Antrim Hurling

[theskull1]

     hic


Just drinking my pint of water before bedtime whilst reading the comments. Encouraged by Max's contribution. Did you enjoy the game max? You never said?

Think most of the comments have been spot on. Absolute embarrassment for that banner to be brought onto the pitch. I can tell you that 99% of Dunloy folk are not best pleased about it. These eejits who never struck a ball in their lives doing shit like that........fecking doe heads the lot of them.

Feel a certain level of sympathy for loughguile. Its been a tough 5 years for them, but sympathy votes don't win championships  . I'm sure they'll be as keen as ever next year

[Last Man]

Havent seen L'giel this season prior to the final so was somewhat surprised by their performance. 3 or 4 scores from open play is an atrocious return for any forward line. The winker show on his own plus to a fair extent Campbell will never be enough to win them a championship. Dunloy were solid throughout, although I think they shouldn't have been sucked in by the 2 man forward line in the first half, I am sure that it was not a comfortable place to be for young Martin to be. He was outstanding though when dropped back to familiar territory in the 2nd half making a few crucial tackles and putting his head on the block literally when L'giel threatened. Their score was bolstered by a masterly display of free taking by Winker but Dick was also on form.
Great to see Patch, Ally and Dick getting their 10th medal at last, when you think back to to the days they were robbed over the last few years( Rossa assisted by E McHugh worst of all). The ould seasoned campaigners were the heros for Dunloy and inspired the rest of the team to turn in a great performance and take the well deserved win

[Balboa]

Skull......I would have to commend you on that post if you were on the beer, no spelling errors. I would have been expecting something along the lines that North Antrim churns out on a regular basis.

[theskull1]

Skull......I would have to commend you on that post if you were on the beer, no spelling errors. I would have been expecting something along the lines that North Antrim churns out on a regular basis.

Took me half an hour to write the bloody thing cause I know how you like the spelling to be right 

[Ruairi Og exile]

Skull you got home early last night??

[Arthur_Friend]

If Loughguile haven't got what it takes to win the championship (as stated here by some) how have they managed to get to the final five years in a row? You can get an easy ride to the final maybe once or twice but five in a row??

[imtommygunn]

Fair play to Dunloy they were a much better team and if it weren't for Watson they'd have won by a lot more. They were by far a more physical team and they had a better spread of forwards.

Loughgiel should have won the final last year and the year before. Mentally I think they lost these but yesterday they were beaten by a much better team.

Only Johnny Campbell, Eddie McCloskey and Liam Watson were up for the job and to a slightly lesser extent the full back McGarry. They were out hurled and out muscled everywhere else. Where they go from here I don't know but on that performance I'm not sure they have a county title in that bunch of players.

[Balboa]

Fair play to Dunloy they were a much better team and if it weren't for Watson they'd have won by a lot more. They were by far a more physical team and they had a better spread of forwards.

Loughgiel should have won the final last year and the year before. Mentally I think they lost these but yesterday they were beaten by a much better team.

Only Johnny Campbell, Eddie McCloskey and Liam Watson were up for the job and to a slightly lesser extent the full back McGarry. They were out hurled and out muscled everywhere else. Where they go from here I don't know but on that performance I'm not sure they have a county title in that bunch of players.

The one thing Loughguile have on their side is the current team are very young, with Ding Gillan probably the oldest at 29. Maybe the younger fellas that they had yesterday will progress and will develop physically, the Loughguile management saw this year as perhaps a bit early in their development to be winning a championship but obviously when you get to a final it is for winning. In any case they need to find/develop a couple of forwards in the next year or two.

[milltown row]

good match, being young means nothing, the boys who did all the scoring are older than me (just) for dunloy.

the tactic of the two man fullforward line did not work in the first five minutes it should have been changed.

as said on this board leading up to the final, dunloy have a better attacking players, although Paddy richmond did not score, he set up a lot, Ally did his usual and Dick did not miss a free.

why they kept Barney on Ally was beyond me, Ally could have scored a goal after 30 seconds!

great speech by Dick after he match, hopefully they can go on again to another final. have watched all their semi finals and they very rarely let us down.

