Antrim Football Thread

[antrimman667]

A good start to the Div.1 leagues with fairly tight games and unpredictable results.
PG1 started well as they do every year, will they run out of road again though. Creggan and Cargin stuttering with players to come back. Ahoghil and Moneyglass going well and should stay up based on early evidence so far. Hearing good things from Aghagallon with young players coming in and stepping up. LD havent been great but were late out training I hear so will improve and I think they'll be dark horses come championship. St.Brigids seem to be in a mess after 3 hammerings, what's going on there?, maybe should focus on their young lads instead of transfers from Lavey?. Rossa, Galls and Jonnies have been indifferent so far but will improve, I think you'll see St.Galls make strides this year and will surprise a lot of people, again they have nurtured some good young players who should start to come through.

Div.2 has the usual suspects starting well. Ballymena and Glenravel will be hard to stop this year. I'd have expected Ardoyne and St.Pauls to have started better. St.Pauls should get stronger in the next 2 or 3 years with great underage work. I think Gorts will be hard to stop also in Div.2.

And going by the Saffron Gael report, Glenravel missing 4/5 from the county final team of last year.

Yes indeed. They are another club who are nurturing young talent. Great to see.

Reading Martin McCarry still involved, great servant

[realisticsaff]

Was wondering how the heck LD could beat Cargin on their showing against us.

There is a new order in Antrim Club football, PG1 are top dogs

Antrim football is in an interesting place at the moment. What would you consider the current pecking order? For me come championship it would be:
1.   Cargin
2.   Creggan
3.   Aghagallon
4.   Portglenone
5.   St Endas
6.   Lamh Dhearg
7.   St Johns
8.   St Brigids
9.   St Galls
10.   Ahoghill
11.   Moneyglass
12.   Tir Na Nog

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Cargin and Creggan are still very much the teams to beat.

Rossa?
St Endas 5th lol as the saying goes opinions are like arseholes

[geezer]

1. Cargin
2. Creggan
3. Aghagallon
4. PG1
5. LD
6. St johns
7. St galls
8. Rossa
9. St brigids
10. Ahoghill
11. St endas
12. TNN
13. Moneyglass

St Endas the most overrated team in the county. They are spineless in the big games.

[Truth hurts]

Top dogs until they hit that mental block against the Moira men 😎😎

I didn't know Moira players played in Antrim, Aghagallon I take it? A big blow to  St Michael's Magheralin.

[InnocentByStander]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it. 

[Cnoc Bán]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it.

I take it you have bought your whistle and are stepping forward to help with this dire situation....

[realisticsaff]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it.

I take it you have bought your whistle and are stepping forward to help with this dire situation....

Or hes right and this response is petty

[Would ye whist]

Without naming names what performances this year have got your goat?

Also young referees are coming through and have left Ulster etc due to being blocked within Antrim by being told they are not good enough for anything above Div 3, young Eastwood went to Aus and gave up on teh reffing over her due to this

[InnocentByStander]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it.

I take it you have bought your whistle and are stepping forward to help with this dire situation....

Im far too old now to grab the whistle.

But hear me out, becoming a referee in todays game is huge ask, many people shy away due to the abuse they get.
Maybe a board to improve overall performance would quieten down the abuse from the side-lines and make it a much more appealing job to take on.

[Cnoc Bán]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it.

I take it you have bought your whistle and are stepping forward to help with this dire situation....

Or hes right and this response is petty

Or maybe it is very easy to sit on sidelines and gurn about things as opposed to doing something about it.

Refereeing is a thankless job and fair play to anyone who steps forward and does it.

Maybe they need help rather than finger pointing.

Not saying they should go unchecked and agree with the point about having an advisory board but that last comment was unfair.

How can young referees improve without support and experience?

It is the same in any aspect of life, younger people are going to be less experienced but they need support and guidance to improve not just people saying that they are all useless.

If people have an issue, they don't need to necessarily get out and referee but they could offer assistance in many other ways if they want things to improve.

[InnocentByStander]

When is it time to talk about the standard of refereeing in this county?
It is far below any in Ulster, is it any wonder we don't have a referee at the top senior county level.
Sean Laverty gets the odd sideline or fourth official job, but never the main man.

There should be an independent advisor board to review the performances of our refs.
This pushing of young refs into big matches is a waste of time as they are not ready for it.

I take it you have bought your whistle and are stepping forward to help with this dire situation....

Or hes right and this response is petty

Or maybe it is very easy to sit on sidelines and gurn about things as opposed to doing something about it.

Refereeing is a thankless job and fair play to anyone who steps forward and does it.

Maybe they need help rather than finger pointing.

Not saying they should go unchecked and agree with the point about having an advisory board but that last comment was unfair.

How can young referees improve without support and experience?

It is the same in any aspect of life, younger people are going to be less experienced but they need support and guidance to improve not just people saying that they are all useless.

If people have an issue, they don't need to necessarily get out and referee but they could offer assistance in many other ways if they want things to improve.

Exactly what I'm saying a board to review and advise, no pointing fingers.

Yes exactly but throwing them into the deep end e.g. the senior championship final is not the right way to gain experience.
As a neutral watching that final the young man in the middle was out of his depth, let him gain experience and put them in when they are ready. 

[realisticsaff]

Without naming names what performances this year have got your goat?

Also young referees are coming through and have left Ulster etc due to being blocked within Antrim by being told they are not good enough for anything above Div 3, young Eastwood went to Aus and gave up on teh reffing over her due to this

Unfortunately like anything there is a click who always get the big games within our county even though they aren't better than the younger refs which would obvs make them give it up.

[Would ye whist]

You're in bother when MR2 reads this 

Without naming names what performances this year have got your goat?

Also young referees are coming through and have left Ulster etc due to being blocked within Antrim by being told they are not good enough for anything above Div 3, young Eastwood went to Aus and gave up on teh reffing over her due to this

Unfortunately like anything there is a click who always get the big games within our county even though they aren't better than the younger refs which would obvs make them give it up.

[realisticsaff]

You're in bother when MR2 reads this 

Without naming names what performances this year have got your goat?

Also young referees are coming through and have left Ulster etc due to being blocked within Antrim by being told they are not good enough for anything above Div 3, young Eastwood went to Aus and gave up on teh reffing over her due to this

Unfortunately like anything there is a click who always get the big games within our county even though they aren't better than the younger refs which would obvs make them give it up.

Am I right or wrong? Maybe they want to go constantly with the safe pair of hands but as Barnish says how will we ever know if the younger refs are good enough if they told they arent good enough?

[EOC1923]

Agree would be good to see some of the younger refs encouraged and pushed on to the forefront. Seems the same faces the last 5-6 years refereeing the bigger games.