Antrim Hurling

[imtommygunn]

Are any of you really surprised by this result?  And without trying to belittle the effort any of the lads that turn up put in towards training etc I'm afraid that when a team constantly plays hurlers of junior or intermediate standard that's what you're going to get. I wonder why more fellas from Loughgiel and Dunloy aren't turning up for Antrim. Is there something going on behind closed doors that we don't know about?

That is nonsense. From what I can see bar maybe one or two (which you get in any county)as many Loughgiel and Dunloy players are on that team / panel as should be on it. You could quote large numbers of players from successful setups who have come from junior / intermediate teams.

[Milltown Row2]

Ok we came up against a team that we should really be competitive against and failed to turn our wind advantage into something closer than what was intended. I can except defeat in games were the effort was there and in this game against the breeze that was certainly the case. Going in at half time 2 down seemed very positive.

But i can't except the collapse and the attitude of Dinny after the game. Seamroga in exile I won't except your junior intermediate tripe. At least these lads are showing commitment. I firmly believe Loughgiel will be concentrating on getting back to the All Semi Final this year so their commitment may lie elsewhere. Karl Stewart would walk onto any division one team as would McGuinness Herron and most of the rest non division one players.

A few weeks to the ulster final and i hope we improve before the qualifiers, could end up getting Cork season over

As for the lads that went to Slane, I'd drop them for the year

[NAG1]

Boys you cant have it both ways.

Praising Dinny for playing these young boys when they get a good result and then hammering him when they get beat. We all know that he is off the wall and is deflecting the criticism with the BS answer he gave about wives and girl friends. He is never to worried about this side of things before. Anyone who knows him will testify to that.

Thing is that Wexford are a better side than laois and playing them in their backyard was never going to be easy. Maybe more experience would have counted but we will never know.

I would expect the boys who went to slane on saturday to be kicking their heels for the rest of the year, what kind of mentality is that to go there the day before the game of your season.l

[theskull1]

19 scores from 70 minutes of hurling is pretty standard for decent opposition regardless of how fearless the defense is at this time of year (e.g cork v tipp or dublin v offally). 12 scores tells us where we are in the forward department. We haven't developed the cuteness inside or the awareness out the pitch to deliver quality ball to get us up to the scoring rate that is needed. Hurlers like Joe Deane and Rory Jacob are those type of players who could/can break your heart because they are unmarkable WHEN you have you have players out the pitch who (when given time to) focus on getting quality delivery into the space they have created for themselves. In Antrim it's all blood and guts, which sometimes works but it doesn't gaurentee enough scores IMO. This needs to be developed into development squads as I don't think it can be resolved today or tomorrow.

[north_antrim_hound]

hey lads lets not get to hung up on what Dinny said, he was asked at a time when the teams second half performance just didn't make any sense. Hes not a politician or broadcaster

as for the match why did so many of our players go  AWOL when wexford where there for the taking. I lost count of the times our boys stood off there men and watch them catch high balls. I have been to all the games this year and we didint hurl for 70 minutes in any of them. We haven't a strong panel but they have showed some good hurling but only in spurts. Need a bit more consistansy

[north_antrim_hound]

19 scores from 70 minutes of hurling is pretty standard for decent opposition regardless of how fearless the defense is at this time of year (e.g cork v tipp or dublin v offally). 12 scores tells us where we are in the forward department. We haven't developed the cuteness inside or the awareness out the pitch to deliver quality ball to get us up to the scoring rate that is needed. Hurlers like Joe Deane and Rory Jacob are those type of players who could/can break your heart because they are unmarkable WHEN you have you have players out the pitch who (when given time to) focus on getting quality delivery into the space they have created for themselves. In Antrim it's all blood and guts, which sometimes works but it doesn't gaurentee enough scores IMO. This needs to be developed into development squads as I don't think it can be resolved today or tomorrow.

This is the best post on this subject so far highlighting one of our biggest problems. Jacob was pulling his marker all over the place, timming it that when the ball was coming in he had himself some space. and as skull says he was getting good deliveries. our forwards are to stagnant at times. young mc cann does well when in space but cant win 50/50 ball.

[NAG1]

The game has changed completely in the last couple of years, gone are the days when you just thump the ball in long 50/50, even KK have adapted it and play it more to their own advantage. The cork tipp game showed it is now a possession game, every player has to be comfortable on the ball and able to pick those twenty thirty yard 'easy' passes to move up the field. We have very few players who get their head up enough to play those types of passes even at club level were the pace is considerably slower.

