Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

 

[múinteoirmór]

Tut, tut, tut. Lads, lads, lads.! You still have all to understand, many in our county will always treat hurling as secondary. Many in Ulster will always treat hurling as secondary and an inconvenience!  Many in Belfast, Antrim and Ulster will treat hurling even worse that that. 1st Soccer, 2. Gaelic football (Celtic, Rangers, Man U, Liverpool and all that oul crap).  So you see.  It is going to take a lot more that just recruiting  and employing hurling development officers etc. in the urban settings.  Hurling is dying on it's feet if the truth be told!  Croke Park to some extent also would have to be questioned on what they are doing to keep hurling alive.  I am of the opinion that they treat hurling as a secondary and the poor cousin of Gaelic football.

So you see, it is easy to post on here and frequently criticise how poor our hurlers performed last Sunday.  I was just delighted that we won the game, got the points, overcame one of our nemesis teams (Carlow)!  At least in Antrim we are still playing the game and keeping it marginally alive also in this province!  What strategy has the Ulster Council, Croke Park and the County Executive in place to protect and promote hurling?  There in lies the question in my humble opinion.  In the end, we would also have to ask, what are we also doing? i.e. GAA Board contributors to the Antrim Hurling thread?  I think we should all just take a moment to think before we launch into a tirade of abuse towards Dinny, his back room team and the players on the perfomance last Sunday.  Are they not in fact, doing their level best to keep the game alive?

[4father]

Do you take /coach or help out with any hurling teams within your club?  In my own club - its increasingly difficult to get mentors for hurling.  Plenty claim to be hurling 'men' but who aren't putting their shoulder to the wheel at all at all.

I actually agree with you that its in danger of dying.  We are in a county that is making reasonable progress in football.

We need a hurling strategy from Croke Park for Belfast on the same basis that exists in Dublin.  Full time hurling development staff need to be employed - not just one urban officer and hurling development officer, there's no point in having one or two - say none of them are any good?  In Dublin there was and is a hurling development strategy in place funded by the GAA, supported by development officers and it is working.  Ulster council and even Antrim council aren't serious enough about it and neither are the majority of clubs.  Antrim needs Belfast teams to be strong and we are a long way off that.  Look at juvenile levels in Belfast - there are two teams every year and the rest are struggling to get numbers out.  No love or passion for it from clubs anymore.

[Milltown Row2]

Tut, tut, tut. Lads, lads, lads.! You still have all to understand, many in our county will always treat hurling as secondary. Many in Ulster will always treat hurling as secondary and an inconvenience!  Many in Belfast, Antrim and Ulster will treat hurling even worse that that. 1st Soccer, 2. Gaelic football (Celtic, Rangers, Man U, Liverpool and all that oul crap).  So you see.  It is going to take a lot more that just recruiting  and employing hurling development officers etc. in the urban settings.  Hurling is dying on it's feet if the truth be told!  Croke Park to some extent also would have to be questioned on what they are doing to keep hurling alive.  I am of the opinion that they treat hurling as a secondary and the poor cousin of Gaelic football.

So you see, it is easy to post on here and frequently criticise how poor our hurlers performed last Sunday.  I was just delighted that we won the game, got the points, overcame one of our nemesis teams (Carlow)!  At least in Antrim we are still playing the game and keeping it marginally alive also in this province!  What strategy has the Ulster Council, Croke Park and the County Executive in place to protect and promote hurling?  There in lies the question in my humble opinion.  In the end, we would also have to ask, what are we also doing? i.e. GAA Board contributors to the Antrim Hurling thread?  I think we should all just take a moment to think before we launch into a tirade of abuse towards Dinny, his back room team and the players on the perfomance last Sunday.  Are they not in fact, doing their level best to keep the game alive?

No triade of abuse here, Dinny is great at getting them ready for championship, but us having a view as to playing division 1 for a few years would best prepare you for taking on the best in the championship when it matters, is Ok surely??. Just a thought

[Minder]

The mask has slipped, just slightly.

[4father]

The mask has slipped, just slightly.

Yip!   

[NAG1]

No abuse of Dinny or the players on here, we are allowed opinions on how he is using the NHL which we freely express.

I also think you'll find that if you took a vote of how many board members on here who post are also heavily involved in coaching and club work.

[múinteoirmór]

Tut, tut, tut. Lads, lads, lads.! You still have all to understand, many in our county will always treat hurling as secondary. Many in Ulster will always treat hurling as secondary and an inconvenience!  Many in Belfast, Antrim and Ulster will treat hurling even worse that that. 1st Soccer, 2. Gaelic football (Celtic, Rangers, Man U, Liverpool and all that oul crap).  So you see.  It is going to take a lot more that just recruiting  and employing hurling development officers etc. in the urban settings.  Hurling is dying on it's feet if the truth be told!  Croke Park to some extent also would have to be questioned on what they are doing to keep hurling alive.  I am of the opinion that they treat hurling as a secondary and the poor cousin of Gaelic football.

