Antrim Hurling

[saffron sam2]

U21 Hurling Championship

Rossa v Roddy McCorleys

They wear Tipp colours, their pitch is up the Shaw's Road before St. Paul's.

[the colonel]

I think its a smart move from the johnnies. give's their young boys a year to get some hurling where they will have the chance to get set in their game and make strides.

will the johnnies be likely to send players to the south antrim team? they wont have the st galls players but you never know what way their players will react, or whatever their told by their club

[theskull1]

St Galls are as good as the Johnnies, so the Johnnies aren't doing anything wrong IMO. They have fallen away badly and when you consider the minor teams that they've had in the recent past they don't don't look as if they know how to bring players properly through to Senior level (possibly a wider issue in the city). I may be proved wrong in the coming years when this current batch of underage Johnnies come through.

[aontroim]

U21 Hurling Championship

Rossa v Roddy McCorleys

who da fook? some Belfast teams mixed together?

An amalgamation team made up of Creggan, Tír na nÓg and (wait for it...) Cargin!   Roddy McCorley's have played Minor / U21 Championships before in previous years but those teams were a SW select.

[Milltown Row2]

the difference between ourselves and the Johnnies is that we were always a yo-yo team in hurling. div 2 for a few years and div 1 for a few years. The Johnnies have been in Div one for years!!!

we entered senior championship when we were div 2. after getting stuffed by Loughgiel the comm. decided to drop us down. We also don't have great underage teams coming through at hurling. Johnnies have.

Rossa could have entered last year at intermediate level but they (like our footballers) have pride in staying at senior level.

i believe the johnnies have the hurlers (if attitude was right) to compete. there seems to be a poor attitude towards hurling in Belfast (bar Rossa) i know our juvenile management have put in great work but we aren't at a level when the likes of Karl stewart Aidso, and Mackers team when they won both hurling and football at all ages. thats the backbone of our current senior team.

the Johnnies never seem to bring that through. as for next year. Rossa i think (if they want) should progress to div 1. Div 2 will be really competitive.

[johnneycool]

But you have to treat teams in terms of where they are at now and not dependant on whether they have some good kids coming through or not.

Thats why i think teams of the same ability should be in the same championship whether thats SHC or IHC.

In Antrim who decides that?

Is it up to a club to decide for themselves then to be ratified by the Co board?

Now that St Johns are in Div2 and a poor enough showing in the championship last year, maybe they are right to go intermediate as getting into a winning habit is good for the club especially if they intend to blood a lot of young players into adult hurling.

The only thing I'd add, that maybe they should have tried harder to field reserve teams in the league the last few years as its a good stepping stone for youngsters out of minor in finding their feet with no real onus on winning.

[Milltown Row2]

But you have to treat teams in terms of where they are at now and not dependant on whether they have some good kids coming through or not.

Thats why i think teams of the same ability should be in the same championship whether thats SHC or IHC.

In Antrim who decides that?

Is it up to a club to decide for themselves then to be ratified by the Co board?

Now that St Johns are in Div2 and a poor enough showing in the championship last year, maybe they are right to go intermediate as getting into a winning habit is good for the club especially if they intend to blood a lot of young players into adult hurling.

The only thing I'd add, that maybe they should have tried harder to field reserve teams in the league the last few years as its a good stepping stone for youngsters out of minor in finding their feet with no real onus on winning.

Clubs decide to play in whatever championship they want.

so by your logic Ballycran should have played intermediate championship (to get in the winning ways) in Down when they were relegated two seasons ago?

No Ballycran caught themselves on, regrouped and won the Championship a year later and were unlucky not to win an Ulster club.  Rossa should have done it also!! no again they regrouped and have won minor and under 21 hurling championships and will push on.

[johnneycool]

But you have to treat teams in terms of where they are at now and not dependant on whether they have some good kids coming through or not.

Thats why i think teams of the same ability should be in the same championship whether thats SHC or IHC.

In Antrim who decides that?

Is it up to a club to decide for themselves then to be ratified by the Co board?

Now that St Johns are in Div2 and a poor enough showing in the championship last year, maybe they are right to go intermediate as getting into a winning habit is good for the club especially if they intend to blood a lot of young players into adult hurling.

The only thing I'd add, that maybe they should have tried harder to field reserve teams in the league the last few years as its a good stepping stone for youngsters out of minor in finding their feet with no real onus on winning.

Clubs decide to play in whatever championship they want.

so by your logic Ballycran should have played intermediate championship (to get in the winning ways) in Down when they were relegated two seasons ago?

No Ballycran caught themselves on, regrouped and won the Championship a year later and were unlucky not to win an Ulster club.  Rossa should have done it also!! no again they regrouped and have won minor and under 21 hurling championships and will push on.

Ballycran have been competitive in the senior championship and never really took any great tankings from either of the two other clubs for quite a while. And to the fact that they competed a lot better than ourselves and Portaferry in Div1 after a year of blodding young players in Div2 of Antrim would suggest that it didn't do them any harm long term.
Rossa have also been able to bring young players up through in Div2 and I'd suggest they'll be pushing hard to get back to Div1 this year.

If we don't get our act together we may be in a similar position this year.

[Lecale2]

Good luck St Gall's tomorrow!

[the colonel]

Good luck to MR and St Galls from all at Cushendall


Pics from Centre of Excellence on county site. looks as good as the bearpit already

[Milltown Row2]

Good luck to MR and St Galls from all at Cushendall


Pics from Centre of Excellence on county site. looks as good as the bearpit already

Cheers lads, I've been relatively calm leading up to the game tomorrow. going in as underdogs sits easier than the possibility of a banana skin against lesser opposition.

the Galway team are very good, i watched them in their county final but very hard to gauge how good they are compared to us. Their main players Kevin Broderick, Liam Hodgins, Roan Madden and Brian Cunningham. 

This time tomorrow............

[Minder]

Good luck to St. Gall's.

Coolnasilla isnt far away and dont forget it.

[Minder]

Milltown Row is going to the show

[the colonel]

fair play to st galls. Croker i take it?

[imtommygunn]

Great result.

No mean feat beating a team with the likes of Kevin Broderick on it. He was a hreat wee player and shouldn't be that old yet either.