Antrim Hurling

[Queenie]

i was at the first training session Jim took at Corrigan Park. there was Galls men there and 3 StPauls men and 1 McDermott's man and A Lamhs player.

so was my club at fault? Where was all the Sarsfields men the St Teresa's men and all the other clubs that should be pushing themselves into this team?

Even the better st Paul's players did not even turn up and support Jim (a fellow clubman) that night nor anyother night.

players from the team expressed their private views to me about this team, i will not discuss them here with you but i will meet you (should you like) to iron out your problems with the issues you have with me. you can PM me if you like.

what team members informed you? and i don't have 'street cred' nor do i seek it

also i never came on here and said i knew more than Jim Nelson, he asked me about players in the club who'd be willing to play.

what date do they play Cushendall?

MR I don,t have the problem, however your offer to meet intrigues me? I am asking myself should i bring the footstool? So that we discuss the issues F2F, suffice to say the real people know the truth, and i think your defensive posts say it all. I would give the board up, you probably are doing yourself an injustice in the long run, i hear your not a bad spud, and on the discussion that you offered, grow up Mismatch of the year, put it back in your trousers, justifies my previous comments "Idiot". Belfast hurling this year has lost its best opportunity to lift itself, and at least you can say that you where part of that.

I will take my leave, all that needs to said on my part is done, i hope that sometime in the future someone can lift Hurling in the City. North Antrim seem to be doing it and they deserve the credit thats due them, the town won,t get an easy game and hopefully that will prove my point, and stick to people who killed it in the city.

[milltown row]

you've offered nothing and can't back any of your claims up. your reluctance in meeting me for a discussion is strange, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on why Belfast hurling is in the dolldrums.

I've worked for many years with other committed hurling men in NaomhGall to continue with the Caman sport. but your view is that because we win football championships handy enough that we should just forget about it? I've travelled the length and breadth of the province with juveniles playing in tournaments encouraging parents that hurling was a safe and great game. i don't have to prove to anyone about my involvement in promoting hurling in Belfast.

you stated that we needed to unite hurling in the city. do you think that Rossa and the Johnnies would unite? i spoke many years ago to a Sarsfield's man who's brother is hurling referee and we talked about a belfast hurling only club. all the pro's and cons surrounding it. we finished up with that it would have to be started from scratch I.E under 6's and with a view come senior they would be challenging for honours.

i cant make out your angle here. is it St galls you have a problem with, me personally (but you don't even know me) or the fact that Belfast hurling is not great at the minute? I'll let you into a secret. Belfast hurling has been poor for years. pretty good at juvenile but come senior we have lost all the quality players to the big ball game.

I'm interested in what is it you do that promotes hurling in the city. Queenie don't leave so soon. season is only starting

[slow corner back]

Offaly giving Antrim a serious hiding 1-26 to 0-12 at present. We are in complete and total freefall.

[orangeman]

Offaly giving Antrim a serious hiding 1-26 to 0-12 at present. We are in complete and total freefall.

It finished 1-28 to 0-13, Antrin finishing with 14 men ( not sure who got the road ).



Saffrons 'saved' by DRA verdict 

Offaly's Odhran Kealey battles with Antrim's Aaron Graffin
Antrim's All-Ireland Hurling relegation play-off against Offaly appears to have been rendered meaningless following a marathon DRA meeting on Friday night.

BBC Sport understands that the DRA is recommending that there will be no relegation from the Liam McCarthy Cup following appeals from four counties.

The DRA is believed to have ruled that Ring Cup winners Carlow be promoted into a 13-team Liam McCarthy Cup.

Antrim v Offaly is going ahead on Saturday with Clare facing Wexford.

However, while the GAA released a statement on Saturday morning saying that the play-offs would go ahead, it now appears that there will be no relegation.

That is providing Congress ratifies the DRA's verdict.

The Saffrons, Offaly, Clare and Wexford submitted an appeal calling for Saturday's two matches to be halted because of the relegation controversy.

All four counties attended the DRA meeting in Dundalk and the gathering didn't break up until 0230 BST on Saturday morning.

Antrim will be without Neil McManus and Neil McAuley on Saturday.

Both players booked holidays for this week some time ago as the original fixture schedule had the Saffrons with a weekend off.

Shane McNaughton and Karl Stewart were ruled out of Antrim's last game clash against Laois for similar reasons.

McManus' absence from the Parnell Park game is probably an even bigger blow.

The Saffrons believed that there were promised three seasons in the Leinster Championship at last year's Special Congress and believe that they have been hoodwinked.

The losers of Saturday's play-offs are then scheduled to meet with the losers dropping out of the top tier next year with Christy Ring Cup champions Carlow replacing them.

Antrim joint-manager Sambo McNaughton acknowledged that it would be an "understatement" to say that the loss of McManus and McAuley is a huge blow.

"The match was put back a week and the boys had booked holidays," said McNaughton.

"We have tried to get around it but they are coming under the usual pressures so we're going to be without them."



CJ McGourty was dropped from the Antrim football squad in late March
McNaughton remains sceptical about the play-offs, venturing that he cannot see the likes of Clare, Wexford and Offaly playing Christy Ring Cup hurling next season - if results go against them over the next couple of weeks.

"The powers that be will be hoping that we lose our next two games so that we can be relegated.

