Antrim Hurling

[Seamroga in exile]

Well Seamroga, apart from the one or two long term injuries, that is the reality - that is the best we can come up with at the minute, in my view anyway.

Serious question, who are these players you hand in mind when you said "Obviously representing the county doesn't mean anything near as much now for senior hurlers as it did in my day?" At least the boys that played on Sunday have shown the commitment, albeit to a greater or lesser degree.

I was referring to the players who are not putting themselves forward for the county from the bigger clubs. Not the ones playing.

Are the players selected or are the clubs asked to put the players forward? 

[north_antrim_hound]

apoligies miltown i picked you up wrong.

[theskull1]

Obviously representing the county doesn't mean anything near as much now for senior hurlers as it did in my day.

I think those halycon days youre referring to just demanded less of the players. There have been plenty of uncommitted county panels over the years and that was more than likely happening in your day as well if you took those rose tinted glasses off. This years panel has commitment.

[Seamroga in exile]

Obviously representing the county doesn't mean anything near as much now for senior hurlers as it did in my day.

I think those halycon days youre referring to just demanded less of the players. There have been plenty of uncommitted county panels over the years and that was more than likely happening in your day as well if you took those rose tinted glasses off. This years panel has commitment.

No one is questioning the commitment skull. Sometimes a bit more than that is needed, like actual ability. And you're right, commitment was certainly less of a requirement when I was playing but then  again Antrim won more matches. I was there when they were beating the likes of Kilkenny, Galway, Limerick, Waterford et al and getting to national league semi finals. Sometimes it's hard to beat talented players. But if this, as everyone here is saying, is best of the current crop, then something is wrong.

And, by the way, my day wasn't that long ago.

[Seamroga in exile]

Just on a side note, who would be the favourites for the u21s?

[imtommygunn]

I said earlier that one could maybe use the examples of a few exceptional junior/intermediate hurlers who have made the ranks of senior county teams and been successful. ITG quoted 4 or 5 over the last 20 years or so from Antrim. I would say that 1 of those were, in the grand scheme of things, successful. That's not a lot really, backing up what I said. It's not that confusing.

Define in the grand scheme of things?

In the grand scheme of things most of our senior players are not successful if you mean on the all ireland stage! 

Ciaran Herron has an all star nominee - at some level is that not successful?

When did we get to a national league semi final? We took an awful hammering by an up and coming clare team mid 90s in the quarters but that aside I don't think we have reached knock-outs in the league stages?

I don't think 15 from Dunloy/ Cushendall / Loughgiel would be any mroe successful - in fact I think they would be less so.

Incidentally on the subject of intermediate players is PJ O'Connell (who would get on the Loughgiel team might I add) injured?

[NAG1]

PJ O'C was injured and unable to turn out for county training one recent weekend, then turned out played for his club on Tuesday night after in a football game so was politely asked to leave.

[DearyMe]

Seamroga who are the players not putting themselves forward for county?
And i hope we arent talking about age old arguments!

If i was in charge the 2 boys wouldnt wear the jersey for the rest of the season! Its indicative of the attitude and unfortunately a culture that has developed over the years since the glory days of the old system. 

Clear them out! If players want to be bit part in their committment, its not good enough - we wont progress!
Its a major committment i know, but all this jazz about yoong families and kids is 'plums'!

No different from any other lads playin in any other county.

In cork when training starts at 7.30 the boys are out on the field form 7 pucking the ball about!

Who is half an hour early for Antrim training? But more importantly who arrives whenever it suits them? Always an excuse, always something got in the way.

It could be worse though, you could be from those hurling traditions of Donegal and Fermanagh!

[theskull1]

Clear them out! If players want to be bit part in their committment, its not good enough - we wont progress!
Its a major committment i know, but all this jazz about yoong families and kids is 'plums'!

No different from any other lads playin in any other county.

In cork when training starts at 7.30 the boys are out on the field form 7 pucking the ball about!

