Antrim Hurling

[Two Hands FFS]

Felt abit like that myself NAG, ultimately it was their choice to walk away but felt it was a pity. In fairness Clute would done abit round Armoy when he finished Hurling, Niall Patterson less so. There must be more to why they took themselves away from Hurling than what is in the article. Every club is littered with examples like this. For all the abuse S&W get....they have put alot back into their club & county.

[NAG]

Two Hands yes thats the kind of after taste I was left with for all the stick deserved or not that we give S&W on here we would all stand over their comittment to Antrim Hurling.

These were two guys are from our most successful team and they are gone from the game completely, I know that there is natural wastage in every walk of life but it just seems worse in this case for some reason.

[imtommygunn]

It is sad really but it happens everywhere - people play the game but once they can't play any more aren't prepared to put anything back into it.

That's not to disparage their character because these two guys obviously served Antrim very well and deserve the utmost respect for it.

Some people just don't have enough interest to put something back in.

91 was horrendous - so close. Who'd have thought after 89 and that we'd be sitting where we are now!

[clootfromthe21]

Does anyone else feel a sense of let down at the attitude of the two boys in the article above? I had read it at the time and felt a sense of regret. I am not getting at the two individuals at all but is this part of our problem that this type of character in our county becomes disillusioned with our game so much that they end up walking away from it?

I certainly have a sense of regret about the lack of involvement, but I don't know if I'm entitled to feel let down by the two boys. Each of them gave 15 to 20 odd years of their life to something essentially for free - are we entitled to expect that they should keep at it indefinitely? I know many have (to their great credit, I might add), but I don't think we are entitled to expect automatic commitment from former (great) players.

As a couple of the posters have said, it highlights the commitment that Sambo, Woody and indeed many others have to the game. Managing Antrim isn't exactly the plum job in hurling and I can only begin to imagine the commitment involved (by the players as well). Have certainly heard the stories about the lengths to which S & W go for hurling and they don't do it for the benefit of the "constructive" criticism that comes their way as a result!

Whatever about Cloot, is Niall not involved a bit with the Loughgiel goalkeepers these days?

[johnneycool]

It is sad really but it happens everywhere - people play the game but once they can't play any more aren't prepared to put anything back into it.

That's not to disparage their character because these two guys obviously served Antrim very well and deserve the utmost respect for it.

Some people just don't have enough interest to put something back in.

91 was horrendous - so close. Who'd have thought after 89 and that we'd be sitting where we are now!

I find it just so happens that those who put the most in as players through their learning/earning phase of their lives seem to be lambasted by those who didn't put in nearly the same commitment through those years yet once they retire and try to go about starting a family, trying to make a career or earn a few bob, they're putting nothing back in. Whilst i agree to a point that as an ex player you should try to take time to coach, referee or whatever but not to the detriment to your personal life or home life which has already suffered.

The one thing I do find depressing and is a bane of mine is the amount of personal abuse players, managers and referee's are subjected to by ignoramus 'supporters' who more often than not never ever played to any serious level yet because they pay a few bob at the gate and they believe this gives them the right to verbally abuse someone.
we'd an incident with one of our 'fans' (fits my above description BTW) started abusing Ray Matthews during a league game vrs Cushendall and thankfully the wee w**ker was shut up by those around him, but i'd of barred him from our pitch as we can do without that shite. It's not good for the game and puts decent people off getting involved

[slow corner back]

Cloot packed it in with us about 5 years ago, I think one year as chairman finished him although he had been at it almost non stop for 25 years at the time so fair dos. As has been said earlier the endless grind of keeping a small club running does keep getting people down after a while. Added to that we went from being a reasonably succesful intermediate/Div 2 side on the pitch to a poor intermediate/div 3 side which gets most people down. Cloot was player manager in 2000 when we lost to st pauls in the intermediate final. They were the only side to beat us that year in div 2 and champ final. If we had won that the team might have held together as it was a number of players left/ quit for a variety of reasons and the team went on the slide. Cloot continued on the committee for a couple of years ending up as chairman although he always preferred the playing field to the meeting room and eventually packed it in but as I say after 25+ years and probably 1000+ games for us he owes no one in armoy anything.

[slow corner back]

'91 - I have the video. We play it at wakes. "FFS, stop whinging, it could be worse. Put on the '91 video and we'll all have a cry".

Dessie Donnelly's wonder goal.
Rogie getting whacked up the bake and Eamon from Creggan (the Moor and the Bog) saying that the ball was there, when it wasn't.
Jim Close running about like an eejit and not able to pick the bucking ball up.
Sambo having a blinder.
Eamon Morrissey leaving Rogie for dead and burying it in the back of the net.
Thon Stoop doctor getting a yellow card.

Ah...great stuff.

Great match and chance missed. Was at it and thought antrim ran out of legs a little although the squad was badly weakened by the abscence of the dunloy 4 if anyone can remember that episode!!!

[Minder]

Cloot packed it in with us about 5 years ago, I think one year as chairman finished him although he had been at it almost non stop for 25 years at the time so fair dos. As has been said earlier the endless grind of keeping a small club running does keep getting people down after a while. Added to that we went from being a reasonably succesful intermediate/Div 2 side on the pitch to a poor intermediate/div 3 side which gets most people down. Cloot was player manager in 2000 when we lost to st pauls in the intermediate final. They were the only side to beat us that year in div 2 and champ final. If we had won that the team might have held together as it was a number of players left/ quit for a variety of reasons and the team went on the slide. Cloot continued on the committee for a couple of years ending up as chairman although he always preferred the playing field to the meeting room and eventually packed it in but as I say after 25+ years and probably 1000+ games for us he owes no one in armoy anything.

1999 that would have been SCB as the world famous Glenariffe Oisins won it in 2000 after a titanic tussle with the Carey dungers...........

[slow corner back]

You may well be right with the years minder, your final against the dungers was up in armoy, remember it well, good match. Dominic Kearns finally got his medal at a ripe old age, Johnny Tosh was very good that day.

[Minder]

You may well be right with the years minder, your final against the dungers was up in armoy, remember it well, good match. Dominic Kearns finally got his medal at a ripe old age, Johnny Tosh was very good that day.

Kearns also played when we beat Carey in the 1988 Intermediate Final.

[NAG]

Just had a flick throught the guestbook on the county web site, I am never on there but had a few minutes there and was checking out the story on the new development and the support letters.

God it is awful, the attitude of the mod stinks to high heaven, never thought it was as bad as it is, def doesnt show the county off in a good light would be better off without it if thats the type of response that we are going to be protraying.

[Tony Baloney]

You may well be right with the years minder, your final against the dungers was up in armoy, remember it well, good match. Dominic Kearns finally got his medal at a ripe old age, Johnny Tosh was very good that day.

Kearns also played when we beat Carey in the 1988 Intermediate Final.

I thought that was 87 in Cushendall. Must have been season of 87-88.

[milltown row]

Cushendall beat Westmeath today 2-13 to 2-9 and a good performance to boot i hear.

hope they put in a good show against De La Salle

[youngfella]

Big day, today. Maybe the biggest game of the year. whats the predicts for it? what way are teams lining out?

[Minder]

Big day, today. Maybe the biggest game of the year. whats the predicts for it? what way are teams lining out?

How is it the biggest game of the year? I would say it is one of the least important games of the year