Antrim Hurling

[ogruairi]

It is only November but yes I would say the hurlers are further forward than they were last year and that can quite easily be seen in the training taking place at the minute. There is no mistaking that Paul Murphy's training was excellent and brought the players on very well, but the lads now are bigger after only 6 weeks of the new training than they were after 6 months of the old training. The first target is not to be walked over by teams in the south, and if this training keeps going the way it is, then this will surely happen. And on the matter of this new guy getting well paid! What of it? Some trainers have to get paid, and he is a top quality trainer so he should be well paid.

[imtommygunn]

It's a bit early in the year for such negativity. Physical presence is something we lack and now is the time to build it up and do the hurling come brighter / dryer nights so sounds to me like the way forward for the time being at least.

Don't think any progress can be judged until we see evidence on the field but we'd all be reasonably hopeful.

[Ballboa]

Tosh is not packing it in, he got a sickener alright this year and needed a break but he will be back for Glenariffe in the new year.

[theskull1]

Tosh is not packing it in, he got a sickener alright this year and needed a break but he will be back for Glenariffe in the new year.

HE'S BACK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2J_n8_x11g

Welcome back Rocky

[Ballboa]

Cheers Skull, its great to be back. I have been running a supervisory eye over the board the last few days though.

[Glensman]

What's the answer NAG - you're pretty pessimistic. Do we just give up trying altogether then?

Neil McGarry is the full back you were talking about - most consistent in the Antrim championship this year. Don't know him that well but know of him and one thing he won't do is mess around/miss training/act the prima donna. Maybe a few more characters that don't feel its their god given right to be on the panel might push us on.
As for Magill he's back training away with the footballers as well I believe. Good on him, as good a talent as we have in both codes.

Where is the experience you talk about NAG? Karl McKeegan in my opinion is a class act and still one of the driving forces behind the team. Then as experience goes there may be a bit of a gap - what's the solution? recall Pinky (who I think has gone), Dick, Ally, McFall all of whom were great players for Antrim but have dutifully served and moved on and I would argue couldn't be coaxed out of retirement for love nor money.

I have to say Max naming a possible team is pointless...those players are all great players and it makes good reading for a team but about 4/5 of them are young enough/would be willing whether through tiredness, apathy, family, work commitments etc to put in the effort required to give a season with Antrim a real good go.

[Guillem2]

It takes major commitment plus talent to play at County level. You won't get away with one without the other.

[Shamrock]

Have to agree with glensman......

Neilly Mcgarry is a deserving member of the county panel. We havent got any outstanding full backs. He was super for us this year. In actual fact i cant recall any one giving him a testing time. He is a great athlete who looks after himself well regarding diet, weights etc and is extremely self motivted. Now if we had a few more like him around we would have aul big ears

When you read some of the negative stuff written here its no wonder we never achieve

p.s welcome back ballboa!!!!

[SeanSouth]

Ballboa got the hammer again i think, they must have noticed he came back in under his new alias.

[Baile an tuaigh]

Anybody know how Dunloy's preparations are going for the All-Ireland semifinal. They are now in a great position with only one game away, for another shot at trying to win the "big one". Just interested to see how focused they were this year as opposed to other years. Like hows training going have they many challenge matches lined up etc..

Was browsing through other GAA internet sites and by the talk or lack of is the case, there is very little or practicaly no mention of Dunloy. Which is a surprise to me considering they have an excellant record in semi-finals.

[NAG]

I hear Dunloy have started back and all.

They have some guy from fitness first in ballymena taking care of the fitness end of things, talking to a dunloy man earlier in the week and he said the plan is to have the fitness work squared away by early Jan and then concentrate on the hurling from then to the game with a few good quality challenge games!

[SeanSouth]

Is that not a big problem for teams at that time of theyear, getting quality challenge games?

[NAG]

I always thought that at this time of year that the southern universities were the way to go in terms of challenge games. They are getting ready for their season and are young and eager and willing to play these games.

Cant think of any other games except against coutny teams that wpuld be of as much use.

[Ruairi Og exile]

Cushendall played UUC(Cork) & UCD(Dublin) last year & they were good matches...especially the UUC match which had the likes of John Tennyason from K'Kenny & Niall Moran from Limerick, this would be a great match to get. Only problem is the travelling which takes up a full weekend.

Obviously Dunloy will know how to prepare having been there before on numerous occasions

[johnneycool]

What's the likelihood of the ACHL going to a top 8 league next year?