Antrim Hurling

North Antrim · October 08, 2007, 08:04:30 PM

Balboa......here goes... i hope my spelling is correct

Congratulations to Dunloy - well deserved and thankfully stopped the shamrocks from winning. Thought they were the better team, who physically were bigger and stronger is the key areas. Couldnt believe Barney McAuley wasn't moved off Ally Elliot. Throws up the question - is Barney really a county player??

Winker was a class act and if Loughgiel had of got more ball into him they could have sneaked it. They kept going for goals, which i felt if they had of put them over the bar it would have put the pressure on Dunloy more.

But overall enjoyed the final, better team won and was a really good match.

Where do Loughgiel go from here??

Balboa · October 08, 2007, 08:35:20 PM

Big improvement North Antrim, your rest from the board has done you no harm

Loughguile are probably in as good shape as anyone in Antrim in my opinion North Antrim. Dunloy will find it difficult/impossible to replace Ally & Dick when they finally pack it in, Loughguile seem to have that usual conveyor belt of talent but in fairness that does not guarantee senior success.

NAG · October 09, 2007, 10:10:59 AM

Think the posts so far have been on the money.

Dont know what loughgiel have to do to win a final, its probably their best performance in a final since they played dunloy the last time. Their problem is obvious to everyone they need to get some help for winker. Thought the dunloy forward line completely bullied their opponents out of the game, when did u ever see a full forward completely shouldering a corner back out of the game like dick o'kane did to barney.

Have to say if thats what sambo regards as corner back of county standard then we are all in trouble.

Balboa · October 09, 2007, 10:45:56 AM

Quote from: NAG on October 09, 2007, 10:10:59 AM

Have to say if thats what sambo regards as corner back of county standard then we are all in trouble.

In fariness to him i think he was carrying an injury going into the game, in hindsight he maybe shouldnt have played. He was their best player last year when they collapsed against the Dall in the final.

imtommygunn · October 09, 2007, 11:15:09 AM

Barney has always been a loose ball player more than a man marker in my opinion so based on that he shouldn't have been detailed to mark Elliot but the other corner forward I thought. He was moved off Elliot in the second half.

Incidentally someone mentioned about Dick taking him out with a shoulder. IMO that was a shoulder in the back and should have been a free out. That passage of play led to Dunloy's goal. They still would have won like but I thought it was a free out.

maxpower · October 09, 2007, 11:25:16 AM

Ah back at work for a half day now, head still pounding. but shure

Was a bit dissapointed with the BBC news coverage of the match last night, typical of them to highlight the banner, they showed one scored but talked for about two minutes on a banner, as usual trying to make out the worst fo the GAA. Okay it wasn't in the best taste and i certainly wouldn't be one for goading opponents but there has been a bit of an over reaction to it. the two folk carrying it never even held a hurl and some one must of told them the shamrocks had lost five,

Most of the comments on here are spot on, felt Dunloy where the better team, with the better spread of scoring options. Loughgiels two man full forward line worked a treat against Ballycastle because they had plenty of time on the ball to pick out the men in space, on Sunday Dunloys half backs, Midfield and Half Forwards worked like trojans to close that space down and so little to no ball got through. In fact the only time they did break the 'Gain line' was with Winker carrying it and he was choosing to shoot rather than pass (and rightfully so in the form he was in)

Watched the DVD last night imtommygunn and pretty sure it was a shoulder to shoulder challange, would need to look at it again

I think the County should have a look at whether they persist with playing the Football & Hurling finals on the same day, i think the hurling men in the County would rather watch the Minor final than the football final and it would give the young lads a boost to play in front of a crowd like sundays. By all accounts the minor hurling final this year was a classic, would have been good had such a crowd had watched it

Onwards to Ballycran now for Dunloy, didn't even know the match was fixed for this weekend until some one mentioned it on Saturday night, a small advantage to the crans already with the fixtures committee. Ah sure we'll give it a lash now and see what happens

Balboa · October 09, 2007, 11:32:12 AM

The only thing i would say about scheduling the minor match before the senior game is that Loughguile had 3 minors playing in the senior game.

maxpower · October 09, 2007, 11:36:31 AM

suppose thats fair enough and the dall had a few minors playing the years they won the double too so probaly unworkable. Just can't imagine folk from Cushendall or Loughgiel would have much interest in the football final or Portglenone in the huring final for that matter

imtommygunn · October 09, 2007, 11:38:47 AM

If you play the football on it's own you'll not get a big crowd so it's really the only way to showpiece the football I think.

