Messages

If you play the football on it's own you'll not get a big crowd so it's really the only way to showpiece the football I think.

Personally I like the two finals on the one day.

The BBC , like is said in other threads, are a disgrace when it comes to GAA coverage. I was disappointed it wasn't on the TG4 show last night as, no harm, it would certainly have been better to watch than for example a sligo football final!

Barney has always been a loose ball player more than a man marker in my opinion so based on that he shouldn't have been detailed to mark Elliot but the other corner forward I thought. He was moved off Elliot in the second half.

Incidentally someone mentioned about Dick taking him out with a shoulder. IMO that was a shoulder in the back and should have been a free out. That passage of play led to Dunloy's goal. They still would have won like but I thought it was a free out.

Cargin are realistically the only team with players to beat St Galls alright so I couldn't see St Galls doing a Crossmaglen. In Crozier, Tomas McCann and a few other young boys they have a good solid base of young players. If they have their attitude right then on a goo day they're capable of beating St Galls but to me the key point is if they have their attitude right.

Ciaran McGourty played county a few years ago. Don't think he got a call last year because he would only have been a sub in St Galls all ireland run if I'm right?

Not sure I agree with you Glensman in Portglenone having the chances to be level at half time. It looked like they weren't even going to score for a while.

I think my statement about Portglenone being 2nd best in the county was wrong - they'd be third with Cargin second. They beat all other takers for third place though unless Creggan could be considered third best but sure look at what St Galls did to them. Realistically it's St Galls, Cargin and then everyone else a mile behind them. It's little wonder division 1 teams are looking to go into the intermediate.

Sorry Ruairi - probably not giving you boys the credit you deserve there...

The first final against Cushendall maybe they didn't deserve to win but the second they switched off although great comeback by Cushendall. The two finals against Cushendall were really the only two they were close in.

They'd two minors in their forward line yesterday who I'd say will turn out to be very good but would need a year or two yet before they're at that level so I'd say you're right about the age thing. I'd definitely say 2 to 3 years before a title based on yesterday but they may surprise us.

You can say what you like about their supporters but you wouldn't wish losing 5 in a row on anyone.

Dunloy - Ballycran seems to be on this Sunday. I'd expect Dunloy to beat everything in Ulster handy enough now. People talk about Dungiven but unless they're improved a lot since last year where they battered their way to a draw with Cushendall I'd expect Dunloy to beat them handy enough.

Gees that was a brutal match.

St Galls are an excellent team and Portglenone were a million miles of them but they were in the final for a reason and to be honest are very probably the second best club in the county.

St Galls could take off a load of better players at the end and still win at their leisure.

They will need to improve to win Ulster and will perhaps be worried by their lack of tight games. However that is a quality side and if you consider Aodhan Gallagher didn't start and neither did Kevin McGourty there'll be more to come from them.

I was surprised McLean got man of the match as I thought Storey did reasonably well on him when he came on. I thought Kieran McGourty would have merited it.

Fair play to Dunloy they were a much better team and if it weren't for Watson they'd have won by a lot more. They were by far a more physical team and they had a better spread of forwards.

Loughgiel should have won the final last year and the year before. Mentally I think they lost these but yesterday they were beaten by a much better team.

Only Johnny Campbell, Eddie McCloskey and Liam Watson were up for the job and to a slightly lesser extent the full back McGarry. They were out hurled and out muscled everywhere else. Where they go from here I don't know but on that performance I'm not sure they have a county title in that bunch of players.

Ah, no silage to cut or ewes to rear, that explains it...

I would attribute part of their success to their pick as well though.

St Pats Maghera has basically the whole of south derry plus more to be honest as you see dungiven and banagher boys at that school so in essence it has players from every hurling club in derry.

CBS probably has the pick of the Belfast clubs. There is La Salle and a few others that get small numbers of players.

Garron Tower really only has Cushendall ,and just for you Balboa, and Glenariff as hurling strongholds. You could argue small picks of Cushendun / Ballycastle. Cross and Passion would have Ballycastle and some of Loughgiel - though I've never heard of too many Dunloy boys there. St Louis should have Dunloy and Loughgiel and a few Cushendall ones. In each of those three schools you can see a split between clubs which you can't see anywhere near as much of in South Derry or Belfast.

However even so you would have expected more from the Belfast clubs with their schools success.

Developing talent at schools is important.

However for all St Mary's success from the late 90s / early 2000s it doesn't appear to have progressed Belfast hurling as much as you would have thought it would.

There's a junior semi too.

I recall talking to a boy who played in it for northbrook the other year and the team they played was a Cork team who had Johnny Crowley, I think, and a Cork boy Cronin playing for them. Seems like a different standard down there!

Looks like Antrim are going to make an application to play in the munster shc.

Liam Richmond is one that's hard to mark too though I think he may have slowed a bit with that back injury.

Does Eoin McCloskey still play at all for Loughgiel? They would strike me as not having any wise old heads. I assume that's Eddie in midfield? It's a big position for one so young but he seems to have plenty of ability. The other McCloskey is very young for a big day too but he seems useful.

I'm looking forward to this game. I'm not too bothered who wins it but you will see people going mental in the stands given the rivalry between the two - plus having sat beside Loughgiel people on the last few final days their nerves are generally pretty bad no matter who they play but playing Dunloy will multiply them by a few times. I wish I could say I was looking forward to the football but seems a foregone conclusion.

It should be an interesting game and I'm looking forward to it much more than the football I have to say.

Dick O'Kane v Johnny Campbell should be a good battle though I think Dick might have a wee bit too much guile for them.

Who will mark Liam Richmond - Loughgiels full back is a bit young maybe...

Then on the other end you have Joey Scullion, Watson and the other fella who scored big in the semi - Laverty was it? - to be marked. I imagine Mullan will get Watson as discussed bu am not too sure on the other two.

Midfield should be interesting too.

Dunloy by 3...

this made me so hard.

?

In the, 2002 I think, world cup turkey played brazil and rivaldo was at the corner flag waiting on the ball. A turkey player drove it at him and it hit him about the knees somewhere. Rivaldo went down holding his face. Nothing was done about it at all!!

Dida was an embarassment. I'd be interested to read Milan's team news at the weekend to see if he's available. He undoubtedly will be!!