Antrim v Cork 25th July 2010

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Well, just back. First point is that we held our own until the goal and it would have made the second half a bit more interesting. But, given that it is Dinny's first year back, we have so many positives to build on. Catching, pucking, tackling, determination and scoring ability have all been impressive this year - 19 points v Cork is no mean feat. While we never raised a sweat among the fans, the fact is that Cork were in 2nd gear - but we never let them play the expressive hurling that they are capable of so credit to Antrim. Watson and McManus stood out and they could walk on to any team in Ireland on their day. How we make that second leap in class will be hard to work out although we proved that potentially we are in the top 8 teams in Ireland. A few new players blooded over the league will help. One point I would make is that the crowd today was very, very poor. There were very few Cork fans and I thought that Antrim could have brought a few more. It would have been ridiculous to have opened the Hill as the lower decks of the stands were not troubled capacity-wise. The attendance is perhaps a poor reflection on the championship - or perhaps the reality of the recession is biting. We are going in the right direction. If Antrim were not playing today, the games would have been kept in Munster. PS - saw that 'CARK' Langer with the Mexican hat outside Gill's pub and was never as tempted to stike my boot up someone's hole in my life.

[Trout]

Watson, no matter what people think of him had a fine game and was the one forward that carried a threat. Actually thought McManus made a minimal impact, his freetaking was excellent though.

[Kerry Mike]

Cadogan seems to attract trouble ?. What is it about him ?

Paul Galvin and himself are good buddies 

[Reillers]

Cork played the game in barely first gear, a lot of mistakes made, on both sides. Fair play to Antrim though. They've a lot of heart and will hopefully keep going at it, and improving as they have been.

Nothing major that you could take from the game to be honest.
Eoin Cadogan's head seems to attract trouble. They seemed obsessed with it. Watson was lucky not to see red early on. You could hear Donal Og, haha, "you saw that, please tell me you saw that, you have to have seen that"..or something like that. Haha.
Good result, not a great performance. A lot more (words don't describe how much of an understament that is) will be needed on the next day out..our best performance in a long time and a prayer. Ah sure..ya..we'll give it a prayer or two.

Heart says Cork..Head says Kilkenny. On the form that we're on, if we get all the players back from injury, Shane O Neill especially, our backs/mids can very well hold Kilkenny to a beatable score, we'll just need all our forwards to play a blinder and put in a mighty shift.

Both the "twin towers" were taken off, Aisake is unreliable at the best of times and the same goes for his other half. Maybe it's time Walsh had a rethink. I mean what can he do, take a chance on Horgan? Take a chance on Egan? Walsh doesn't seem much of a gambling man to me.

So, what we need to do is simple enough, (in theory) we need to pick our forward line as best as possible, where, and especially in the HF line, we put players that can break down this smother and suffocate defense that has totally dominated for the last 4 years..simple haha.
I gues first you start with players that can win their own ball and than..oh wait..even with the two giants we still can't do it. 
We need speed, we need physicality..we need a feckin miracle.

What we do have in this team is an almost, unbreakable unity and heart and desire and as long as that is there we have a chance, as long as we are Cork, we have a chance. That pride and passion and will to want to prove everyone wrong, everyone who ever spoke against us and wished against us, and wrote us off, the desire to prove them wrong..and that overwhelming desperate want to beat Kilkenny might just might, give us hope. We are outsiders, no question about that. But we are always Cork, and that gives us a chance.

It'll be interesting though, on a side note, to see who resides to what "dirty" tactics first. Kilkenny are famous for it, and it seems that the only way to beat them, is to join them.

[the colonel]

I think there was plenty of people who had Antrim plus 9 and was hoping Neil was gonna put it over. I'll be having words with him..

[Reillers]

I think there was plenty of people who had Antrim plus 9 and was hoping Neil was gonna put it over. I'll be having words with him..

What are the odds do ya think, on a Waterford Cork final? Surely there's a bit of money to be put on that.

