Antrim Hurling

[youngfella]

We pressured his sidelines well! i want know how the managment is going to pick the lads heads up at that. It wasnt that long ago since the walsh cup win. Hopefully the managers can inspire the players the end the season with a performance they can be proud off!

P.s. FFS play young hippy in position be good too see can he mix it were he belongs.

P.P.s What happened with the w*nker?

[Minder]

I think the Walsh Cup win has been well and truly put into context as the season has unravelled.

[youngfella]

The link with the results on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walsh_Cup_2008 wins over the cats, wexford and offaly and another over UCD fitzgibbon. These aren't teams that would go out to lose games. At the time some on here commented that it was an opportunity to build on the success, this hasn't happened We have stood still if not moved backward, while others have moved forward.  A good manager can keep the monentum going, a great one can speed it up!

[NAG]

Have to agree with youngfella in the fact that we havent even stood still, we have orchestrated our own movement down the hurling ladder during this current set up!

I think its time for a rethink where this panel is concerned and less smoke screening about croke park and leinster and a bit more substance and fight on the pitch!

[Minder]

Have to agree with youngfella in the fact that we havent even stood still, we have orchestrated our own movement down the hurling ladder during this current set up!

I think its time for a rethink where this panel is concerned and less smoke screening about croke park and leinster and a bit more substance and fight on the pitch!

Leinster is being used more and more as a convenient excuse, when we beat Derry and Down we need into Leinster, when we get hammered, we need into Leinster. I think we also need to get our own house in order, the team on Saturday did not look like the fittest Antrim team i have ever seen. I dont know whether it was mental or physical but they ran out of gas very quickly. Yet there were rumours coming out of the camp that they were doing a "savage" training programme in the runup to the Galway game. I dont have a problem with a defeat, its the manner of it that speaks volumes & to be constantly fed horses*it from the camp does nobody any favours.

[johnneycool]

Have to agree with youngfella in the fact that we havent even stood still, we have orchestrated our own movement down the hurling ladder during this current set up!

I think its time for a rethink where this panel is concerned and less smoke screening about croke park and leinster and a bit more substance and fight on the pitch!

I think you're being harsh on Sambo and Woody as to be blunt I don't think Antrim have the calibre of players at their disposal and one of the reasons is poor underage structures and weak clubs over recent years.

Antrim seem to have got their act together in relation to underage structures but it'll be a good few years before any reward may be reaped at senior level.

On the club front Cushendall and dunloy have dominated the championship scene with Rossa a solitary win in almost 15 years or more. You can't compete at intercounty with such a reliance on two or three clubs (I'll include the bodies as well). This year for the first time in a long time the ACHL Div1 is competetive with clubs going at it tooth and nail, this in itself will raise the standard of hurler in Antrim (and hopefully Down) and give a progression path for a lot of good underage hurlers in Antrim. More clubs need to be competitive especially in the city, so if Rossa can get back up, the Johnnies get some of those young hurlers through to senior, Ballycastle, St Galls etc then the picture at intercounty level will be a whole lot rosier but don't be expecting Antrim to be competitive for quite a few years yet.

At least there is a glimmer of hope in Antrim, there's f**k all in Down..

[Maximus Marillius]

Have to agree with youngfella in the fact that we havent even stood still, we have orchestrated our own movement down the hurling ladder during this current set up!

I think its time for a rethink where this panel is concerned and less smoke screening about croke park and leinster and a bit more substance and fight on the pitch!

I think you're being harsh on Sambo and Woody as to be blunt I don't think Antrim have the calibre of players at their disposal and one of the reasons is poor underage structures and weak clubs over recent years.

Antrim seem to have got their act together in relation to underage structures but it'll be a good few years before any reward may be reaped at senior level.

On the club front Cushendall and dunloy have dominated the championship scene with Rossa a solitary win in almost 15 years or more. You can't compete at intercounty with such a reliance on two or three clubs (I'll include the bodies as well). This year for the first time in a long time the ACHL Div1 is competetive with clubs going at it tooth and nail, this in itself will raise the standard of hurler in Antrim (and hopefully Down) and give a progression path for a lot of good underage hurlers in Antrim. More clubs need to be competitive especially in the city, so if Rossa can get back up, the Johnnies get some of those young hurlers through to senior, Ballycastle, St Galls etc then the picture at intercounty level will be a whole lot rosier but don't be expecting Antrim to be competitive for quite a few years yet.

At least there is a glimmer of hope in Antrim, there's f**k all in Down..

What about Crossmaglen in Armagh...a one trick pony in Armagh for the past 11 years and there county team hs been there best in that time also.

[theskull1]

[
Antrim seem to have got their act together in relation to underage structures but it'll be a good few years before any reward may be reaped at senior level.

