Antrim Hurling

[Syd The Sailor]

Tipperary 1-11 Antrim 0-8 RESULT. Must have been a bad day going by the low scoring.

[slow corner back]

According to the radio the weather was terrible across the country today. Despite that improvement from Antrim and Down and a good win for the dubs.
Antrim led 7 points to 2 at half time after playing with the wind. Karl Mckeegan three points from play. Second half tipp took over with the elements but only pulled away in the last five to ten minutes.

[Syd The Sailor]

According to the radio the weather was terrible across the country today. Despite that improvement from Antrim and Down and a good win for the dubs.
Antrim led 7 points to 2 at half time after playing with the wind. Karl Mckeegan three points from play. Second half tipp took over with the elements but only pulled away in the last five to ten minutes.

I think next week will tell us more,if we get a decent day, the weather made the matches a lottery today. The bad weather will always bring teams like Antrim & Down closer to Tipp & Cork. Antrim only scored once in 2nd half, with 3 mins to go. I take it Dublins win consigns us to Division 2 next year?

[slow corner back]

With a nine team div 1 proposed for next year we are almost certainly down.

[theskull1]

With Johnny Tosh injured, I really don't know where the scores are going to come from to win the game. Can't blame Sambo & Woody for this. We have a distinct lack of scoring forwards at the minute. Hope I'm proved wrong

No scores from the forward line in open play is not a good stat. I'm sure the weather made it a backs day but still I think this shows the lack of potency is a major problem

From AFR
Tipperary 1-11 Antrim 0-8

Tipperary were made to work hard before overcoming a half-time deficit to defeat Antrim by 1-11 to 0-8 in the National Hurling League Division 1B clash in Templemore on Sunday.

The Munster side were given a mountain to climb as Antrim led by five points at the break, but a dominant second-half showing rescued the game and earned Tipp their second win of the season.

The first half in Templemore was not one for the purists, with points from play at a premium.

With 19 minutes gone, the sides were tied at 0-2 apiece, with Eoin Kelly firing over two frees for the Premier County.

However, Brian McFaul's free then began a run of Antrim scoring and along with Karl McKeegan, he helped to open up that five-point lead.

McKeegan was indeed the only player to score from play in the first half with three scores, while McFaul was responsible for four frees, seeing Antrim leading by 0-7 to 0-2 at half-time.

However, that gap was quickly erased as Tipp came out with all guns blazing in the second half and had the ball in the net within 14 seconds.

A long punt forward from centre half back Conor O'Mahony was flicked on cleverly by Kelly and last tear's minor star Pa Bourke was on hand to apply the finishing touch and slammed the ball past Ryan McGarry.

Tipp were soon level and a '65 from Kelly had them in front for the first time at 1-5 to 0-7 and points from Willie Ryan, O'Mahony and Kelly (2) then had them well in front as Antrim were held scoreless until Brendan Herron's point in the very late stages of the half.

Bourke and Shane Maher added late points as Tipp eventually claimed a six-point win, leaving the Saffrons - for all their first-half endeavour - rooted to the foot of the table.

[Syd The Sailor]

Hopefuly Johhny McIntosh will be back for the Kilkenny match next week, we need an improvement up front. I have a feeling the forwards will have limited ball next week though, Kilkenny really need the points and who advances could come down to scoring averages so they will be looking to hammer us.

[mightysaffrons]

well if their going by attendance tosh wont be playing on sunday hasnt been there!! injured or not!!! take it we have to beat cats to have a chance of staying in division one after dubs result!!??

[aontroim]

all they have to do is draw with the Cats and beat Dublin the following wednesday under the lights in Casement  This will then put them level on points and provided neither picks up any further points they will need a playoff?

[theskull1]

I dread to see the fall out from a poor NHL. The only way I can see S&W reacting is the same as their predecessors...i.e more county training sessions & more challenge games (isolating these players from their clubs). Anybody that thinks Antrim under perform year in year out need to wake up and realise we are where we are. There is no point in getting scundered every time an established top tier side puts us to the sword. If the effort and compeditiveness is there then I think that is good enough is it not? We don't have the players (neither in quality or quantity) to consistently put it up to these teams. We might catch them on the hop but that will be about it.

[Tony Baloney]

Skull it's the combination of false dawns and false promises that get on the goat of most Antrim fans. One year they'll run a "top tier" side close and the next year they'll get tanked by them. If Antrim were either consistently good, average or bad over a period of 3 or 4 years then we'd know exactly the level they are at and work from there.

But these blips were the team do well create the belief in some of the players, the fans and the management that they're a better team than they actually are and I think complacency sets in.

[mightysaffrons]

would that gives us three and dub 4 points? are they not on 3??? and kilkenny on 1 after 2 games?? according to irish news anyways!!

[Syd The Sailor]

As far as i know it is a 9 team Div 1 next year so we are fucked. There will be no get out clause of a playoff with Down that we usually get away with. Going by yesterdays Dublin v Galway match they would look like a good bet to beat us and thus move onto 5 pts, the most pts we can get is 2 pts. If its a decent day next week we will get hammered by Kilkenny, and i dont want any tools coming on here calling me pessimistic or a doom merchant, if you think we will beat Kilkenny on a good sunny day you are on the glue......

[The Truth]

"There were four 19 year old forwards playing out there today"- we are getting the youth of the team rammed down our throat at every oppurtunity...........i see Terry Mc Naughton is slowly morphing into David "they are only young lads" O'Leary......

[Tony Baloney]

Truth you should give Sambo a break. You're starting to sound as bad as Syd!!!

[The Truth]

Truth you should give Sambo a break. You're starting to sound as bad as Syd!!!

Tony mind your mouth, i will give Terry a break when he delivers results. You see talking about in the papers just doesent do it, now you have to actually get the results or expext the criticism that will come.