Personally I like the two finals on the one day.

The BBC , like is said in other threads, are a disgrace when it comes to GAA coverage. I was disappointed it wasn't on the TG4 show last night as, no harm, it would certainly have been better to watch than for example a sligo football final!

Hoof Hearted · October 09, 2007, 11:52:12 AM

" Just can't imagine folk from Cushendall or Loughgiel would have much interest in the football final or Portglenone in the huring final for that matter "

Well im a football man and was only ever at 1 game of hurling ever and i have to say it was brilliant entertainment. from watching on TV it was always obvious the difference in speed and skill beteween the 2, but to witness from the stand in casement was something else. i didnt know anybody involved so i cant get involved in any debate about who should be marking who and who the county men should or shouldn't be, but i would certainly go back and will go to the ulster final no doubt. i wouldnt blame loughuile or dunloy men not wanting to watch the football but i would say portglenone men who stayed would have enjoyed that. super stuff

theskull1 · October 09, 2007, 12:20:17 PM

When you see the two sports side by side you really do have to wonder why football is the more dominant sport?? Christ the football final was shocking!!

milltown row · October 09, 2007, 03:01:06 PM

have to agree as did everyone from our club that the football was shocking, and the football should always be first.

on another note i thought that both referees played well and let the games go for as much as they could. no bad calls that would have chaged the games either.

also i hear no complaints about taking the finals out of casement either. thought there were not too many incidents, bar the 5 in a row banner. think i saw Cassidy go over and ask the lads to take it down, which they did.

think Ballycran will go for it as they have nothing to lose, they beat a ballygalget team whom i'm sure someone from dunloy will back up have played really well this year in the league, they have been the best team we have played in the league this year.

ballycran however have only won their first match last week against Lamhs but proved in the county final to be handy enough.

expect Dungiven to be tough but will not be able to stop Dunloy (if they beat Ballycran) in the final.

it's either Munster or lenister for the winners of Ulster Hurling as Cusendall played the Galway Champions last year

Glensman · October 09, 2007, 05:14:03 PM

Never have I seen the gulf between the two sports look so vast as it did on Sunday. I always say it and get shouted down by real football heads but there is simply NO comparison.
Football is a good game, hurling is a great game.

Why is it?
Faster?
More skills?
More scores?
Less off the ball stuff/pulling dragging etc. (It was funny in the hurling on Sunday, there was a little bit of niggle at the start of the first half, each man no doubt trying to assert his authority but was soon forgotten as the pace of the game took over...whereas with players standing around more in the football, nothing in their hands to keep them occupied like a hurl, there is that potential for things to spill over more)

imtommygunn · October 09, 2007, 05:27:17 PM

To be fair though you had two reasonably evenly matched teams in the hurling whereas the football was in essence a mismatch. Last year's football final was good.

No doubt that hurling in antrim is of a much higher standard than the football though. We may be a bit off some southern counties but we still have a high standard here and on the form Watson was in Sunday he would make teams anywhere.

milltown row · October 10, 2007, 08:25:29 AM

thats slighty unfair imtommygunn (hurling at a higher standard), as Naomh Gall have always made a good stab at wining the ulster championship, and by all accounts i'd say most teams would prefer another county than ours in the draw. the football in Ulster is a lot more exciting than last sunday's game. in the five years that we have been there, there has only be one season were we fell at the first match. some went to replys and others further on down.