Antrim Hurling

[milltown row]

my basic problem with this match and if i've got it wrong i'm sorry. but if we are going down to waterford with a team short of two of our better players (mcmanus, mcgarry) then we weren't goint to win. safe to assume that Waterford are a quality team. in there own back yard they'll be even tougher.

so what tactics do you play? 15 on 15 and give it a lash? or do you bring a extra man into midfield or defence crowd out the areas were Waterford will get there scores be this closing down the space infront of Dan The Man or by cutting out ttyhe supply to the forwards.

if you watched the game on tv yesterday Cork just slowed everything down, i'm sure the wind was blowing a gale so a bit of common sense would be to hold out untill keep the score down keep the confidence going. better to walk away with a 7/8 point loss than a 19 point loss.

we wont beat these teams all the time but to put up a performance is nearly as good

[theskull1]

Well it's back to managing expectations again and S in particular is IMO the worst offender. E.G. He correctly gave the team all the credits when they won the walsh cup. They then get beat by Dublin and it's because the Dunloy contigent weren't there. Doesn't show great consistency in the message that he is sending out to the players does it?

[NAG]

Skull

The tangible thing is that we are be fed alot of crap by S mainly that we are good enough to compete and that these youg guys are the way forward, which I dont disagree with but at the same time we are taking a tanking like that. IMO S&W are tactically niave when playing against these southern teams, they do not seem to have the ability to change things when they are going badly wrong.

I am around long enough to know that the Walsh Cup while nice to win was a poor enough excuse for a competition. Add to this the fact that i have never seen such a poor display from any southern team in over 20 years of coming north as we did from wexford that day.

Point being I seriously think it is time for a rethink when the club games get up and running again, I would like to see how the players are performing and if there are players out there with the potential that they be given a shout.

[clootfromthe21]

Was there for my sins. Wanted to leave after 10 minutes (when the game finished as a contest) but stuck it out to the end.

Waterford were just a different class. I don't think Antrim won more than 5 dropping balls (either cleanly or from broken play) in the half forward or half back lines at any time during the game.

Whatever about Waterford's dominance under the dropping ball, was particularly disappointed with Antrim's use of the ball when they did get it. The amount of times Antrim got hooked or blocked down was unbelievable. Even when they had time on the ball, a clearance was more often than not mishit, making half or less of the distance it should have. Another feature was the number of clearances that were hit low out of defence enabling a Waterford player 20 yards away to put up his stick and block the ball to himself.

Another particularly irritating feature was Antrim's difficulty in handling the short puc outs they were using. All to often, McGarry would send it short to someone around midfield or half back who would either miss the ball entirely or miscontrol it, gifting away possession.

Who played well?

McGarry made a couple of stunning saves - seemed to be at fault for the second goal but could be wrong as I was at the other end of the field.

Thought Graffin and Delargy did well, but Sean (who is normally very consistent coming on to the breaking ball) missed a couple at the end.

Personally, I though Mickey McC has been poor all year. Saw him at full back against UCD and found him very inconsistent then. Yesterday, his first touch was very poor and he played himself into trouble on several occasions.

Half back line was under serious pressure. Karl McK and Kevin E I am thinking of particularly in clearing ball very badly.

Midfield pretty anonymous - Brick Walsh had the run of the field. Waterford were always looking for the short pass - lost count of the number of times 3 Antrim men surrounding a Waterford player who flicked the ball 10 yards to a man in ocean's of space.

Half forward line saw very little ball. Ken McGrath caught everything and Winker was very quiet. Paddy Richmond played most of the game in midfield/half back.

Cormac Donnelly, while he jumped for everything, had very little in return.

Actually thought the two corners showed reasonably well in all the circumstances. Both Nipper Quinn and Stewart showed a bit of fight and aggression against their opposite numbers.

Yet again Antrim let a team build up an early lead and then fall away. That's why I was reasonably hopeful from the Wexford game - Wexford started brightly and Antrim game back at them. Here, as I said above, the game was over in ten minutes and largely watched in silence as a result.

Don't know where we go from here. Heard Sambo on the radio afterwards. I know that he has to present a certain front, but to me, the wind wasn't a factor at all. I would love to know the conversation on the bus on the long journey home.

At the minute (and in fact traditionally) we don't seem to be able to step it up against the bigger teams. Alright, we'll give them a rattle in Antrim and we'll always have the potential to catch a second tier team, but the Corks/Kilkennys/Waterfords are still in a different league.

Depressing.

[theskull1]

Think youre being a bit harsh on the players there NAG. They are the ones who have committed and most would agree that of the players who would be prepared to commit, the panel is not far away from our best.

Can't disagree with any of your other comments though. Particularly the one where club match performances are used improve the standards in our game and that players (who maybe can't commit to the month and month travelling commitments of county training) but who show the right levels of application and fitness in club matches can be invited onto the panel and commit to 2-3 months. Why oh why more emphasis is not placed on this I do not know. County players in Antrim cannot detach themselves from their clubs in the way that they appear to do down south. Our playing population doesn't make it workable. Everybody loses. Club hurling in Antrim should be the focus for 5 years.

[Jack_Black]

Think youre being a bit harsh on the players there NAG. They are the ones who have committed and most would agree that of the players who would be prepared to commit, the panel is not far away from our best.

