Antrim Hurling

[milltown row]

anyone at the match? i was windsurfing at Ballycastles pitch today playing football!!!! needed concrete boots to keep me on the ground

poor enough performance i heard. is this a ploy? are we fooling Dublin into a false sense of security?

just seen the antrim website:


: Tommy McCartney29 March 2009The almighty men from a far away kingdom visited casement park today and served up, in what can only be described in unquestionable stipulations; a classic.

End to end, side to side hurling is what we witnessed today, with no mean skill on show.
The combatants of Antrim and Kerry will be swollen with pride to say they were implicated in today's confrontation. When some of these county icons hang up their boots at the end of the day they can enlighten their grandchildren about todays gargantuan encounter.
Shane Brick the Kerry conqueror gave a display on 'power hurling' that other textbook number elevens would have been tremendously overjoyed with. He was the captain of Kerrys ship and went speaking to reporters John Martin & Ed McGinley after he affirmed unconditionally 'We can hurl in Kerry hurling you know' with a blissful grin from cheek to cheek, that would remind you of a hurler from Kilkenny or Clare.

Terrance 'Sambo' McNaughton & Dominic 'Woody' McKillen will be tonight, in absolute terms; content, with their combatants display of as I like to call it 'the sweet antrim style'.

Final Score Antrim 3-19 Kerry 4-15

Tommy McCartney (true saffron aficionado)


how did Graffin do at number 6 today JamesH?

[Minder]

Absolute ballix today. They hurled like they didn't care or couldn't hurl. It's time for Sambo to grab the bull by the balls and realise that Dublin will humiliate us in Croker, instead of trying to flog dodgy kegs of beer.
Horrible game. I look for positives but really, we are as shite as they come at the moment.

Hope we pull it together. The old Antrim 'hope' thing again. Someone commented to me today that "Those boys keep saying to me that Belfast hurling is shite, well, I can't wait 'til the better weather comes in and I get up to the caravan in Cushendall and give them a few home truths."

Too many men with their heads up their holes when they have done fcuk all worthy of shoving their head up their hole.

Would agree with that, too many of them standing about the pubs with their Antrim gear on thinking they are Henry Shefflin when they are doing a better impression of Lenny Henry at the minute. Cannot use the excuse "wait to we get the Cushendall boys back" either.......Our fellas are not half as good as they think they are.

[imtommygunn]

That is three horrendous performances in a row while Dublin are running Tipp close. Not looking promising!

[JamesH]

Jesus, i can't wait for tomorrows papers, If any credible jorno gives our performance  more than 4/10 ,he should be looking up the job section along with S&W. Dublin will be shitting themselves. I must apologise to Paddy Doc, he lasted nearly the whole match. He also scored two points and didn't look out of place, which tells you how Shiite we were. Bar Brendan Heron the boys were crap. The full forward line could hit a barn door, couldn't score in a brothel with a fifty glued to there arse. The Balls boys were faster looking than some of our crew. We already know how poor S&W are but this boy Stevenson what is he doing , more money well spent. Someone said the new control tower should be money well spent( as well as  locking the county Sec in it that is ), we could put nelson and the newest new stats man up there because they could at least control the crowd from there. Do they not communicate with the side line. Never mind the tower , somebody on Google earth could have made changes today. The footballers are going to meet us coming opposite way someday soon.  

[the colonel]

sticking up for my club here but, why is everythin Sambo's/cushendall boys fault? Again back to the case that their are 2 in the management

[Minder]

sticking up for my club here but, why is everythin Sambo's/cushendall boys fault? Again back to the case that their are 2 in the management

Who blamed Sambo or the Cushendall players ?

[theskull1]

I must apologise to Paddy Doc, he lasted nearly the whole match. He also scored two points and didn't look out of place, which tells you how Shiite we were.   

Cheap shot there JH. I hope Paddy makes you eat those words later in the year because he is a young developing hurler with the potential to do so. I can tell you in Dunloy that we are very happy with his progress.

I personally don't think that he should be on the panel at this stage as he needs to bed in at club level first. The same for young Woody. So as much as you feel that you have a point, is there any need to make it in such a personalised offensive way?

[NAG]

Team for Sunday per County Website

Chris o Connell     shamrocks

Kieran Mc Gourty  st galls

Cormac Donnelly   mc Quillans

Sean Delargy        ruairi og

Ciaran Herron        kevin lynch's

Arron Graffin         ruairi og

Karl Mc Keegan     ruairi og

Brendan Herron     lamh Dhearg

Eddie Mc Closkey shamrocks

Karl Stewart          st galls

Neil Mc Manus      ruairi og

Paddy Doherty     cuchullains

Shane Mc Naughton ruairi og

Kieran Kelly             mc quillans

PJ  O Connell          clooney gaels

Boys if we take a look at it in the cold light of day and Im not getting at any of the players personally here.
We have two boys in the FBL who have zero pace and we wonder why we are conceding goals.
We play our best corner back who is also too light for CHB at CHB?

Surely after 3 years we should be apporaching a stage barring injuries where we should know our best 15/16 players and should be starting them in games together to get some sort of team play going?

[theskull1]

Well I though Graffin played the position very well against DLS. I sure S&W thought the same thing and decided that he was worth a shot at CHB. Just because you try things and they don't work out (initiallly) does mean that it shouldn't have been tried.

Hindsight and all that ........

[NAG]

Skull im not arguing specifically against Graffin playing there and I agree he did a good job there against DLS. But my point is that, this type of switch should be looked at on a one off basis and after 3 years of tinkering about we should be at least able to name you who is likely to start where but this doesnt seem to be the case and we wonder why we are so inconsistent.

[youngfella]

forgive me for repeating myself, but why was neal mc auley not playing CHB at the game? Thought he has be steady all year.
If my history is correct Karl mc Keegan has had some of his finest games in at antrim shirt at CHB, why not put him there and give Graffin a chance out the wing.

Kerrys CHB was too physical for McManus? Move pinky on to him and tell him to break the ball and have paddy doc sniffing around trying to pick up the loose ball. Simple game.

[NAG]

Youngfella his lack of pace!

Karl also seems to be suffering from the notion that he is too loose to play at CHB, he doesnt mark tight enough. The point is that he is the best natural CHB we have and he should be allowed to play there.

[youngfella]

Youngfella his lack of pace!

Karl also seems to be suffering from the notion that he is too loose to play at CHB, he doesnt mark tight enough. The point is that he is the best natural CHB we have and he should be allowed to play there.

Whos lack of Pace nag? Pinkys all he would have to do is play a spoiler role
Agree with you totally about Karl should be playing CHB, however i have heard good reports about mc auley playing number 6, hes still quite young tho.

Were there many booking yesterday?

[NAG]

Youngfella
I was refering to NMcA percieved lack of pace because I dont think he ovely slow compared to others that have played there.
If your not going to play Karl there then he is the next choice IMO but this is the problem we have we have pissed about that much with different teams that we have given anyone a run of ganes to get settled in a pivotal position.

[milltown row]

i think antrim needs to unearth big hurlers. for some reason, football included antrim, dont seem to have big gifted players. (coming from me )

we are one of the biggest counties and I'd say we have maybe one player over 6'3 Carlow are a big team and by all accounts Kerry were also a big team Offaly another big team Kilkenny another big team, then throw in your Tipps Waterfords and the rest.

i blame the chippys to be honest