurling in the city. I honestly feel that when you look back at all the times Antrim were strong (at least competing) there were city teams keeping the country teams on their toes and no foregone conclusions come championship. championship is now full of foregone conclusions and bar the odd close run game it could be started at the semi final stage. this is not healthy nor is it any other clubs fault/responsibility to help clubs that are under achieving. I wish I had the answers but I feel I don't (bar a serious targeting of primary schools promoting hurling and getting clubs to be more proactive towards this goal of greater participation, also recruiting and really upskilling new and existing coaches within the city). Last year Belfast Cumann na mBunscol ran a year round Gaelic football programme with leagues, blitzes and championships. Hurling had one day in June which had to double up as league and Championship as there were two trophies that had to be given out. between 1pm and 3pm of one day in June. that's the hurling for a p7 in his last year of primary school in Belfast.

[north_antrim_hound]

Agee with everything here, we are going nowhere in Antrim to the city gets things sorted
Four strong ( arguably two really strong clubs ) is no good
We have been here before on this subject
In the case of Belfast hurling '' a few good men '' is not enough

[btdtgtt]

Absolutely not a word to disagree with in either of those last two posts!

[getevennotcross]

So we city slickers lick our wounds and do nothinng our apathy and helplessness set to continue. Just wonder if we will have to rely on the DUP and Shinners, CB, UC to get us out of this mess, heavens forbid.   Our current hurling woes/predicament seems to be in perpetual cycle of decline.

We need major radicalisation, empowerment, resource, comittment, leadership, in other words a major rethink, overhal and a good ridden out of redundant and inept personnel.  Who will fill the shoes, thats the millionn dollar question??  Any takers and any innovative suggestions/proposals from clubs??  Whats the state of play with candidates for County Chair, I heard it rumoured (well it is what it is - Rumour) that Jim Donnelly (Johnnies) may contend?  I can think of a lot worse persons than this good man.

[Leftbackno4]

I think the reasons for Antrims current standing in the hurling world have been well documented on this board and they are many and varied, but I'm trying very hard to get my head around the blame (even partially) being laid at the door of Belfast clubs while we are supposedly relying on the usual North Antrim clubs for player development. How many North Antrim clubs burden themselves by developing football players to inter county standard ? How many North Antrim clubs have senior dual players and how many play Div 1 football and hurling while the 3 Belfast senior clubs Rossa, St Johns & St Galls are trying to balance the demands of both ? With a few notable exceptions how many inter county hurlers are regularly produced from the South West Antrim clubs ? This is not just a Belfast problem.

A serious debate is required about whether dual clubs splitting our meagre resources has any future in the progression of Gaelic games in general and hurling in particular in Antrim and if trying to accommodate both hurling and football leagues that don't clash is really helping anyone in the longer term. We are facing a tough future and we need to be able to take tough decisions together. Loughgeil, Cushendall, Kilkenny, Donegal, Tryone, Kerry etc show the way i.e. Concentrate on one code and have a chance at success.The dual counties and 'super clubs' of Cork and Dublin are the exceptions that prove the rule and a winning dual club/ county is becoming even more of an exception.

We face lots of problems e.g. no county ground or a centre of excellence for our development teams, ( just look at the embarrassing situation of Inadequate pitches for the Antrim cup games with Kilkenny and Dublin at UUJ never mind the Casement debacle) under resourced coaching structures, lack of funding and sponsorship for our county teams, schools participation and coaching that is decades behind successful counties etc etc. These are the real challenges we need to face together and whatever the  strategy devised we need to commit to doing something or we will keep getting similar results while other counties overtake us in these areas.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

been off this past few days so never got to moan or complain about the weekends games lol

Went to both games on sat. Poor affairs in  my opinion. Rossa and Ballycastle never got going at all. The town got a rather poor goal in the first half that kept them in front and then a cracking one at the start of the second to kill the game off. I didnt see anything from them to make me worried about them.

Second game was just weird. St Galls blew Lgiel away in the first half with their intensity, was good to see they wernt there to just fulfill a game. They deserve a lot of credit for how they played. At half time i was chatting to a few Lgiel ones beside me and they were saying "aw i bet your enjoying this here". I just said "ive seen this before, and it didnt end well for us. You need big changes"

That they did, esp in midfield where they were getting eaten alive. Watson coming on changed it, he started to win all the loose ball and move it in quickly. I have to admit when the goal went in i knew it was game over.

Though it was funny to watch all the Lgiel ones bouncing up and down on the line celebrating it. One lad said to me 'there you go, you thought we were beat!' I just replied '8-27 you scored last time'. Just shows you can never take a team for granted.

Our game was prob the most dead in terms of atmosphere. I know we hit 4-23 but we conceded silly scores, really need to sharpen up in the back line.

Game of the weekend was the St Johns v Cdall game. Thought the better team lost imo though fair play to Cdall for getting the goals when it was needed. Mark of champions that is.

Just a side note, the criticism of our pitch is extremely unfair. To use the word 'bog' borders on stupidity. The amount of money that was spent last winter to drain the entire bottom end of that pitch from the halfway line down would put some clubs to shame. Also recently we have re-piped all of the storm drains around the pitch to ensure that the run off water goes away from the pitch as well.

Fact is we live in Ireland and it pisses down here more often that people have warm dinners. Our grounds man closes that pitch constantly and not one single team in our club is permitted to train on it, including our senior hurlers! He padlocks the gates to make sure of it! lol

[theskull1]

Who's going to have the remit to chair that debate number4?

Players playing dual at senior level guarantees mediocrity (and overuse injuries) but I think we're no different than the rest of the dual counties with relatively small playing populations. We're stuck with it. 

[MoChara]

I seen on facebook there Loch Mor up in Crumlin are having a talk back night on Friday could be worth a trip for airing some of our county woes.

TALK BACK NIGHT FIDDLERS FRIDAY 9PM
Very pleased to announce our final member of the panel for talk back as 2015 World Champion handballer also local Camog and Footballer Aisling Reilly.
Leaving the final line up as:
GUEST CHAIR JOURNALIST COILIN DUFFY ALSO PRO OF NATIONAL GAA ROUNDERS
LIAM WATSON & KEVIN BRADY FORMER COUNTY HURLING & FOOTBALL STARS
JANE ADAMS & FIONNUALA CARR STAR CAMOGS FOR ANTRIM & DOWN
LIAM HINPHEY FORMER DERRY HURLING MANAGER & PLAYER
AISLING REILLY 2015 WORLD CHAMPION HANDBALLER.
WE'VE EVERY ANGLE COVERED APART FROM ROAD BOWLS LOL
THIS IS A MUST ATTEND FOR ANY GAA FAN AND MEMBER ALIKE WILL BE GREAT DEBATE AND CRAIC. 9PM SHARP FIDDLERS FRIDAY. OPEN TO EVERYONE LIVE MUSIC FOLLOWS.