Antrim Hurling

[the colonel]

From county site

Christopher O Connell

Christopher McGuinness
Cormac Donnelly
Kieran McGourty

Aaron Graffin
Michael Herron
Neal McAuley

Paul Shiels
Kevin Molloy

Simon McCrory
Karl Stewart
Eddie McCloskey

Conor McCann
Darren Hamill
Neil McManus

Ciaran Cunningham
Barry McFall
Thomas McCann
Kevin McKeague
Colm McFall
James Black
Ciaran Herron
Karl McKeegan
Matthew Donnelly
Paddy Doherty
James McCouaig
Joey Scullion

[btdtgtt]

Seamroga I congratulate you on your third pitch - the comparison with urban clubs shouldnt hold anyone else with the opportunity back but that doesnt change that its a massive advantage. That said, the fact the football "failed" is also without coincidence a massive advatage over clubs which promote all our games - rather than just one. With this in mind - maybe Shamrocks themselves will be frustrated by their championship count. Maybe Shamrocks would admit their tally should be greater than it is?! On a similar note, whats the story with Watson? I hear he has been released from Donegal Celtic?! Is there another operation? Who is paying? I would love to see him in a saffron jersey again soon but I fear for it to be honest...

One other point on schools NAG - St Marys are certainly not a catch all elite of the best players in the city - not one bit! Plenty of the best players from Rossa StJohns Sarsfields etc attend La Salle and Rathmore! More so than ever! All schools are a collection from different clubs regardless of geography.

Also - what do you guys think the attendance will be like at Casement? I wonder where the patrons attending both games will largely come from?! Ach only a jibe! Anyway do you guys think we'll get a big turn out for either game or both?
I think our hurlers should win handy anyway.

[NAG1]

Seamroga I congratulate you on your third pitch - the comparison with urban clubs shouldnt hold anyone else with the opportunity back but that doesnt change that its a massive advantage. That said, the fact the football "failed" is also without coincidence a massive advatage over clubs which promote all our games - rather than just one. With this in mind - maybe Shamrocks themselves will be frustrated by their championship count. Maybe Shamrocks would admit their tally should be greater than it is?! On a similar note, whats the story with Watson? I hear he has been released from Donegal Celtic?! Is there another operation? Who is paying? I would love to see him in a saffron jersey again soon but I fear for it to be honest...

One other point on schools NAG - St Marys are certainly not a catch all elite of the best players in the city - not one bit! Plenty of the best players from Rossa StJohns Sarsfields etc attend La Salle and Rathmore! More so than ever! All schools are a collection from different clubs regardless of geography.

Also - what do you guys think the attendance will be like at Casement? I wonder where the patrons attending both games will largely come from?! Ach only a jibe! Anyway do you guys think we'll get a big turn out for either game or both?
I think our hurlers should win handy anyway.

Havent heard who is paying but you can rest assured it will not be DC.

Also btdtgtt, I never mentioned St Marys in any of my posts?

[Seamroga in exile]

I don't really know where you're going with this. Wouldn't every club want to have won more championships? You could also apply your logic to Ballycastle, Cushendall and Cargin. Should they not also have won many more championships?  Also what  I gather from your posts is that you believe it's the same players playing both codes. That's simply not the case. There are some dual players of course, they're the exception not the norm.

[NAG1]

Seamroga I think his point is pretty clear.

A single code club like LG or Cargan should be dominating their chosen code, as they do not have the distraction of having to work around the dual clubs fixtures etc Therefore yes they theoretically should have more championship wins than an equivalent dual club.

You look at most dual clubs and they will have a core or players playing in both.

[Milltown Row2]

Seamroga I think his point is pretty clear.

A single code club like LG or Cargan should be dominating their chosen code, as they do not have the distraction of having to work around the dual clubs fixtures etc Therefore yes they theoretically should have more championship wins than an equivalent dual club.

You look at most dual clubs and they will have a core or players playing in both.

The year we won the All Ireland Senior and lost the Intermedaite final we had 9 players who were on the senior team and the rest all played reserve football!!

[theskull1]

Glastonbury 

[NAG1]

+1

[Seamroga in exile]

Seamroga I think his point is pretty clear.