So you see, it is easy to post on here and frequently criticise how poor our hurlers performed last Sunday.  I was just delighted that we won the game, got the points, overcame one of our nemesis teams (Carlow)!  At least in Antrim we are still playing the game and keeping it marginally alive also in this province!  What strategy has the Ulster Council, Croke Park and the County Executive in place to protect and promote hurling?  There in lies the question in my humble opinion.  In the end, we would also have to ask, what are we also doing? i.e. GAA Board contributors to the Antrim Hurling thread?  I think we should all just take a moment to think before we launch into a tirade of abuse towards Dinny, his back room team and the players on the perfomance last Sunday.  Are they not in fact, doing their level best to keep the game alive?

No triade of abuse here, Dinny is great at getting them ready for championship, but us having a view as to playing division 1 for a few years would best prepare you for taking on the best in the championship when it matters, is Ok surely??. Just a thought

Could not agree more MR2 with most aspects of your analysis. I was a little dubious about Dinny coming back, but I must say, I feel he brings new thinking to the table in terms of bleeding the youngs fellas in the League.  When are they ever going to get playing otherwise??  In the championship?

[múinteoirmór]

The mask has slipped, just slightly.

Why because I submit an intelligent and  factaul analysis??  I have done the coaching thing/management thing and I am still involved in hurling, so much so that I am passionate about hurling, and that I have come to dislike gaelic football.  Hurling is dying in this county with the exception of our good north antrim teams.  However, hurlings survival, development and growth is not and will not occour by beligerent contribution of posters on the GAA Board - Antrim Hurling!

[Milltown Row2]

This Board or posters will never harm the development of county hurling or at grass roots level. Many have a view as to what they see best on how they see things locally (on this thread) and nationally (on the other threads) should be tackled. It has no real bearing on things and gives like minded people a chance to discuss the going on's within their club/county/games during the season.

Some outsiders looking in or by hearsay may feel this board and others (Hoganstand being the worst discussion board about) causes harm, I've yet to see it. Anything I say here I've no problem saying in public. Am I always right? Maybe not but I'm willing to listen.

[múinteoirmór]

No abuse of Dinny or the players on here, we are allowed opinions on how he is using the NHL which we freely express.

I also think you'll find that if you took a vote of how many board members on here who post are also heavily involved in coaching and club work.

Lets have the vote then.  If contributors were really honest, I think you would find minimal!

[múinteoirmór]

This Board or posters will never harm the development of county hurling or at grass roots level. Many have a view as to what they see best on how they see things locally (on this thread) and nationally (on the other threads) should be tackled. It has no real bearing on things and gives like minded people a chance to discuss the going on's within their club/county/games during the season.

Some outsiders looking in or by hearsay may feel this board and others (Hoganstand being the worst discussion board about) causes harm, I've yet to see it. Anything I say here I've no problem saying in public. Am I always right? Maybe not but I'm willing to listen.

A well thought out but a leading synopsis.  I have said all I have said in public also, which I would not apologise for.  As I have said previously, lets be open and frank!!  I would be interested to know what constitutes an 'OUTSIDER' ?  Someone who has a different point of view that the general run of things on the Antrim Hurling thread?  Or is it people from specific clubs??  Or maybe, those who have a dislike of other clubs for whatever reason?  I know who you are MR2, and I for one would not question your bone fides.  But like myself, getting a little old, too many war wounds, but still passionate and have lots to offer!

[Milltown Row2]

Others in my view are people either looking in and not contributing to the discussion or people who listen to posts second hand (from friends) and make an attack without maybe reading into it properly

[múinteoirmór]

Others in my view are people either looking in and not contributing to the discussion or people who listen to posts second hand (from friends) and make an attack without maybe reading into it properly

Please answer me this MR2.  Why after taking you lads to an All Ireland Int. Final, did you not stay on this year and build on last years achievement?  Against all the odds in Noamh Gall (football bound) you took your hurlers so far and then walked away?  Was another year of the hard work going to be difficilt for you personally, or did you feel you could only committ to a certain point with this team?

[Milltown Row2]

Family, work and other commitments, I came back and managed them for the last 6 games in the league last year, so didn't really walk away!! Taking a senior team within a club is hard work if you do it right, stick on top of that the success of our footballers and the co commitments of these dual players at senior (I've mentioned senior but all the hurlers play football) I think it was a great achievement by these lads to get to Croke Park.

Personally I feel I get on with everyone within the team/panel. would we have seen eye to eye? not all the times but I'm happy with that. I've never always seen eye to eye with my past managers also, that's healthy in my view. Impossible to keep everyone happy and I'm not exactly diplomatic in saying what I feel needs said and have no qualms in saying or acting on it.

Playing in the senior championship need a team to build towards a target. That can't be done while you have the situation we have. I'd say in 5 years we will be able to build a team that will hopefully start to work towards making another attempt at making a senior final.