Well North Antrim are getting their act together and making real efforts to improve coaching standrads across the board. What joined up thinking is taking place in South Antrim. None that I'm aware of 

[bannside]

Good point JC. Joined up thinking. Now theres a laugh.

There is not one ounce of joined up thinking in the whole sphere of development squads, what they do, how they are coached, who is coaching them, and what level are the coaches at, what finance is available, if any to take things to the next level.

All the talk at the minute on the shite performances of our senior teams (why stop there), new centre of excellence that the dogs in the street know we cant afford, and the massive fundraiser that netted about 15% of that achieved by a club team earlier this year (Errigal Ciaran).

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

[theskull1]

Antrim is so apathetic it's unreal. Probably because it's a bit more affluent than the other counties (dare I say) and having a lot of large urban conerbations (Ballymena/Antrim/Lisburn/Belfast/Glengormley) there are too many other distractions which require less commitment to be involved with (like going out on the swally every weekend)

Those who are interested are passionate about the game in Antrim, but I do think the interest levels amonst the supporters at club/county level limits the desire for players here to compete at the same level as the KK's & Corks of this world. There are alot of "GAA" people in Antrim who couldn't give a flying fcuk really and do fcuk all to help their own clubs progress.

[Maximus Marillius]

Antrim is so apathetic it's unreal. Probably because it's a bit more affluent than the other counties (dare I say) and having a lot of large urban conerbations (Ballymena/Antrim/Lisburn/Belfast/Glengormley) there are too many other distractions which require less commitment to be involved with (like going out on the swally every weekend)

Those who are interested are passionate about the game in Antrim, but I do think the interest levels amonst the supporters at club/county level limits the desire for players here to compete at the same level as the KK's & Corks of this world. There are alot of "GAA" people in Antrim who couldn't give a flying fcuk really and do fcuk all to help their own clubs progress.

that is some excuse...we have Derry city...80,000 catholics and not a senior club to provide senior footballers...we also have large towns like Limavady, Magherafelt, Maghera, Dungiven and Coleraine...and guess what they also have distractions....at least you have plenty of senior clubs from belfast...what would ye be like if belfats was null and void like Derry City

[davincicode]

Hey lads back up in the beautiful glens again, posted back up from the capital city til Christmas. Reading the last few posts things don,t change that much i see. Heading out tonight to catch a game and bring myself up to speed on all thats happened in my absence.

I see the Referee,s issue has,nt gone away from your county website? Are things getting that bad, that the county are having to issue warnings or was it a backlash from the "Thrashing" Galway gave you lads!

[imtommygunn]

I definitely see something in the urban thing however would prefer not to use it as an excuse. The number of clubs in Belfast however has been talked about before and it does seem there are too many - in fact far too many. While they all deserve credit for their existence the standard at which some compete will never win you anything in county terms.

Realistically if you look at our club game the standard has dropped in the last ~10 years. Whether that be because of a few years of inactivity due to county commitments or not I don't know.  We also only have three clubs competing year in year out - Rossa seem to have dwindled since theirs and to be honest no longer count. The talent at present could not even be compared to that of the eighties. I don't know if that is development or not or whether we just hit a time when we had an abundance of talent.

I think the club structure at present has improved a lot though and despite protestations about this division 2 / 3 it looks to me like the top end is hugely competitive(Ballycran aside) and will be very beneficial to many teams. Once they restructure the leagues to 1,2,3 etc next year they need to keep them like that. 1a/1b is a load of crap and doesn't work.

Realistically we are going nowhere competing with the big guys - we are just not good enough for it. The new division 2 will benefit us next year though but in general the Liam McCarthy format needs to be looked at. Realistically teams like ourselves, Wexford, Offaly, Dublin etc have zero chance of winning it. I don't know if it would make sense to raise the bar in the christy ring but one thing is for sure if we continue to get games like these Galway and Waterford games we may give up. If we had games which we would either win or aspire to winning that would be a huge help.

To me Leinster is not a fix but I would like to see meaningful games at county level. I think playing teams like Dublin / Wexford etc would give this. Take an example of this year - what has been gained? We won the walsh cup - no one really cares and likewise for the ulster.  Either leinster or bar raised in the christy ring. With years like this year there is no point in even having the county team. We do however need a county team and as with a few other counties the powers that be need to sort out structures that we can compete in.

[bannside]

I can live with under achievement if I thought there was a really serious drive at juvenile level, clubs, schools dev squads.

All we need is a bit of satisfaction that on down the ranks a world of work was underway to close the gaps.

We really need to drive on and get serious work done, but this needs strategy, leadership and finance.

Will soon be time for the good doctor to proscribe some remedy. Rank and file morale getting lower by the week.

[imtommygunn]

Yes but if your seniors are "under achieving",particularly in the manner we currently are, then you're giving nothing to your juveniles to aspire too.

Short term needs fixed for us, Laois etc at county level.

Long term needs fixed internally.