"I mean, are they going to let Clare be relegated and having only four teams in the Munster Championship next year? Not likely."

But while McNaughton is disenchanted at how the county has been treated, he is calling on the Saffron squad to show their true ability after a largely disappointing 2009.

"If we play to our ability, then we can give Offaly their fill of it although it would still come down to the puck of the ball and the odd break here and there.

"They beat us by five points in the league and there wasn't that much in it that day.

"But we need to get out and compete right from the off."

In addition to the absence of McManus and McAuley, Antrim have also made a number of other changes from the disappointing defeat by Laois.

Shane McNaughton and Karl Stewart return while CJ McGourty is also recalled to the attack after playing in the previous game against Dublin.

Those losing out include Cormac Donnelly and PJ O'Connell.

Eddie McCloskey switches to replace McAuley at wing-back while Michael Herron is preferred to Sean Delargy at midfield.

Offaly will be without injured forward Joe Brady while Rory Hannify is also said to be a major fitness doubt.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Antrim: R McGarry, K McGourty, N McGarry, A Graffin; C Herron, J Campbell, E McCloskey; M Herron, K McKeegan; D McKillop, K Stewart, J Scullion; S McNaughton, P Richmond, CJ McGourty.

[Fairhead]

That was a hard afternoons viewing in Parnell Pk. Minors outclassed 4.23 to 0.10 by what looks like a superb Galway team. Galway were a big team with excellent hurlers all over the pitch and in particular there no.6, 9, 11 and 13 to mention a few. There was a skill gap there but what struck me was the way Galway used their size; they rarely lost 50 50 tussles and dominated in the air especially in their half back line. They also read the game better, anticipated breaks and played at a higher pace. Which of course leads to the question how to get Antrim teams up to the pace? Who ever comes up with the answer to that in Antrim will be the man!!!

As for the senior game it was nearly a mirror image of the minor; Offaly are a bigger more athletic team, totally dominate in the and could take scores when they had to. Graffin again was the only man that offered any real resistance or quality. A dissapointing day.

[Minder]

Why were Mc Manus and Mc Auley on holiday with a match today? Before anyone says it was allocated as a free weekend in error a weeks drinking on holiday isn't great preparation for upcoming matches, it just doesent seem to happen in counties that are serious about winning.

[slow corner back]

The question is why are all these players taking holidays in July instead of August or September ( when was the last time Antrim hurled into September?) nthey cant take holidays in August or September in case they miss club championship so they organise the holidays round their priorities.

[orangeman]

Terence McNaughton and Dominic McKinley - Thank you. You did your best.

Will these lads stay on ?

[the colonel]

yeah HS its sad, I would have been behind the two guys from the outset but I think them going is the best thing possible. TBH I don't believe they had their heart in the 3rd year as opposed to other years.

but thanks anyway and all the best for the future

[theskull1]

I keep saying it every year. Why do we not concentrate on get our club game strong again before we start expecting a capable county team. All this time effectively wasted when it could and should be put to better use from a long term perspective. Of course Antrim admin wouldn't have a word of it 

[imtommygunn]

Woody has stepped down already sure. I don't know much about sambo personally but the word on the street is that he wouldn't put himself in a position where only he is accountable so doubt he'd stay on...

So what skull - disband the county team? We should be relegated to christy ring where we deserve to be and we should try to develop our players at that level. We have games in division 2 against better opposition which will help us.

[theskull1]

Its the time and effort and expense dedicated to preparing the County team I have the problem with ITG. This whole notion that we learn from playing matches down south just doesn't stack up and hasn't for nearly 20 years. Players need to be developed from the ground up not thrown into the deep end like I believe they are currently to sink or swim. An improved coaching base in all clubs, a good development structure aligned with proper focus on good local competition is far more important than taking a punt year in year out on panels which just aren't at the right level because of poor coaching, development structures and poor leagues to expect anything other than the odd good result.

[the colonel]

It was always the plan for them to do their 3 year term. With woody working as coaching officer for the county all his time and effort should be aimed at this role. Sambo also said he was going to go at the end of the season (common knowledge I gather round the Dall).

Who next?

God knows

[NAG1]

Seriously, does anyone know anyone out there that would be interested in the post?

Who would we like to see involved?

[imtommygunn]

Skull while at some level I agree with you we still need to compete as a county.

The problem is:
- too good for christy ring - well this may not be the case any more to be honest
- not good enough for liam

I'm not sure if you're suggesting we forget about our county team or whether we just pay it lip service?

The "grass roots" approach is definitely something needs improved however where do you go with it. Do you think we can the county team for ten years and do the grass roots thing right? In ten years time say then how do we know if we've done it right? Stick out another county team against top opposition and see where we stand? What if we don't stand anywhere?

As a county you need aspirations. What I think your key problem seems to be is that you believe as a county we have short term aspirations and perhaps the longer term aspirations fseem to be given less priority. A balance of both needs found. I would have said player development is improving and Seamus Elliot would have helped a lot in North Antrim. The leagues, division 1 anyway, don't seem to be taken that seriously either. How that gets improved I don't know.

The reality of it is that at the minute we have a poor side. The batch of minors we thought were going to make us competitive are, a select few aside, not quite cutting it at this level. The reality also is that we have some backs of quality (McManus and Graffn being the stand out ones) but we have a very poor crop of forwards at the minute and that is one thing that I believe is the main reason we are so poor.