Antrim Football Thread

Started by theskull1, November 09, 2006, 11:48:40 PM

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imtommygunn

There are a few phds in it. How have we got so far behind. How do we start competing etc etc.

Anyway season of good will. Next year is going to be our year  ;D I do think this second tier championship could be a help to us and I would be , cautiously, optimistic about mcginley.

marty34

Quote from: hardstation on December 23, 2020, 10:09:13 PM
Quote from: imtommygunn on December 23, 2020, 09:56:47 PM
While an Antrim team was in it were they really competing? We're they not taking hammering?

You have a point but it wouldn't do any harm.
Probably a mixed bag over the years but as I said even an Antrim school winning the damn thing wasn't enough to stop us losing our next 14 championship matches in a row.

I agree that it wouldn't do any harm. How we get to that point is anyone's guess. There is a cart before the horse message somewhere in this I reckon.

It definately should be looked at - in terms of what happened and why, but more importantly, how can it be rectified?

Probably not on Gaelfest's agenda but with all that work going on at underage etc., it is the next on the agenda.

No point having all this work completed and then not pushing on by feeding it through a/the secondary schools.

In reality, there should be a Belfast school in the 'A' football competition in Ulster.

Are any of the schools playing A competition football in the earlier years?

Belfast GAA man

i Know Ive askd this before but is there a Gaelfast plan we can see? 2020 has been a crXp year overall but a good year for planning. The main reason I ask is surely you cant just increase primary school numbers and stay as is at secondary school mccrory cup level in terms of coaches and organisatIon

Milltown Row2

Quote from: hardstation on December 23, 2020, 09:17:15 PM
Seriously, yeah. I don't think it would make a blind bit of difference to our senior county setup. An Antrim school competed for years in the MacRory Cup and we were still shite. Indeed, the last time an Antrim school won the MacRory Cup, it was another 15 campaigns before we won an Ulster championship match.
We have been the whipping boys for the best part of 50 years, with & without our schools competing at the top level of colleges football. So, while it would be nice to have, our problem is most certainly elsewhere IMO.

So is that a yes, you have seen the difference between second tier and top tier college football?

It's not Conal Heatly's year, 86? Can't remember year, but the standard from that team to now is night and day, our best footballers at university level struggle to make first teams.

We need a college team that's able to compete. Your view is slightly different. My view is the best colleges in hurling and football in Ireland generate better teams at senior (usually, there may be some exceptions)
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

JimStynes

It's a mixture of everything! Increasing participation, being more competitive at underage county level, getting the schools playing at a higher level, getting a proper S&C faculty and structure in place for the elite players from 16+ And list goes on and on. These are deeper rooted problems that'll take years to fix.

I think the schools problem starts much earlier than the McCrory level age group.  I have taught in primary schools in Antrim, Armagh and Down. By far the more disorganised was Antrim. There was a lack of games and a lack of structure. The primary school competitions in the Armagh league are superb and they have really got their act together with this over the last few years. There are towns in Antrim with big catholic populations and they don't have primary school gaelic teams. Hopefully gaelfast is going to solve this but I wouldn't hold my breath. As I said these are deep rooted issues with no culture of Gaelic games in these places. People say Antrim has a massive advantage with population as well. But half the population is Protestant, north Antrim doesn't play football and a large proportion of the leftovers don't even know what GAA is.

Milltown Row2

Derry Down while not the power houses of yesterday are still a grade or two above us regardless of where they are in the league, Down played in an All Ireland final Not that long in the memory and Derry have won or played in plenty underage finals, we can't win a flipping match in Ulster!

If you don't see it as a positive steppingstone that's fine, a lot of effort from Gaelfast has went into coaching student teachers, giving them the tools to bring through kids from school age (primary, through to secondary)

There may not be any direct links to show improved players at county level, The McCanns though for me would be your stand out players at county, I think both played A level football. Few of the Agnahgallon lads have showed promise also.

I can't remember Belfast producing teams since that St Marys team, would love to see that team sheet interestingly enough, probably only had 1 or 2 players that went on lol

I personally feel that if Antrim want to produce players every year, they need better representation at college level, this drives numbers, interest, S&C , and work ethic which sometimes we lack.

If you look at the hurling in schools, and yes we get dicked every semifinal against those Kilkenny/Clare or Galway schools, but we end up producing good hurlers that go on and play county hurling, St Marys put a tremendous effort in over the years, maybe not produced the best teams lately, but I always remembered lads saying what the school had them doing for training, serious effort and commitment.

I'm not arguing you're wrong HS, and I'm not saying that it will turn us overnight, nothing will, but currently we have to do something, because whatever we are doing now has us in div4 forever
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

Milltown Row2

I'm not Bannside nor do I have his optimism For all things football, but we need some push, and hopefully Gaelfast will bear fruit.

I think the money allocated and timeframe needs bettered tbh, as this looks a far bigger job than what was thought. Clubs need to reconnect with their closest estates, schools and youth clubs.

It's strange but in my day we had smaller numbers, but better participation. Now we have larger numbers at juvenile but many teams are not fielding !! Work that one out?
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

imtommygunn

#20077
Loughrey and niblock did get third level though. They were sigerson players.

. Derry are a funny one. I just think their senior setup has been very poor for years. The standard of down player is not what it was.

Also competition from hurling is something high most of the others don't have(Maghera notable exception).

Like you say so many more layers to it than just schools but it wouldn't hurt.

imtommygunn

Yeah I know that but I do think it helps. The likes of Kelly or niblock, and a few others, just had great ability with or without McRory. A factory line of McRory players would produce more third level players you would think.

Gold

Quote from: imtommygunn on December 24, 2020, 12:34:00 PM
Yeah I know that but I do think it helps. The likes of Kelly or niblock, and a few others, just had great ability with or without McRory. A factory line of McRory players would produce more third level players you would think.

Mate of mine told me there were 90 fellas in his sons year trying to make the 1st year football squad at St Colmans Newry

Some difference from our schools id say

"Cheeky Charlie McKenna..."

JimStynes

Playing McCrory also gives players a bigger profile and more opportunity to play high level in the Universities.

imtommygunn

Yeah when you land up to queens or wherever there are a lot of people trying to make an impression and it's tough. I was from a year where county minors got to the Ulster final and one player from Antrim made a freshers team (in Belfast) that year - Kevin Brady. He was overage for that minor team too. (Incidentally he had played McRory).

It has been shown it can be done but I expect it's tougher.

Belfast GAA man

Im hearing the Gaelfast chief Has been relieved of his duties - anybody hear why?

Saffrongael

Quote from: Belfast GAA man on December 27, 2020, 07:22:27 PM
Im hearing the Gaelfast chief Has been relieved of his duties - anybody hear why?

By Croke Park ?
Let no-one say the best hurlers belong to the past. They are with us now, and better yet to come

Belfast GAA man