[Milltown Row2]

19 scores from 70 minutes of hurling is pretty standard for decent opposition regardless of how fearless the defense is at this time of year (e.g cork v tipp or dublin v offally). 12 scores tells us where we are in the forward department. We haven't developed the cuteness inside or the awareness out the pitch to deliver quality ball to get us up to the scoring rate that is needed. Hurlers like Joe Deane and Rory Jacob are those type of players who could/can break your heart because they are unmarkable WHEN you have you have players out the pitch who (when given time to) focus on getting quality delivery into the space they have created for themselves. In Antrim it's all blood and guts, which sometimes works but it doesn't gaurentee enough scores IMO. This needs to be developed into development squads as I don't think it can be resolved today or tomorrow.

This is the best post on this subject so far highlighting one of our biggest problems. Jacob was pulling his marker all over the place, timming it that when the ball was coming in he had himself some space. and as skull says he was getting good deliveries. our forwards are to stagnant at times. young mc cann does well when in space but cant win 50/50 ball.

So was Jacob winning 50/50 ball or getting the ball in space?

[imtommygunn]

Who was markin Jacob? For guys of that calibre Graffin really is the man for the job. I think we lack a bit in corner back usually for players that good. Guys like O'Callaghan and Jacob usually go to town.

[johnneycool]

Who was markin Jacob? For guys of that calibre Graffin really is the man for the job. I think we lack a bit in corner back usually for players that good. Guys like O'Callaghan and Jacob usually go to town.

Its near on impossible to mark a decent forward like Jacob if their defence has time to pick him out. The pressure needs to be applied from No 15 back, so that their defenders are under pressure and not bursting past their men to deliver quality ball. If you can stop a defender bursting past you then its more likely that any clearance they make will be when they're going backwards and hence any clearance is likely to be higher allowing your own defence a better chance to challenge for the ball.

Its an aspect of forward play (all all players IMO) seriously underestimated by those in coaching circles.

[theskull1]

Yes

And the point is that Antrim don't YET have the composure to play quality ball in enough AND/OR they don't have the forward play/players that create the situations for quality ball to be just that (i.e quality ball instead of a 50/50 ball). An intelligent forward line will have players who keep their marker on their toes. They may not touch the ball but their movement has created chances for others and they will know their role in scores where they didn't get a sniff of the leather. Defense as JC says starts from way out the pitch. If you stop giving time on the ball then you at least give the defense a fighting chance if deliveries are rushed.

[Milltown Row2]

Yes

And the point is that Antrim don't YET have the composure to play quality ball in enough AND/OR they don't have the forward play/players that create the situations for quality ball to be just that (i.e quality ball instead of a 50/50 ball). An intelligent forward line will have players who keep their marker on their toes. They may not touch the ball but their movement has created chances for others and they will know their role in scores where they didn't get a sniff of the leather. Defense as JC says starts from way out the pitch. If you stop giving time on the ball then you at least give the defense a fighting chance if deliveries are rushed.

Is that how you won so many balls?

[north_antrim_hound]

miltown the only time 50/50 ball was mentioned in my post was in relation to mc cann. kevin molloy was picking jacob up(just in case you didnt travel down on sunday) and he did o k when he was standing beside him. but jacob was usually on the move. how ever was making the delivierie hit the ball in to the corner when jacob wasnt even there but he knew exactly where it was going the minute it left the weford players hurl and stole a yard. JB and skull are making very valid points on what when wrong on sunday maybe you should do the same instead of nitpicking other posters comments.

[johnneycool]

Who's the black haired lad, he looks familiar?

[Seamroga in exile]

Ok we came up against a team that we should really be competitive against and failed to turn our wind advantage into something closer than what was intended. I can except defeat in games were the effort was there and in this game against the breeze that was certainly the case. Going in at half time 2 down seemed very positive.

But i can't except the collapse and the attitude of Dinny after the game. Seamroga in exile I won't except your junior intermediate tripe. At least these lads are showing commitment. I firmly believe Loughgiel will be concentrating on getting back to the All Semi Final this year so their commitment may lie elsewhere. Karl Stewart would walk onto any division one team as would McGuinness Herron and most of the rest non division one players.

A few weeks to the ulster final and i hope we improve before the qualifiers, could end up getting Cork season over

As for the lads that went to Slane, I'd drop them for the year

I think if you take a look back at my post I did mention that. I disagree with you on the junior/intermediate thing, such is life.