Antrim yaps- under 21 hurling final

[Sidney]

They shouldn't have been in it. The under-21 system needs changing - Galway and Antrim should be in Leinster. Clare could have won by 40 if they'd really wanted, which they didn't.

Ha!

Didn't Antrim beat the pick of Leinster?

Fair play to them, but let's see how they do in Leinster, rather than catching a team on the hop.

Were Antrim even in the top, say, eight under-21 teams this year? Really?

[Sidney]

If a team can't come out of Leinster and beat Antrim, they have no hope of giving Clare a game.

Clare would have beaten Wexford by a similar score.

They would likely have beaten them by double figures alright but I don't believe it would have have turned into what was effectively a training session for Clare, who were clearly taking it easy on Antrim from a long way out.

[Sidney]

Wexford beat Kilkenny in extra-time a great Leinster final but clearly didn't take Antrim seriously and they paid the price.

As I said, fair play to Antrim for winning that match but tradition matters and Antrim are only any use when there's no expectation on them. Antrim just weren't on the same planet, never mind in the same league, as Clare.

There's no way a Kilkenny team would have allowed that to happen today.

[CitySlicker11]

Kevin Ryan from Mount Sion was Antrim manager and selectors were Neil McManus from Cushendall and Barry McFall from St Johns.

[Orchardman]

If a team can't come out of Leinster and beat Antrim, they have no hope of giving Clare a game.

Clare would have beaten Wexford by a similar score.

sometimes teams get caught on the hop, it happens. You can't seriously think that one of the proper hurling counties like wexford would have suffered anything more than a 10-12 point beating yesterday? Antrim were a disgrace and yes it is a farce that galway are also straight into an all Ireland semi final. But the difference is galway are usually good enough to win their semi final or even final now and again. 18 points by half time tells the story

[Milltown Row2]

They shouldn't have been in it. The under-21 system needs changing - Galway and Antrim should be in Leinster. Clare could have won by 40 if they'd really wanted, which they didn't.

Ha!

Didn't Antrim beat the pick of Leinster?

Fair play to them, but let's see how they do in Leinster, rather than catching a team on the hop.

Were Antrim even in the top, say, eight under-21 teams this year? Really?

So Croke should and they probably will this year and change the format (like that have done already)to make sure Antrim never get a chance again to reach an All Ireland final. 

Very difficult in hurling to catch a team on the hop, if you're a decent team there is enough time to get back into it. Wexford were the pick of  Leinster, did they catch the teams they played on the hop?

[Kidder81]

Some people saying Clare are excellent u-21 team, and they obviously are, to explain them hammering Antrim yesterday but they only beat Waterford by 4 and Tipp by something similar in Munster.

Antrim were badly out of their depth yesterday.

[imtommygunn]

Orchardman antrim were a disgrace?? That comment is a disgrace. Do you know anything about hurling?

There have been years where all ireland finals in any code have turned into hammerings. Waterford kilkenny hurling and mayo kerry football being prime examples.

You beat what is in front of you. Antrim did and clare did.

U21 is a funny grade too. Tipp hockeyed galway too the other year. So what munster was stronger than the rest of ireland. What should they have done - just played munster?

Antrim beat wexford and deserved to be there and i don't buy this on the hop nonsense. That clare team would beat most senior teams and are at a stage in time where they are at their absolute peak with senior prep. Wexford would have suffered the same fate.

[Kidder81]

Orchardman antrim were a disgrace?? That comment is a disgrace. Do you know anything about hurling?

There have been years where all ireland finals in any code have turned into hammerings. Waterford kilkenny hurling and mayo kerry football being prime examples.

You beat what is in front of you. Antrim did and clare did.

U21 is a funny grade too. Tipp hockeyed galway too the other year. So what munster was stronger than the rest of ireland. What should they have done - just played munster?

Antrim beat wexford and deserved to be there and i don't buy this on the hop nonsense. That clare team would beat most senior teams and are at a stage in time where they are at their absolute peak with senior prep. Wexford would have suffered the same fate.

Ridiculous remark.

[imtommygunn]

Orchardman antrim were a disgrace?? That comment is a disgrace. Do you know anything about hurling?

There have been years where all ireland finals in any code have turned into hammerings. Waterford kilkenny hurling and mayo kerry football being prime examples.

You beat what is in front of you. Antrim did and clare did.

U21 is a funny grade too. Tipp hockeyed galway too the other year. So what munster was stronger than the rest of ireland. What should they have done - just played munster?

Antrim beat wexford and deserved to be there and i don't buy this on the hop nonsense. That clare team would beat most senior teams and are at a stage in time where they are at their absolute peak with senior prep. Wexford would have suffered the same fate.

Ridiculous remark.

How so? 14 of the ai senior finalists panel. Ok maybe most a slight exaggeration but a hell of a lot of senior teams.

[Sidney]

It's pretty simple. The notion that any team should gain automatic entry to an All-Ireland semi-final belongs to the 1950s.

[imtommygunn]

You are basing this on your assertion that antrim caught wexford on the hop.

You do not know this.

Leinster teams hammer ulster teams year on year. Why on this occassion did they not?

It would be different if it were early on in the year and players weren't flat out preparing for things like club championships. Also if it were going to be so easy then wexford would have been preparing for the final.

Antrim beat the leinster champions fair and square and got to the final on merit.

[johnneycool]

It's pretty simple. The notion that any team should gain automatic entry to an All-Ireland semi-final belongs to the 1950s.

Why so now? Did you have this thought when Galway have availed of this opportunity in minor and U-21 let alone senior for years and cleaned up at both minor and U-21 for years?
How about an open draw at U-21? Seed it so that the weaker counties get the chance to play their way up to the better opposition? Won't happen, due to the vested interests of the hurling counties in Munster.

Also Antrim U-21's beat Down by 2 points in Casement, should Down also be in Leinster? What about Derry, Armagh, etc, etc?

I'm sick of these elite hurling cúnts pulling the ladder up after themselves and then coming up with some pish scheme or other to develop hurling in the weaker counties.

As for Antrim catching Wexford on the hop, bullshit, Antrim took a six point lead early on, Wexford had enough time for their 'tradition' to come through, but thanks to a soft decision by the referee where they got a goal out of it near the end made the scoreline a lot closer than it should be.

That is an exceptionally good Clare team for U-21, the only tough game they had was in Waterford, they tanked both Tipp and Galway were hanging on for dear life but finally succumbed to them. We'll hear a lot more about some of these lads in the coming years. There's no shame on Antrim for getting beat in the manner they did.

[Milltown Row2]

It's pretty simple. The notion that any team should gain automatic entry to an All-Ireland semi-final belongs to the 1950s.

So what's your plan? Give losing teams another chance to get to the final? Is this not just a way of making sure teams are not caught on the hop again?

I'm all for change but giving the teams second chances is not one of them, An open draw is the way forward. Once you're out you stay out. With an open draw Antrim could have met all Leinster teams and got to the final only to lose to Clare

[Sidney]

It's pretty simple. The notion that any team should gain automatic entry to an All-Ireland semi-final belongs to the 1950s.

Why so now? Did you have this thought when Galway have availed of this opportunity in minor and U-21 let alone senior for years and cleaned up at both minor and U-21 for years?

Yes.