Antrim Hurling

[NAG1]

Yeah thats exactly what I mean the whole attitude needs a change, but if that is driven from the players not reacting or baying for a foul every time there is a tackle then that would be a start.

Dont get me wrong here im not looking for open season though if we can erradicate the gutless dirty pulling that has become a feature of our club games here that would also go a long way to improving the standard or our games.

[theskull1]

The other thing we need to do is take off the rose tinted spectacles and promote the talent that is here and now rather than the "babs keating" types regaling stories of how hurling was so much better in "our day". Modern day commited hurlers in Antrim have much better stick work that those of 20/30 years ago and have superior levels of fitness. It's the structure of our games and the development strategy which is missing.

[takeyourpoint]

Couldn't believe reading Irish News on saturday that several Tipp players played in the final of the South Tpperary Championship final one week before the All Ireland Final.Up here that would be unthinkable.

[maxpower]

I see someone has quoted me and used the name MAX to do so on the County website

Got a nice response from Admin,

[NAG1]

Post it here max

[johnneycool]

Post it here max

from Antrimgaa.net


Name : MAX
04 September 2009
how does the Moderator know what we do, does coaching, refereeing, playing and supporting our club not consitute 'contributing to the GAA' or do you have to be in an admin position

Quite simply because of the fact that you anonymously choose to say or post things on a forum where you have "carte blanche" and wouldn't get away with in any other circumstances proves that your contribution to the GAA is blind hypocrisy. Saying one thing and doing another is the definition of this It is the path chosen by demagogues who ultimately will never hold any signifcant positions where real change can be effected. To then protest on this forum is proof indeed of this lunacy.

[NAG1]

Think that somes us up pretty well doesnt it! 

'ultimately will never hold any signifcant positions where real change can be effected'

Is that how they actually see themselves, yes responding vitriolically to genuine questions on a internet guestbook is effecting real change.

[Last Man]

After yesterdays game I am left with a sense of euphoric amazement mixed with dread when I compare where we are as a county.
My own feeling is that we are at the edge of the abyss or certainly very close to it as far as Hurling in Antrim is concerned.
Everybody in Antrim is looking for the short term gain, long term development strategy plans are met with lip sevice. Clubs spend their time looking over their shoulder self serving as ever and failling to realise our future is shared. I.E. If it goes tits up we are all F*#Ked.
The county is pennyless, with all the money been spent on Dunsilly and the senior teams it appears there is nothing left to fund proper juvenile hurling development on anything like the scale of Kilkenny or Tipp. Which is why I would'nt have much time for people moaning about entance prices for games but to the same extent I would like to see investment targeted at juvenile development as an absolute priority.
The time has passed lads for us to blame this that or the other but instead for good hurling people like ourselves to stand up, oust the begrudgers who claim to represent us at county meetings and turn this around.

[Queenie]

After yesterdays game I am left with a sense of euphoric amazement mixed with dread when I compare where we are as a county.
My own feeling is that we are at the edge of the abyss or certainly very close to it as far as Hurling in Antrim is concerned.
Everybody in Antrim is looking for the short term gain, long term development strategy plans are met with lip sevice. Clubs spend their time looking over their shoulder self serving as ever and failling to realise our future is shared. I.E. If it goes tits up we are all F*#Ked.
The county is pennyless, with all the money been spent on Dunsilly and the senior teams it appears there is nothing left to fund proper juvenile hurling development on anything like the scale of Kilkenny or Tipp. Which is why I would'nt have much time for people moaning about entance prices for games but to the same extent I would like to see investment targeted at juvenile development as an absolute priority.
The time has passed lads for us to blame this that or the other but instead for good hurling people like ourselves to stand up, oust the begrudgers who claim to represent us at county meetings and turn this around.

So Last Man, are you going to be the first or the 'last man' to stand up and do something, I wonder.  Talk really is cheap!  Come on Last Man, you be the first to turn it all around.  By the way, are you and everyone else going to dig deep also?

[Last Man]

I should really ignore you Queenie but just this once? I am involved in juvenile development and I have attended county meetings to say my piece but the status quo will not be upset by one man, "Last Man" or whoever,democracy prevails in our beloved GAA as well you know. I am assuming some intelligence or knowledge of the current system on your part of course, over generous on my part possibly. Why don't you write down some of your good ideas on the back a postage stamp and send them on to me. I look forward to your constructive input and opinion.

[the colonel]

Sambo's piece in the Irish Independent from Sat- Dunno why he's on about James, been involved with us for last number of years

They endeared themselves with their nicknames and the novelty they brought for those few years.

