Antrim Hurling

[PlayWithTheWind]

have to totally dissagree with the fixtures this year. maybe div 1 was played week in week out, but further down in other leagues your lucky to get a match a month. there has been no consistancy. having no match for 5/6 weeks before the championship is not on!! the fixtures should be set out so that you have a game every sunday, this did not happen. also fixing matches for saturday is a joke, as boys work on saturdays! it is obvious that the fixtures this year have not worked because if you look at the fixtures set out this weekend there is matches fixed for saturday and sunday, some clubs having to play both days in different codes.

[Last Man]

Div 1. did work this year, the lower leagues did not but I'd say that was down to the CCc placing most of their focus on Div.1 due to the scepticism from the top clubs at the start of last year that they could make it work. At least it shows they should be able to apply the formula to the lower leagues. Sorting fixtures for dual clubs will always be a problem and I don't think there is an answer. Ultimately players will have to pick their favourite code and get on with it. Dual players are in the minority these days anyway and can't really expect to dictate. Expecting Sundays to be the only match day is not workable either, I wouldn't like to be scheduling games under such tight constraints.

[Balboa]

I would no go along with the idea that the fixtures were considerably better than other years, we had a burst of about 5 games in two weeks (Sundays & Wednesday) then went about 5 weeks without a game before the chanpionship. Also the timing of the group championship matches for 6.30 on a Wednesday night when fellas are trying to get home from work was the biggest pile of shite they have come up with in a while.

[theskull1]

You must have had a totally different fixture list to Dunloy Rocky because ours was very evenly spead out
April     4 Games
May      6
June     4
July       5
Aug       3
Sept      3
Oct       1 so far

14 Matches played on Sunday, 5 on Saturday and the rest Mid week. I'd say we have played nearly 3 times as many matches this year compared to last year. Now thats not bad and the County Board along with the County Management deserve alot of credit IMO (I don't expect you to agree on the latter  )
I thought everybody was benefiting from the fixtures this year?

[Bacon]

Do those figures include the UHL which Dunloy didn't enter last year?

[Balboa]

You must have had a totally different fixture list to Dunloy Rocky because ours was very evenly spead out
April     4 Games
May      6
June     4
July       5
Aug       3
Sept      3
Oct       1 so far

14 Matches played on Sunday, 5 on Saturday and the rest Mid week. I'd say we have played nearly 3 times as many matches this year compared to last year. Now thats not bad and the County Board along with the County Management deserve alot of credit IMO (I don't expect you to agree on the latter  )
I thought everybody was benefiting from the fixtures this year?

I agree there have been plenty of games but they just seemed to be coming thick and fast then a month with no games, we would have a fairly small panel so we were pretty stretched at times, i know, im never happy ! 

[podge]

IMO fixtures have been a big improvement this year so credit to those in charge especially the CCC and Joe Edwards.  They have laid a marker down and I for one hope to see them there next year as they have made superb job in their first year.  Lets hope they can build on it.


Skull, you said you heard Div 2 wasn;t a success which I must say surprised me- what was this based on?  Most teams in Div 2 had 90% of their games played before the championship in August and the winners, Glenarm were confirmed last weekend which is pretty good in my book. It was a very competitive league all be it there could be room for a couple more games in it.  The IHC was a very open competition with about 6 or 7 teams fancying their chances at the outset and any team could beat any other on their day.

As a complete aside, does anyone think there has been a noticebale improvement in player discipline in Antrim  this year?  I attended all the IHC and SHC semi finals and finals and there was barely an incident of note.  Good to see and again some credit for this must be down to the referees and the disciplinary committee.

[theskull1]

Yeah..I just heard some griping that a few more games would have been better but yes I hear that the IHC was competitive this year. With dual clubs though that may not be so easy so I wonder do hurling only clubs need to fill in the gaps themselves just to keep them hurling. Now that links have been established with teams throughout ulster, maybe a game or two with these clubs when needs must might help the situation rather than rely on the county fixtures to be the answer to everyones requirements.

Question......are there any current IHC clubs with senior aspirations or has the AI IHC created a glass ceiling for all these clubs that they don't want to go through?

[milltown row]

In light of the recent debate regarding the GPA strike threat and continuing debate in the Irish with Heaney and McNulty. I'd like to know what is the feeling among the posters on this site.

Is the GPA right, are they elitist, are they really just looking after their own, and forgetting about the club players who pay in to watch them play?

[Balboa]

In light of the recent debate regarding the GPA strike threat and continuing debate in the Irish with Heaney and McNulty. I'd like to know what is the feeling among the posters on this site.

Is the GPA right, are they elitist, are they really just looking after their own, and forgetting about the club players who pay in to watch them play?

Lone Shark has said it better than i could, this is from the "Players To Strike" thread on main Gaa Discussion.....