[imtommygunn]

They'd two minors in their forward line yesterday who I'd say will turn out to be very good but would need a year or two yet before they're at that level so I'd say you're right about the age thing. I'd definitely say 2 to 3 years before a title based on yesterday but they may surprise us.

You can say what you like about their supporters but you wouldn't wish losing 5 in a row on anyone.

Dunloy - Ballycran seems to be on this Sunday. I'd expect Dunloy to beat everything in Ulster handy enough now. People talk about Dungiven but unless they're improved a lot since last year where they battered their way to a draw with Cushendall I'd expect Dunloy to beat them handy enough.

[Ruairi Og exile]

Tommy...you said Loughgiel should have won the last two finals( 05 & 06) ok they threw away a huge lead last year but in 05 Cushendall totally dominated that match & it was only for some bad misses that they were still in the game

Authur, in 03 & 04 they beat Cushendall in the semi final, in 03 Cushendall were a total disaster & 04 wasnt much better. & the 3 years they played St Galls, the Johnies & Ballycastle....who arent good teams( and struggled against 2 belfast teams)

[imtommygunn]

Sorry Ruairi - probably not giving you boys the credit you deserve there...

The first final against Cushendall maybe they didn't deserve to win but the second they switched off although great comeback by Cushendall. The two finals against Cushendall were really the only two they were close in.

[Ruairi Og exile]

To be fair to Loughgiel they were very good in 03 & could have won it there....that was a very good match against Dunloy.

[Balboa]

Sorry Ruairi - probably not giving you boys the credit you deserve there...

The first final against Cushendall maybe they didn't deserve to win but the second they switched off although great comeback by Cushendall. The two finals against Cushendall were really the only two they were close in.

Their first final in 2003 against Dunloy there was only a point in it, a late winning free awarded by the boul Eugene Mc Hugh.

[Glensman]

That Loughgeil were still in the game was more so to do with Dunloy switching off after 15 mins of the first half and again for a little period of the 2nd half. If Dunloy had've kept the momentum up they could have been out of sight. Ally was roasting Barney and should have been picked out more/constantly in the first half. Dick wasn't missing a thing and Paddy Richmond was beginning to exert a bit of influence.

Diasgree with an earlier comment by (not sure who) about McCloskey being alot better than Shields. McCloskey in all fairness to him stepped up a bit in the second half, especially the second half of it. Scored a good point and caught a couple of good balls anf brought the fight to Dunloy but though there was only a puck of the ball between them in the end I felt there was in reality a bit more of a gap and Dunloy could have shifted gear as and when.
Shields had played solidly throughout, without setting the world on fire, and aside from a couple of misplaced handpasses was as good as McCloskey.
They could be a future midfield pairing for the Saffrons.

Bringing on McGuckian was a great ploy by Dunloy and dropping Kevin Martin back at the start of the second half worked a treat.
Dunloy's bench is arguably as strong as it has been in my memory. Different options for different positions and decent enough strength in depth.
Cushendall faltered with having a weak enough bench (in my humble opinion) last year in the semi. When things got tough for them it should have been spiced up but they weren't able to. Increasingly its becoming a 17/18 man game.

I would argue that you can actually see a good balance of what the management were as players coming out in the team themselves. Pappy, Shane Elliot and Mushy all completely different styles and characters but a good mixture.

The standard of hurling was I felt pretty high. I hope Dunloy's well earned hangover will go shortly and they can get down to the real business. They will have to remember previous slip ups by Antrim teams in Ulster, hopefully get through that and whatever is thrown at them and then give the All Ireland a real good tilt.

Well done to Skull/Max P and any other Dunloy posters.

As regards the banner that came on the field it was pretty shocking but it must be remember there are clampets within every village/club. Given the nature of the rivalry, the build up etc ... its not condoning it in the slightest but a little bit of perspective should be used.

One further point was an incident which I spotted, not sure if anyone else on here saw. First half maybe 20 mins in. A Loughgeil player went to pick the ball up. Nothing wrong with the pick at all, maybe he could have bent his back a bit more. But as he picked it up and was about to catch it Martin Curry nipped in and caught the ball as if he's lifted it himself. Am guessing it was a spur of the moment thing and he hadn't practiced it but it was pure class.

Anyhow - its dinner time.