A single code club like LG or Cargan should be dominating their chosen code, as they do not have the distraction of having to work around the dual clubs fixtures etc Therefore yes they theoretically should have more championship wins than an equivalent dual club.

You look at most dual clubs and they will have a core or players playing in both.

Like Cushendall as well, let's not leave our friends over the hill out. 

I still think that numbers has a lot to do with it. Probably not so much now but I believe years ago when the likes of Rossa and the Johnnies were winning championships consistently they'd have had a larger group of players to choose from than say LG, CD or BC.

Whatever, I can't see a football team running out from Loughguile any time soon. If there's no interest, there's no interest. Personally, I'd like to see it. Maybe I'll share the idea next opportunity I get. Even if the idea is passed and we get a team gathered up, we've got no one to coach it properly. I mean, we don't want to be accused of bringing in coaches from other clubs. Heaven forbid!

[BlackandAmber]

Guys the issue of parishes and population surely is straightwforward? I have no doubt the rural clubs in Antrim (certainly Loughuile) enjoy much greater numbers to chose from.

I mean look at the Falls Rd - there is roughly a dozen clubs all of which play two codes (and other issues) - compared to say Loughuile, one club and one code! Come on Seamroga etc - you cannot dispute the slant here!

The oul line of "the whole city to chose from" is way off the mark also! Players generally come from West Belfast and are divided through a huge number (perhaps too many) clubs.

And thats before we even look at land availaility. Loughuile have two pitches to divide amongst their hurlers - look at St Pauls Sarsfields Rossa StJohns etc with both codes across every age group trying to share one pitch!

Also, if Loughuile are concerned about not having the opportunity to win football championships maybe they should start a team - I think not! The reality is that it is to the detriment of hurling and Belfast clubs have proved this in an attempt to be a complete GAA club. Credit Ballycastle & Dunloy for being dual clubs altho perhaps one major and minor code. Clooney Gaels another example deserving credit.

Now I concede there are many other factors in determining success but surely no right thinking Gael could suggest that rural clubs like Loughuile etc dont have a major advantage ingrained in this regard.

I don't think it's as clear cut as you think.  I wouldn't have thought there would be much more than 3000 people within the boundary of loughgiel parish, if even that. I don't know if there's more than that or not in the city parishes but I would think there is.

Does your ideology apply to Cargin as well? Football is the only game there I believe. I don't think anyone suggested that Loughgiel were concerned with football at all. In fact there was a junior football club formed a few years back, early eighties I think, but fizzled out due to lack of interest.

And if a lack of space is causing clubs in the city to be less successful perhaps it's time a few of them looked at amalgamating like they do down south.   

It's hardly our fault we've got room. By the way, the 2 pitches are going to be 3 in the near future.

You see the city clubs don't have a Patsy to cough up an ould field or three 

[Seamroga in exile]

  There aren't too many Patsy's willing to cough up for nothing though. 

[theskull1]

Whatever, I can't see a football team running out from Loughguile any time soon. If there's no interest, there's no interest. Personally, I'd like to see it. Maybe I'll share the idea next opportunity I get. Even if the idea is passed and we get a team gathered up, we've got no one to coach it properly. I mean, we don't want to be accused of bringing in coaches from other clubs. Heaven forbid!

Are you sure you haven't suggested it already?? (hence the username) 

[Seamroga in exile]

Whatever, I can't see a football team running out from Loughguile any time soon. If there's no interest, there's no interest. Personally, I'd like to see it. Maybe I'll share the idea next opportunity I get. Even if the idea is passed and we get a team gathered up, we've got no one to coach it properly. I mean, we don't want to be accused of bringing in coaches from other clubs. Heaven forbid!

Are you sure you haven't suggested it already?? (hence the username) 

[theskull1]

Outstanding magnanimity HS

[Seamroga in exile]

We've had it happen to us more than once. I'm not going to condone what happened on that day, it was a disgrace. You must remember that we've had players attacked by "supporters" as well,  left needing face reconstruction after minor matches. That too was a disgrace.  But we've moved on from that.  It's time you did as well.