Can't disagree with any of your other comments though. Particularly the one where club match performances are used improve the standards in our game and that players (who maybe can't commit to the month and month travelling commitments of county training) but who show the right levels of application and fitness in club matches can be invited onto the panel and commit to 2-3 months. Why oh why more emphasis is not placed on this I do not know. County players in Antrim cannot detach themselves from their clubs in the way that they appear to do down south. Our playing population doesn't make it workable. Everybody loses. Club hurling in Antrim should be the focus for 5 years.

cant agree more with this last statement skull. i have been saying this for a number of years. to many people are slagging the present county players. they are simply the best we have at the minute. i dont understand why people think all of a sudden we are going to be contenders or even compete with the big guys cause we are doing alot of strength training.

i believe its quite simply, we have to concentrate on our club leagues, raise the levels of all the teams and all players. we need clubs to catch a grip and raise there levels wether they are in division 1 or 2. teams have half decent results in a non-competitive league and think they are improving. we need a competitive league and championship involving more then 3 teams.

[NAG]

Guys

Im not meaning to be harsh on the players believe me, I am fed up of being fed bulshit by S&W when we clearly arent good enough at present.

[milltown row]

look, all well and good talking about getting our leagues in order, competitive championships and all that but when will clubs in this county stop looking after themselves and worrying about being relegated?

the problem in belfast is that there is too many clubs, nobody wants to see another local club do well. i believe if belfast had 6 hurling clubs only we could compete with the north antrim clubs. but while clubs don't want to lose their identity (which is grand) then we wont have competitive leagues.

if belfast had solely hurling clubs they would be competing in more club finals. more time spent training playing hurling instead of football would make a big difference.

teddy mccarthy played hurling for Sarsfields, intermed. football for his local club and senior football for another. could you imagine Antrim allowing players to play for three different clubs

[Rasmatazz:)]

Antrim hurling has taken a dive instead off going on the up .The county board is a shambles. U tell me were in any other sport in the thee world would change it's leauge format a few mounths before it started . We have all herd the same old same old rubbish coming out about this is the way forward but in my Angel Eye's they r in for a nasty shock .The county team is a prime excample .How many country boys r in that team compare to the city boys.They say the way forward is through club level & then that will devlop onto the county stage , but tell were the city teams will get the advantage from that when there is only 1 city team in dv 1 and the other 7 teams r from the county . Im woundering is the antrim county board chairman team there?
Lads there cum's a time when everybody should stand up to this as a group of club's that have been shaffed in the way we were .
If the county had have came out and said this is their plans for the start of the following season then every body would be in the same boat but they did not have brain's or the julies to do this .In my eye's they made a snap decison on this most important issue  But then i say our club's have had a hand in this by apointing the delagates to their post's . Has anybody heard what the the county manager's(chuckle brothers) got to say on this .Very quiet aren't they .Sure their repected clubs have no worries they r in dv1 .What about they lamb derg and thee st gall's and court & rossa  county players going to do when they r playing dv 2 . Is the county improvement plan working there .Don't think .Let's hang them out to dry lad's ,NEW BOARD , NEW START ,They seem to be behind the time's boy's out out out out out out out , and don't say oh they won the welsh cup . that was when most if not all them boys were playing dv1 week in week out & well done fellas on that great run off form and winning the comp but let's see how they do this year in thee hurling seeing  that 75 % off the team playing in a higher standard & the other 25 % in THEE lower DIV.
A very worried hurler 

[podge]

Rasmatazz.  crawl back under what ever stone you just appeared from.  I have never heard such drivel.  i don;t even know where to start in rubbishing all that you have said.

[youngfella]

I was thinkin the same, the lad should go back to hoganstand.

[Minder]

He should go back to school.

[theskull1]

Terrible first post and will win you no friends here

Whilst I agree that a years notice should be given to any proposed and agreed league changes, you show with the rest of your rant that you are not prepared to admit that ultimately, it is the poor standard of hurling in Belfast which is the real problem here. The only way to prove people wrong is on the pitch and I'm afraid a lot of the city clubs do not appear to be putting the right amount of effort into the game. Look a wee bit closer to home first next time before you start blaming the CB for all your woes.

Would you like to or are you even able to comment in a balanced way?

[Rasmatazz:)]

Tochy boys arent u.
U would never get away in any sport prof or amt games in the world , think about it lads . The soccer cull is happening. Kid's now days wanna play at the top & and when u think of how many school kid's in belfast wanna playing hurling at the top level coming through well they r just not going to get if maybe they go to 1 or 2 teams that might break it through to dv1 hurling in the next 2 to 3 years . Lad's i can see a split very soon were u might find a country league format and a more inner city league  format , maybe this is county hidden agenda

Oh and get real if u lot r going to get on like that when someone post's . One thing in life is free & that is manners's , don't cost u nothing but then some of u guys sound quiet tight .

[Rasmatazz:)]

So Jack Sack u say then belfast teams have no chance of improving or is it by doing these changes we will improve our smaller north antrim teams that r in that top eight dv 1 level . I can asure u that some teams r not good engouh to be there . The county change the format . some of the fixtures wern't even played out last year . Im sure if the full fixture list was played .every game that leauge
would look more of an even balance .
listen if u r there good luck till ya ,but lads that championship this year will have a bit more off a bite , that could be the one and only good thing comes out of it , come on the red & white hoops