Antrim Hurling

[theskull1]

When I think of the personel involved I can't help but think it was 05, but when I work it back 04 it was.

Until someone tells me different

[the colonel]

cushendall won the double double in 05 and 06

[JamesH]

Why will it be quite a while before a city team win the senior championship? I'll tell you why and its short a sweet, The clubs in the city don't work hard enough simple as that. it seems easier to complain etc etc than to get down to the basis of a championship victory which is again hard work.
They have good and some very good hurlers as good as in North Antrim, but in every parish here if your club is not pulling its weight in will be towed into line by its members.  If you are not progressing people crack up, Hurling is the first topic of conversation in the morning in the village and the last at night, its our passion, what we look forward to every Oct when the season ends.

[milltown row]

that may be a fair assessment, tradition plays a massive part in north Antrim.

but, Dunloy hadn't great hurling tradition before they won it and Cushendall were no great shakes before the mid 80's. they have made up for it surely but the main problem in the big smoke is this, too many clubs and all them fielding football and hurling.. if clubs focused on one code then there would be more success in Belfast.

it may even help our county teams in the long run, a radical move would be for clubs to pick a code

[milltown row]

start my own

[Two Hands FFS]

I think there is too many clubs.A few of them are just social clubs...I think read recently about a club in Belfast that doesnt have a senior team playing this year(not sure if football or Hurling).

Less clubs in Belfast..as only really 4/5 clubs if even seem to be putting in the required effort or close to it.The effort has to be put it year in year out. As Milltown said,being a Dual Club is very hard. Look at St Galls..they had their best spell at underage about 10/12 years ago & most of these players havent been close to fulfilling their potential due to the success of the football. Hopefully the Belfast Plan will help with good coaching & organised leagues a must.I hope it works

[NAG]

I cant remember who said it earlier here that one or two good underage teams do not make a long term successful club. If you look at any of the successful clubs they are built on a conveyor belt system, they are not always successful at under age but they are coaching their players in the right way and not putting them off with any undue pressures.

If we take Dunloy as the prime example they have not had massive amounts of success but they have put good teams together and some very good teams. Each year they seem to get one two three minors u21's coming though of the correct standard and that is all that it takes to keep being successful. Cushendall are the very same and Loughgiel to a lesser extent as they seem to prize underage success above the long term goal. Just look at the number of players that have walked away before their prime.

So the lessons are there to be learned, instant success is not always a healthy thing when planning long term.

[NAG]

Yeah thats what I mean Groundlie, you need a good blend of older players with the right attitude and bringing in a continual mix of younger guys to freshen it up.

[the colonel]

anyone have any word on how the game with waterford went? what kind of teams did both have out? antrim must have been missing quite a few

[johnneycool]

The attitude among some of the more senior players in our club isn't the type of example that should be set for young players coming through. Hopefully that will change. Anyway south antrim tonight in the bear pit, thats what hurlings all about 

The bear pit is a shadow of its former self now, it was one hell of a battle in its heyday, with the tribe of McKernans and Fred with that god awful green helmet. Always guaranteed a broken hand in there!

[clootfromthe21]

anyone have any word on how the game with waterford went? what kind of teams did both have out? antrim must have been missing quite a few

No idea, Colonel, but from arsing around on the web, the County Website has us winning by 2, some one on upthedeise.com has us winning by 1 and the Examiner has it down as a draw. They all seem to be agreed we scored 19 points. The Examiner says it was both Tony Browne's and Ken McGrath's first game back after lay-offs.

[anailís]

County to play Clare on Sunday in challenge? Wonder where this might be?

[Minder]

Am i right in thinking the Antrim v Clare friendly is going ahead on Sunday regardless of how it affects the clubs ? I believe our match with Gort Na Mona is going ahead even though we will be without Dan Mc Killop.

[johnneycool]

Ballycastle are meant to be down with us on the saturday afternoon, with them having 3 or 4 lads on the county setup I'd be surprised if they didn't manage to get it called off.

[theskull1]

Yeah
All things up in the air. Could they not do this on a football weekend ffs. And Shorty still hasn't got his scan.

To S&W & the County Administration
If you're going to shoe in these challange matches without providing good solutions to the club fixtures you're impacting then why expect anything else than an angry pissed off reaction from the people who you want support from.