Who is half an hour early for Antrim training? But more importantly who arrives whenever it suits them? Always an excuse, always something got in the way.

It could be worse though, you could be from those hurling traditions of Donegal and Fermanagh!

Unfortunately Dearyme there are sadly not enough who have hurling in their blood. If we did we'd have coaches filling clubs up and down the land driving high quality standards into every club team. We'd have well attended juvenile matches where the vast majority of parents/family support their kids. We'd have a top notch well funded development squad structure where squads were encouiraged to do what it took to get their players the the standard of other counties. We'd have thousands at Antrim county matches. If enough parents, supporters and county board showed that it meant something then I'm sure the kids/players would commit better to it and enjoy the fact that no stone was being left unturned to get them to a standard that would make them compeditive. In Antrim we are preparing county teams for failure so we should not be surprised when poorly developed talented youngsters get to senior and we get the same results.

[DearyMe]

Fair comment skull!

Where to tonight then to see some talent?

[NAG1]

Just not liking the excuse culture which DC is cultivating - can we have a check on how many different excuses that we have heard for the weekend so far...

answers on a post card please

[TheGeneral]

All Valid points above , as for having a go at the current crop of boys we have wearing the saffron jersey they are all very talented hurlers but we are leaps and bounds behind any other southern county.. The work doesnt start with these boys but the young lads dying to wear the county's colours from the ages U15.16.18's who need to be developed and get the chance to hurl against the likes of tipp,kk and cork ... Im only out of minor and i have talked to plenty of boys on the panels of my age group , and they love it , good craic etc but once all the hard training is over and the ulster title is retained , they all have it in there heads whats the point well get hammered anyway , surely this is where the work needs to be put in , not with the boys already half way through their career.

AS For chrissy and carson .... ill admit slane was fantastic

[Milltown Row2]

Fair comment skull!

Where to tonight then to see some talent?

I'm not playing tonight

But i'll be up in Ballymena on Sunday Dinny

[Seamroga in exile]

Seamroga who are the players not putting themselves forward for county?
And i hope we arent talking about age old arguments!

If i was in charge the 2 boys wouldnt wear the jersey for the rest of the season! Its indicative of the attitude and unfortunately a culture that has developed over the years since the glory days of the old system. 

Clear them out! If players want to be bit part in their committment, its not good enough - we wont progress!
Its a major committment i know, but all this jazz about yoong families and kids is 'plums'!

No different from any other lads playin in any other county.

In cork when training starts at 7.30 the boys are out on the field form 7 pucking the ball about!

Who is half an hour early for Antrim training? But more importantly who arrives whenever it suits them? Always an excuse, always something got in the way.

It could be worse though, you could be from those hurling traditions of Donegal and Fermanagh!

I don't know mate. I asked the illuminatti here how the squad was selected, I don't think I got an answer. I'm too far away to know exactly who deary me.

[Fairhead]

Just not liking the excuse culture which DC is cultivating - can we have a check on how many different excuses that we have heard for the weekend so far...

answers on a post card please

I don't think i would go so far to say Dinny was cultivating an excuse culture after the Wexford match. I thought on tv he just looked in a state of shock and confusion after watching the 2nd half so i wouldnt pay much attention to what he said then. Wexford maybe stepped it up a notch in the 2nd half with the benefit of Div 1 experience this year and maybe this thing of not putting in an effort in to the League is not good for Antrim but who can be sure.

Having seen Antrim this and last year i think Dinny is trying to get the players to play a more intelligent way by looking for men in the forwards and playing ball in to space. However as a few others have said here this way of playing needs to be brought in to underage develpoment squads so that by the time the players get to the senior county squad they are used to playing this way. This will take time and good underage coaching.

As for this thing about picking more players from Div 1 clubs, nonsense. Any county manager will pick the 15 players that make the best team in his opinion, not necessarily the best 15 club players. As like any other Antrim manager Dinny is trying to pick his best squad from limited resources and overall in his two spells in charge to date i think hes done a good job.