But, on the 20th anniversary of only their second All-Ireland final appearance, Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton surveys the landscape of Antrim hurling and admits that they haven't spawned much of a legacy.

The 1989 All-Ireland hurling final will be remembered as much for the vanquished as the victors.

Tipperary made short work of ending an 18-year famine, Antrim were just dazed by it all.

"We were naive. We let the occasion get to us. I always felt if we had reached a final before that, in '87 or '88, when we might have, we would have been better prepared. Kilkenny beat us in Dundalk in '87 when we might have turned them over.

"But by '89 the team had reached the crest and was beginning the descent. We were lambs to the slaughter and got carried away with the hype as bad as any team. We forgot the match. The County Board were fitting us with jackets when up to that we had trouble getting jerseys," he recalled.

Antrim had taken out Offaly in the semi-final having beaten them twice in the league earlier that year. On their way off the field the Offaly players formed a guard of honour and applauded them into their dressing-room to one corner of the Hogan Stand.

Tipperary were much more ruthless however and Nicky English inspired them to a 4-24 to 3-9 victory to crown the county's renaissance under Babs Keating.

For Antrim it was a critical fork in the road too and for a while it looked like they had taken the correct route.

But somewhere over the last 20 years, Antrim hurling has lost its way according to Sambo, who stepped down as joint manager of the county team in recent weeks.

excuses

"I know I'm critical but when you look back at '89 we were a lot closer to the top than we are now. That goes without saying. For eight years we remained in Division 1 proper," he reflects.

"We can't throw out the old excuse about how removed we were from it all. I can be home to the Glens of Antrim from Croke Park in two and a half hours now. Belfast is an hour and a half. We don't have the old excuses."

The Antrim Board are planning a reunion later in the year of the '89 team, bringing together a group that has largely drifted from the game.

"There's Olcan McFetridge (1989 All Star) now, he wouldn't go to a game. I had trouble persuading big Niall (Patterson the team's goalkeeper) to come in and work with the 'keepers this year. Donal Armstrong and Terence Donnelly are not involved, Leonard McKeegan and James McNaughton are not involved. Dessie Donnelly is chairman of his club and Aidan McCarry is back with his club this year.

"But by and large the players on that team have taken a path away from Antrim hurling and that is sad, sad for Antrim hurling.

"I always maintain that the reason that team was so competitive was because we had our grounding as minors in Leinster," says Sambo.

"I would have played in Leinster for four years. We put Kilkenny out one of the years. In '83 Niall Quinn's Dublin beat us and contested an All-Ireland final."

McNaughton feels the standard of club hurling in the county is as bad this year as he can remember it.

"There's a worrying statistic in the Antrim league. St John's are the only Belfast club in Division 1. They're on four points, close to relegation, and if they go down there will be no south Antrim club in that division for the first time ever."

For such a passionate Antrim hurling man there are more pressing concerns for the county than a 20th anniversary of something special, something unique.

It was nice while it lasted. But it didn't last long.

[Queenie]

I should really ignore you Queenie but just this once? I am involved in juvenile development and I have attended county meetings to say my piece but the status quo will not be upset by one man, "Last Man" or whoever,democracy prevails in our beloved GAA as well you know. I am assuming some intelligence or knowledge of the current system on your part of course, over generous on my part possibly. Why don't you write down some of your good ideas on the back a postage stamp and send them on to me. I look forward to your constructive input and opinion.

Hold on a second.  You are the one who is blowing your mouth off about how bad we are, what needs to be done etc.  Your suggestion about me putting my ideas on the back of a postage stamp, I feel is typical of you apathy and a little uncallled for.  In many ways I agree with what you have said having witnessed the intensity, skill levels and pace of yesterdays game.  However, I dont believe that your rantings here outlining all that is wrong with the powers that be a HQ in Casement is going to change anyting.  Begrudgers they maybe, but all this talk about 'Long term development/strategy plans' is equally meaningless unless the quality of coaching within this county improves tenfold.  You can coach juveniles all you want, day in - day out, it will make now difference.  Until there is support from families, clubs, communities, parishes, divisional boards, county baords and provincial boards I may add, our wonderful 'sliotar agus caman' game is doomed.  The qulaity and intensity of our coaching/coaches needs to improve vastly.

Lets be real honest here, it needs major investment, it requires coaches of a high standard who bring no baggage with them.  It requires schools, clubs, parishes, communites etc, etc, to really commit to hurling to ensure it's long term survival in this part of the world.

