Antrim v Cork 25th July 2010

[Craigyhill Terror]

Minor match now in Crossmaglen at 12 on Saturday

[GroverJr]

The timing doesnt even suit Galway - they have to  come in at 12 and then sit through a very one sided defeat of Cork before their match. Dublin have to go up to newry where there wont be any Antrim supporters anyway . Bad all round.

[Minder]

Read in Irish Examiner that Sean Og didn't even know Antrim were still in the qualifiers and thought they exited with the defeat by Offaly, someone told him in Thurles on Saturday evening they had beaten Dublin earlier in the day. Do these fellas not even realise there are other games on?

[NAG1]

S'Og probably has too much other stuff going on in his head trying to calculate the value of endorsements and the like to worry about who is left the championship.

Antrim are up against it in this one everyone knows it, but tatically they could learn from Waterford in nullifying the Cork attack. Aisake is very one dimensional and I think if Cork insist on throwing high ball into the square I think Hippy would be happy enough, its when he is asked to move around that causes problems for him.

I see the problem probably for Antrim coming from the Cork HBL and Midfield, even Kenny not being in magic form is still a dangerous player as is his partner CN. Antrim have been poor in the HFL all along and we would need a serious turn around in this area even to be competitive in this game.

[Minder]

Was thinking the HFL will be under huge pressure, none of them scored from play against Dublin.

[johnneycool]

S'Og probably has too much other stuff going on in his head trying to calculate the value of endorsements and the like to worry about who is left the championship.

Antrim are up against it in this one everyone knows it, but tatically they could learn from Waterford in nullifying the Cork attack. Aisake is very one dimensional and I think if Cork insist on throwing high ball into the square I think Hippy would be happy enough, its when he is asked to move around that causes problems for him.

I see the probably for Antrim coming from the Cork HBL and Midfield, even Kenny not being in magic form is still a dangerous player as is his partner CN. Antrim have been poor in the HFL all along and we would need a serious turn around in this area even to be competitive in this game.

If you'd have watched the sunday game over recent weeks you'd have got the surprise of your life to see Antrim playing and winning as well. The likes of Antrim, Laois and Carlow are left for the 15 second bits at the end. There's no hurling at all after that.

Curran missing for Cork will be a huge blow as they'll either have to move Gardiner in there or move Kenny back. Curran has been their star to date and is back to his best. The subs brought on for Cork are probably good enough hurlers but shouldn't hold any fear for the Antrim lads.
Antrim should give instructions to the half forwards to get in about them and move the ball on as quick as possible and not to be letting their men run passed them. McManus would have the legs on Gardiner but he'd not be out running Kenny any time soon.

[Milltown Row2]

The half forward line is not great bar mcmanus move winker out there. for me i feel thats his best position. running at the defense feeding of break ball from puck outs. his weakness or fault is he wont lay off a pass as much as he should.  if hes running at them we could cause hassle. looking forward to the game

[ONeill]

Ó hAilpín: On form Cork and Waterford have no chance

Cork are not playing well enough to beat Kilkenny should they meet in this year's All-Ireland semi-final.

That is the considered verdict of injured Cork star Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, who hopes his hamstring injury clears up in time to allow him to play in Croke Park on Sunday against Antrim in the All-Ireland hurling quarter-final.

Ó hAilpín says that Waterford deserved to be considered as contenders for September glory having been victorious in the extra-time thriller, but maintains that Kilkenny are "on a different level" to every other team.

He insists that a repeat of Saturday night's efforts will not be enough for either Waterford or Cork to dethrone All-Ireland hurling champions Kilkenny.

"Waterford are in the All-Ireland semi-finals now and they have to be serious contenders, but from what Cork and Waterford produced last week, and on Saturday night, I can't see either team beating Kilkenny,'' he said.

"The way Kilkenny have put teams away with ease, they're still on a different level to anyone else."

Ó hAilpín has also dismissed criticism of Waterford's "dour" style of play, insisting that he would rather be in the Déise's position as Munster champions and All-Ireland semi-finalists than the one his Cork team finds itself now.

"Waterford made it very difficult for us" he said in his column on joe.ie.

"When teams are attacking them, they flood their half-back line and clog up all the space, so scores were hard to come by.

Kilkenny do that brilliantly — one back and flood the defence — and a lot of counties are copying that.

"Since Davy Fitzgerald took over in Waterford they've become very defence-orientated. Before that, under Justin McCarthy, they'd hurl off the cuff. Fellas might have had free rein to go anywhere.

