Antrim Hurling

[Leftbackno4]

Anyone up in Owenbeg today to watch the minors today

Some difference in the full time and extra time performances it would appear

Wasn't at it as had some croke park blues from Saturday
But the Irish news says coby hit 1.13 ( 10 from frees)
K Molloy got 1.04 And E O Neil Came on and hit 2.03 so well done to the dunloy lads

Derry didn't show up in ET. Good tactics by Antrim, in that period, pulling everyone back and giving 3 or 4 lads up front plenty of space which they used very effectively. 9, 11 and 20 were the lads who stood out for me, think they are the 3 mentioned above. 9 was lucky to stay on the pitch after a wild pull when he was fouled with 15 mins to go. Big lad wearing number 7 seemed very good, serious pace for a great point in the 1st half of ET.

The ref seemed to play more than the 4 minutes injury time that was allocated which allowed Antrim to pull level. As a Derry man, was very disappointed with the ref (don't see where he got 4 minutes from) but fair play to Antrim for taking advantage and pushing on in ET.

7 was Eamonn Smyth from Dunloy also. A fine hurler.

I'm sure Derry are gutted as they were by far the better team for 40-45 mins when Antrims forwards were posted missing with the ball coming straight back at the Antrim defence.  Molloy put in a shift throughout the game and Coby came to life when moved to the edge of the square. The introduction of Eoin O'Neill and then Peter McCallin gave the Antrim forward line a real cutting edge while the other changes helped Antrim to win ball around the middle third. Antrim certainly played their  'get out of jail free' card and it will be interesting to see if they can kick on from here as another performance like their first 45mins will just not be good enough.

[NAG1]

Is it too soon, to start asking about where the hell we go from here?
or will we wait to the club season it out of the way first? 

[btdtgtt]

There's an interview on HoganStand website with Sarsfields lad McKenna.
I assume it's therefore taken from the Irish News.

" I thought we played well to be honest . . . I thought our intensity levels were better than the last day and we went out with a bit of respect . . . I don't think there's one player who didn't give their all and hopefully we'll take that positive into the Ulster final and hopefully end the year on a high."

I'm not criticising him - but if we're losing to Meath - and able to be positive about it - then I think that says it all about our current status.

Yes we should beat Meath - but generally the hurling standard simply isn't there at present.
The road to improvement - wherever that is - can only begin with the Clubs.
Prioritising the county set up is like putting lipstick on a pig.
Only after years of an invigorated club scene will we raise our standard at county level.
(And yes I'm starting to even bore myself by repeating this!)

[theskull1]

Should ...... Sounding just like the English btdtgtt.

Coaching standards and drive for better standards varies massively between clubs and even between agegroups within clubs. Not enough of a coaching population with the right skillsets to stop bad habits/mannerisms developing and bring as many youngsters through to WANT to play senior for their club.

More bodies on the ground who actually want to learn how to coach rather than just help out has to be the first step.

[hurlingstick]

Are Meath better than we're giving them credit for?

[btdtgtt]

Nothing wrong with saying we should beat Meath?
We held a significant advantage over them on two occasions - should have see it out.

Meath hurling has improved - ours has deteriorated.
It's that simple unfortunately.

[north_antrim_hound]

Are Meath better than we're giving them credit for?

Yes
Their fielding was top class and they where playing as a unit
Their support play was better and they seem to have some plan in place
If they hadnt have shot all those wides( Antrim where more ecomonical with there shooting) they could have been out of sight by half time

[theskull1]

Anyone Ive been talking to who was at the game has said Meath were worthy winners.

If we don't accept this is where we're at then nothing will change. A level headed root and branch review needs to be carried out and see what can be done.

[hurlingstick]

Is Feis cup on tonight Shams v Dal? If so where?

[bogieman]

Are Meath better than we're giving them credit for?

Meath deserved it, twice.   

[paddyjohn]

Is Feis cup on tonight Shams v Dal? If so where?

I'm guessing Loughuile.

[north_antrim_hound]

Are Math better than we're giving them credit for?

Math deserved it, twice.   

It's worth noting that the support Antrim had there compared to Meath was really bad
They really drove their team on
I was there on Saturday but I have not been going to games as much so I'm including myself when I say our support is every bit as bad as our hurling these days
When Antrim scored on Saturday you wouldn't have heard a thing
It definitely meant more to Meath in every respect

We gifted them two goals through bad ball handling but in fairness to all the players they tried really hard the whole match and deserve a bit of praise for that
Young Connelly looks like a real peach and Clark was good when given the right ball
Eoin Campbell fixed a leak and hurled well when moved back

It can't be easy being a county player at the moment

[Seamroga in exile]

Is Feis cup on tonight Shams v Dal? If so where?

I'm guessing Loughuile.

yep. 7.30

[Brocky]

Dall won by 2 points. Both teams understrentgh. Not a great match to be honest spoilt mostly by a referee who doesn't know how to let it go. To be honest it's one of the worst displays of refereeing I've seen in a long time.
Somebody please have a word with him as it does nothing to better hurling in this county.

[Minder]

Dall won by 2 points. Both teams understrentgh. Not a great match to be honest spoilt mostly by a referee who doesn't know how to let it go. To be honest it's one of the worst displays of refereeing I've seen in a long time.
Somebody please have a word with him as it does nothing to better hurling in this county.

Paging MR2