[GroverJr]

Agree with RealSpirit - Antrim should focus on League next year. Dinny says he's not bothered with league - but realistically we wont win Leinster or an All Ireland. We could win Div 2 - a tough ask with Clare and Limerick in it next year - but it's still not out of all possibility. Div 1 hurling would bring the team on.
Still was a great championship for us - great against Offaly, Carlow, Down and Dublin. We gave account of ourselves today, probably needed a bit of luck around the goal-mouth to be in with a shout at the end. Management and players deserve credit.

[nrico2006]

At the game, we showed good potential to keep it to a 3 point game, thought Corks goal was soft but it really rattled our boys. Thought we were exposed a bit at corner back L and R, and the lack of an out and out FFwd hurt us to. I hear Watsons in trouble for his rumble with Cadogan at the start. That gypsy Gardiner did the  job in getting him sent off but he does himself no favours. Before the throw in all the cork ones round me were were talking about the good posibility of him doing something nuts. They had a lot of respect though for the standard of our hurling for the most part which is a sea change from our last meeting.
Well done Dinny and the boys.

What Watson did was wrong but then again on seeing the replay (camera looking in front of Cadogan and Watson) its clear that Cadogan struck first.  Gardiner seemed to be the aggressor in the second incident.

[orangeman]

Cork played the game in barely first gear, a lot of mistakes made, on both sides. Fair play to Antrim though. They've a lot of heart and will hopefully keep going at it, and improving as they have been.

Nothing major that you could take from the game to be honest.
Eoin Cadogan's head seems to attract trouble. They seemed obsessed with it. Watson was lucky not to see red early on. You could hear Donal Og, haha, "you saw that, please tell me you saw that, you have to have seen that"..or something like that. Haha.
Good result, not a great performance. A lot more (words don't describe how much of an understament that is) will be needed on the next day out..our best performance in a long time and a prayer. Ah sure..ya..we'll give it a prayer or two.

Heart says Cork..Head says Kilkenny. On the form that we're on, if we get all the players back from injury, Shane O Neill especially, our backs/mids can very well hold Kilkenny to a beatable score, we'll just need all our forwards to play a blinder and put in a mighty shift.

Both the "twin towers" were taken off, Aisake is unreliable at the best of times and the same goes for his other half. Maybe it's time Walsh had a rethink. I mean what can he do, take a chance on Horgan? Take a chance on Egan? Walsh doesn't seem much of a gambling man to me.

So, what we need to do is simple enough, (in theory) we need to pick our forward line as best as possible, where, and especially in the HF line, we put players that can break down this smother and suffocate defense that has totally dominated for the last 4 years..simple haha.
I gues first you start with players that can win their own ball and than..oh wait..even with the two giants we still can't do it. 
We need speed, we need physicality..we need a feckin miracle.

What we do have in this team is an almost, unbreakable unity and heart and desire and as long as that is there we have a chance, as long as we are Cork, we have a chance. That pride and passion and will to want to prove everyone wrong, everyone who ever spoke against us and wished against us, and wrote us off, the desire to prove them wrong..and that overwhelming desperate want to beat Kilkenny might just might, give us hope. We are outsiders, no question about that. But we are always Cork, and that gives us a chance.

It'll be interesting though, on a side note, to see who resides to what "dirty" tactics first. Kilkenny are famous for it, and it seems that the only way to beat them, is to join them.

[/b]

I knew Cadogan had to be in there for some reason. 

[Applesisapples]

If Cork play like that against Kilkenny they'll be trounced. Watson was a fool, and Gardiner saw him coming.

[NAG1]

He was slightly foolish but in fairness I think if he knew he was going to get the line anyway, he might have set Gardiner back a step or two, which I would have had no complaints about.

[bottlethrower7]

It'll be interesting though, on a side note, to see who resides to what "dirty" tactics first. Kilkenny are famous for it, and it seems that the only way to beat them, is to join them.

did you do honours English for the leaving?

[NAG1]

No - trying to focus on the keyboard without it spinning around with the rest of the room, so forgive the slightly convoluted sentence 

[orangeman]

It didn't look to me Cork played the game in first gear yesterday.


If that is the case, KK are in big trouble once Cork get into 6th gear.

[heffo]

You could hear Donal Og, haha, "you saw that, please tell me you saw that, you have to have seen that"..or something like that. Haha.

Did Donal make the same enquiries the previous week when Aisike allegedly threw the head on Liam Lawlor?