I don't understand why nobody does the obvious and pins the GPA down. There are so many questions that they couldn't answer, and yet no-one asks them. Why are the media giving Dessie and co such an easy ride?

Some examples being....

(1) What assurances can you give that should the government pull the funding, or refuse to increase it in line with inflation, you will not ask the GAA to make up the shortfall?

(2) The expenses are recompense for your members claiming that they are out of pocket. How do you propose that players substantiate this? Or do you consider it fair that a teacher, who is not out of pocket at all, be given the same compensation as a tradesman who could potentially earn thousands in the time he spends training?

(3) What do you propose to do with the inevitable follow on claims from ladies footballers and camogie players? Do you think they should receive the same, or will you stand up and claim that ye train way harder than they do and that they should get nothing?

(4) The government will set a limit per panel - what is the GPA's line on who these recipients should be? Who gets the grant - they guy who joins the panel in December but is cut in April, or the guy who was in Australia for the year but came back in late march?

(5) If ye go on strike, what will be your view towards club players who choose to take their chance to play for the county in ye're stead? Ye can hardly complain that these "pass the picket" as it were, since ye don't even allow these guys full membership of the union in the first place....

(6) Will your strike include all GAA games, or will players merely pick and choose the elements that suit them? Will Ben O'Connor's strike include Newtownshandrum's likely Munster and All Ireland campaign, or will it just be the Cork games in the winter that have no medals on offer? Ditto Aaron Kernan for Crossmaglen, or Cha Fitz for Ballyhale? (Not meant as a slight on any of these players, merely the obvious examples)


I'm sure there's more. As I mentioned before, I've emailed the GPA asking about all these things - needless to say I got no answer. If some journalist with better access is reading, I'd love if you could take up the torch.....

[theskull1]

I had to laugh at McNulty's piece in yesterdays IN. He is so far off the mark it's unreal. The bit about the money not being enough to cover a players hydration requirements...ffs does a club player not need hydration ?  And also...club players don't have this "dual commitment"....oh right so the grants will look after dual club players as well once somebody informs Enda that he is wrong? He never attacked head on the issue about the countless hours of effort put in by so many volunteers and explained why county players be treated differently in terms of getting paid to play their part in the GAA.

A real joke of a piece and just hardened my already militant view of these scumbags. Their greed is seriously blinding their ability to see the damage which payment to players would cause

[Balboa]

At least Mc Conville, in saying that he wouldnt agree with a strike, and a few of the lads have realised the stance that is becoming more and more prevalent among people, ie f*ck them. Inter county players have never been looked after better, training gear, meals, expenses, team holiday for many of them. Fellas like Mc Nulty are only involved to line their own pockets.

[podge]

Question......are there any current IHC clubs with senior aspirations or has the AI IHC created a glass ceiling for all these clubs that they don't want to go through?

Well cushendun won the IHC and i think its fair to say they won with a team made up mainly of players that had them in Div 1 for a fair few years. And they were competitive in Div 1, more so than a  lot of the current 'second tier' teams in Div 1.  I would be surprised if they had any aspirations of senior again at this stage although the St Brendans outfit will help them.

Glenarm won Div 2 but are way off senior status IMO.  Classic case of a few decent hurlers but too many passengers.  they would be mad to go into Div 1 and you only need to look at what it did to Sarsfields this year.  Sars thought that because they were playing Div 1 hurling they would automatically be better  and would win the IHC at a canter but they found out that Div 1 hurling only improves you if you are competitive.  Nothing to be learned from weekly hammerings.

The only team that may have aspirations at Div 1 is Clooney Gaels but I don;t know enough about them.  Fair to say they beat C'dall in the under 21 and that thye lost narrowly to C'dun in the IHC, C'dun going on to win it.

I also thought Gort na Mona would have Div 1 aspirations but they seemed to concentrate on the football this year.

In summary, its more likely that some Div 1 clubs would have Div 2 aspirations than vice versa.

[maxpower]

don't support them at all, if the effort to play inter county is too much for the rewards they get (gear, mileage, adulation, commerical oppurtunities) then stand aside, someone will take up the jersey.

[milltown row]

I umpired a couple of the ihc games that Cushendun were in and it was brutal, if they were to go for senior i would imagine that they would learn nothing from it at all. Glenarm to move up to senior next year? i'm sure they will want to, as i'm not sure i can remember the last time they were there and it would mean a great deal to the club.

the only team that can sustain a year in Div 1 hurling would be St Pauls, or Gort na mona. as they would push 2nd tier teams in div 1, not sure about Clooney Gaels, our second team beat them a couple of seasons ago.

regarding the GPA my view is that they are money grabbing arseholes.

if they did a national vote with all paid up members of clubs (not just the GPA members) then they would get no support. i'd like them to put that to a vote