"Now, Davy has them playing to a structure and if you don't have the ball – midfield, half-backs, half-forwards – you go back and clog up the danger area. One of the best ways to combat that style of play is to take scores from long range but we didn't do that enough on Saturday."

Remarkably, Ó hAilpín admits that he thought Antrim had been knocked out of the qualifiers until being told of their success over Dublin as he arrived in Thurles Saturday evening.

"I didn't even know Antrim were still in the qualifiers. The last time I heard of them they were unlucky to lose against Offaly and I thought that was their involvement in the championship over.

"We were heading into Thurles and someone said Antrim had beaten Dublin by a point. That came as a shock to me. They've beaten a good side because I really rate Dublin. They're in the quarter-finals now, and you can imagine the confidence they'll have."

It will be a reunion of sorts, but old friendships will have to be cast aside for the 70 minutes.

When the smoke clears, Ó hAilpín concedes that Cork should win, regardless of injuries to himself, Jerry O'Connor, Shane O'Neill and Ronan Curran.

"What makes it even more interesting is that a couple of the Antrim back-room boys know us well.

"Jerry Wallace was our physical trainer for six or seven years and he's the physical trainer in Antrim now.

"There's also Bob Thornhill, who would have been a selector with a lot of Cork minor teams, and he's now one of Dinny Cahill's selectors in Antrim.

"We also have a few problems to deal with. Shane O'Neill went off on Saturday with a hamstring injury, Ronan Curran couldn't play in extra-time because he got a bad bang on the thigh, Jerry O'Connor is still nursing a hamstring injury.

"I'm still nursing a hamstring injury. I'd be hopeful enough of playing. I'm on track for it.

"No disrespect to Antrim, but whether we have a full-strength team or we have a few guys from the subs bench coming in, we have to beat Antrim.

"If we don't then we've no business even thinking about winning an All-Ireland."

Meanwhile, Cork face Antrim in the All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park on Sunday with a 2pm throw-in, while the footballers play Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday night with a 7pm throw-in.

Article courtesy of the Evening Echo newspaper.

[Milltown Row2]

What a c**k! As a gaa man whose playing inter county you should have the wit to at least know how the qualifiers work and who you could meet....     
   
numb nuts knew neither! then goes on to say regardless "we should beat them" they should but should never say it

[seafoid]

I see the problem probably for Antrim coming from the Cork HBL and Midfield,

I like that attitude. Many people would say Antrim don't have a hope. Breaking cork down into the bits that work and the bits that don't could be very interesting. And isn't it time to repeat the great exploits of 1989 ?   

[lilpaulie85]

the timing of the game favors antrim is there enough left in some of the cork legs after their last two games. I think cork should have the class to prevail but if antrim go hell for leather for the entire 70 minutes i think cork may well fade over the final quarter and possibly a chance for antrim.

[NAG1]

Think Cork will freshen things up with a few of the u21 members of the panel and hope to get past Antrim on pure quality.

I honestly dont see fitness being a problem for them, infact the two games will have them at championship pace and I think they have another performance in them.

Would love to see Antrim go in with a clear game plan and work their socks off to that plan. Has to be some provision made around the middle third as this is where the game will be decided.

Hoping for a positive Antrim performance and anything after that is a pure bonus.

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Me, me bro and me da, were going to queue at Casement tomorrow night for stand tickets - but we live in hope and will take our place on the Hill as we did on 6th August 1989 - where we watched the older legs of Offaly collapse in the 2nd half against a team in saffron possessed with belief .. Maybe not, but that few pints beforehand and the "optimistic" dander up to the ground beforehand is PRICELESS!!! Roll on Sunday!!!

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Me, me bro and me da, were going to queue at Casement tomorrow night for stand tickets - but we live in hope and will take our place on the Hill as we did on 6th August 1989 - where we watched the older legs of Offaly collapse in the 2nd half against a team in saffron possessed with belief .. Maybe not, but that few pints beforehand and the "optimistic" dander up to the ground beforehand is PRICELESS!!! Roll on Sunday!!!

No you won't.

Closed then is it?

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Me, me bro and me da, were going to queue at Casement tomorrow night for stand tickets - but we live in hope and will take our place on the Hill as we did on 6th August 1989 - where we watched the older legs of Offaly collapse in the 2nd half against a team in saffron possessed with belief .. Maybe not, but that few pints beforehand and the "optimistic" dander up to the ground beforehand is PRICELESS!!! Roll on Sunday!!!

No you won't.

Closed then is it?

Aye.

Shower of Free State Bastards! Just watch it at home then.