Antrim Hurling

[Last Man]

Big Joe doesn't look quite his best, heard a rumour he has an injury that needs an op but he keeps putting iot off, who knows. L'rea allowed Portumna to create too much space, which Damien H revelled in, they didn't appear to have any sort of game plan to contain Portumnas forwards at all.
A massive challenge for Dunloy but not as hopeless as some are saying.

[Last Man]

Re. the leagues. What a complete knee jerk reaction. St.Johns are where they are ie. not quite good enough for the top flight. Why can't they take their medicine and fight like hell for promotion next year, they would be the better off and thought for it IMO. Live and die by your results.... End of. 

[the colonel]

I think the big bonus of this league structure is that it seems to have brought the Div 2 teams on alot more and maybe should continue for a year or two.  maybe look at the benefits of the lower tiers than just division 1. but thats only looking from the outside. Improving the hurling is a long process.

[milltown row]

Keep the leagues as they are only difference should be that two go up and two down. teams would be fighting all season, cause if there is a very strong team then most other teams don't put the effort in. but if two can go up it makes it more interesting.

lets not kid ourselves here, had Ballycastle been at the bottom this year they would have had a motion, same for the other teams that would have struggled. as for the Down teams, they cant put a motion to the County convention as they aren't from Antrim.

should the Intermediate champions go up

[Minder]

Are youse still playing us this weekend Milltown? Hardly be too many of the footballers playing with the Ulster Final the week after.

[milltown row]

Are youse still playing us this weekend Milltown? Hardly be too many of the footballers playing with the Ulster Final the week after.

all playing this weekend. speaking to them yesterday so i expect them to be there. don't worry we wont spoil your presentation

[aontroim]

Don't think any league proposals will get decided upon at County Convention - from memory i think the leagues and any changes are voted on at county committee meetings by clubs once they have had a chance to get a look at any changes - if it was convention there would be no time for proposals to go to the clubs.  In a 12 team Div 1 who gets to decide the 3 additional teams apart from Glenariffe that go up?  At the minute and with probably little change before cutoff the top looks like this

Glenariff 12 11 1 0 236 118 118 22
Gort Na Mona 13 9 4 0 285 214 71 18
Rossa 11 7 4 0 212 161 51 14
St. Pauls 13 6 6 1 159 194 -35 13
St. Galls 8 6 2 0 182 117 65 12

[Last Man]

Thats certainly true about "the Town" MR, Dessie would be the first man in the room, all his phone calls made and favours called in.

[theskull1]

My gut feeling is that these attempts to change leagues at best do no good in the short/medium or long term for the clubs saved from relegation, but at worst make a farce of the competition overall on two fronts. The first being that if your an Antrim team with Div 1 "pedigree" then you'll not be relegated & secondly by trying to change the leagues to suit their own interest they weaken the quality of the opposition in the league.

Can anybody remember Sarsfields (and to a lesser degree Lamh Dearg) in Div1 a few years ago? It was brutal for both them and any team that hammered them. No one wants that. But GNM & StPauls/Galls better make sure they know what their going into before they would want to get the opertunity to compete again in a Div1.


I can't see many clubs being willing to accept this if they use the lessons of history to guide them 
Totally agree with Max's proposal that league changes only come into affect 12 months down the line. Why has this not been introduced earlier?

[milltown row]

Look clubs cant go about asking for change cause it bloody suits them. we were dropped outta the leagues one year when we had 12 points and lying joint 8th below the Johnnies on score difference and a point behind ballycastle and Glenariffe.

we had no idea of a change that year and found it very strangethat clubs were putting a serious effort into finishing their games and playing so strongly in late October!!!

i will go along with the 8 teams in div 1 but there has to be two up, two down. leagues to have play offs and leagues to be started and finished early. preferably before the county final.

[the colonel]

Dinnys first call for players to attend trials this sunday. from the county site. A couple of surprising names there

1 John Devlin Armoy
2 Kevin B Mc Shane Ballycastle
3 Ryan Donnelly Ballycastle
4 Michael Dallat Ballycastle
5 Peter Dallat Ballycastle
6 Chris Boyle Ballycastle
7 Arron Smylie Cloughmills
8 Liam Kearns Cloughmills
9 Michael Devlin Cloughmills
10 James Doherty Cloughmills
11 Thomas McCann Creggan
12 Donal Mc Naughton Cushendall
13 Paddy Mc Naughton Cushendall
14 Michael Mc Cambridge Cushendall
15 Paddy Doherty Dunloy
16 James Mc Keague Dunloy
17 Sean Dowds Dunloy
18 Paudie Shivers Dunloy
19 Kevin Mc Keague Dunloy
20 Kevin Molly Dunloy
21 Gareth Magee Dunloy
22 Johnny Mc Intosh Glenariff
23 Randal Mc Donnell Glenariff
24 Seamus Mc Donnell Glenariff
25 Dessie Mc Clean       Gortnamona
26 Seamus Dobbin Loughgiel
27 James Campbell Loughgiel
28 Liam Mc Killop Loughgiel
29 Tony Mc Closkey Loughgiel
30 Ciaran Mc Kinley Loughgiel
31 Michael Hasson Rasharkin
32 Eoghan O Neill Rossa
33 Mark Devlin Rossa
34 Conor Rocks Rossa
35 Michael Armstrong Rossa
36 Chris Mc Guinness Rossa
37 John Kerr Rossa
38 Mathew Devlin Rossa
39 Stephen Shannon Rossa
40 Johnny Mc Guinness Rossa
41 Sean Mc Areavey St Galls
42 Barry Mc Fall St Johns
43 Simon Mc Corry St Johns
44 Colm Mc Fall St Johns
45 Kevin Sheerin Tir Na nOg

[theskull1]

First questions Dinny should ask when he's considering players

Does he play week in week out for his clubs first team?

If yes move on to question 2. If the answer is no then respect the fact that the clubs might have a better perspective on where that player is at and don't consider him.

Does he perform at a good level for his club when he plays?

If yes then he's worth considering.


Dinny has included one lad from Dunloy who never started any of our championship matches this year but had a storming performance in the U21 championship final. I presume thats why he has been included...on one match  . That is wile. Let the lad bed in and prove his ability to make the starting 15 week in week out for his club first for christs sake before you include him in ANY considerations for a County panel

Darren Quinn all over again

I'll let the rest of youse talk about the others

[the colonel]

Paddy McNaughton, still a minor? Why would he be considered. Mick McCambridge might not want to hurl county, surprised if he went. Donal McNaughton would be a good addition.

On some of the others do you think he watched underage games a few years ago, wrote their names in a log book to call on them if he ever came back? I'd imagine that Dick would have picked alot of those players as I doubt Dinny could have picked some of those names out

No Joe Cooney is a surprise!!

All those Rossa boys need regular senior hurling over the next year or two before they should be considered.

[milltown row]

 we have league match on Sunday so i doubt anyone from Glenariff our Naomh Gall will be there.

[NAG1]

Skull

Would have to agree with you, IMO if a player is not holding down a regular senior slot with his club then there is something wrong if he is selected for even a trial. What is the point in doing this with a playing who has no idea yet what it takes at senior club level never mind inter county.

Pure madness again from him. I have a fair idea who you are refering to skull and i would also say there is another name in there that would be questionable on grounds of experience as well at this level.

Serous de ja vous going on here!