In Antrim, 'CLUB' is everything, the only thing! 'County', where hurling in particular is concerned, is secondary and in many respects a costly inconvenience!  The entire 'mind set' regarding hurling and how we improve it in this county has to change.  Individuals at Club and County Board level need to look beyond self preservation and embrace a major willingness to change.  I am not sure there are that many indiviuduals in our county prepared to grasp such a nettle.   You can talk about the County board present imcumbents all you want.  We have done that for years.  You can criticise, moan, begrudge and engage in major character assassinations - sure have'nt we seen  and heard that all before!  In '89, we had our day in the sun and it looks like we are content with that!  Your club, my club and everybody eleses club is really all that matters when it comes down to it!

[Queenie]

Sambo's piece in the Irish Independent from Sat- Dunno why he's on about James, been involved with us for last number of years

They endeared themselves with their nicknames and the novelty they brought for those few years.

But, on the 20th anniversary of only their second All-Ireland final appearance, Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton surveys the landscape of Antrim hurling and admits that they haven't spawned much of a legacy.

The 1989 All-Ireland hurling final will be remembered as much for the vanquished as the victors.

Tipperary made short work of ending an 18-year famine, Antrim were just dazed by it all.

"We were naive. We let the occasion get to us. I always felt if we had reached a final before that, in '87 or '88, when we might have, we would have been better prepared. Kilkenny beat us in Dundalk in '87 when we might have turned them over.

"But by '89 the team had reached the crest and was beginning the descent. We were lambs to the slaughter and got carried away with the hype as bad as any team. We forgot the match. The County Board were fitting us with jackets when up to that we had trouble getting jerseys," he recalled.

Antrim had taken out Offaly in the semi-final having beaten them twice in the league earlier that year. On their way off the field the Offaly players formed a guard of honour and applauded them into their dressing-room to one corner of the Hogan Stand.

Tipperary were much more ruthless however and Nicky English inspired them to a 4-24 to 3-9 victory to crown the county's renaissance under Babs Keating.

For Antrim it was a critical fork in the road too and for a while it looked like they had taken the correct route.

But somewhere over the last 20 years, Antrim hurling has lost its way according to Sambo, who stepped down as joint manager of the county team in recent weeks.

excuses

"I know I'm critical but when you look back at '89 we were a lot closer to the top than we are now. That goes without saying. For eight years we remained in Division 1 proper," he reflects.

"We can't throw out the old excuse about how removed we were from it all. I can be home to the Glens of Antrim from Croke Park in two and a half hours now. Belfast is an hour and a half. We don't have the old excuses."

The Antrim Board are planning a reunion later in the year of the '89 team, bringing together a group that has largely drifted from the game.

"There's Olcan McFetridge (1989 All Star) now, he wouldn't go to a game. I had trouble persuading big Niall (Patterson the team's goalkeeper) to come in and work with the 'keepers this year. Donal Armstrong and Terence Donnelly are not involved, Leonard McKeegan and James McNaughton are not involved. Dessie Donnelly is chairman of his club and Aidan McCarry is back with his club this year.

"But by and large the players on that team have taken a path away from Antrim hurling and that is sad, sad for Antrim hurling.

"I always maintain that the reason that team was so competitive was because we had our grounding as minors in Leinster," says Sambo.

"I would have played in Leinster for four years. We put Kilkenny out one of the years. In '83 Niall Quinn's Dublin beat us and contested an All-Ireland final."

McNaughton feels the standard of club hurling in the county is as bad this year as he can remember it.

"There's a worrying statistic in the Antrim league. St John's are the only Belfast club in Division 1. They're on four points, close to relegation, and if they go down there will be no south Antrim club in that division for the first time ever."

For such a passionate Antrim hurling man there are more pressing concerns for the county than a 20th anniversary of something special, something unique.

It was nice while it lasted. But it didn't last long.

Thats just Sambo turning SCORPION!

[NAG1]

What else would a strategic plan mean!  Maybe a dictionary would in order

[theskull1]

Development plans are just paper until they are implemented hatchet. I think that is the point. It's all talk at the minute. Actions speak louder than words and currently doing things like dropping NA/SW development squads in favour of having only one all county "development" squad so that expenditure can be controlled/limited (less travelling expenses to training and matches down south) should tell us where we are at. Painting things that are regressive as being progressive just to balance the books fools no one who loves the game.

Just for the record this is the first post I have read from Queenie where I actually agree with some of the things he is saying (although I'm not quite sure what problems he had with LM's original post.....Queenie being Queenie I suppose)