Messages

Yea blaney will bring a tough challenge.  Carey should have just enough to get past them.  Bredagh and swatragh is very hard to call.  If there's any advantage to take for either team it's the fact that PJ O'Connell will be back playing on his home turf. He seemed to come to the fore against lisbellaw.   

Screen should win against ECG but like last week against Ballela they might only pull away at the end.   

I missed that about PJ O'Connell not playing for Ahoghill these days. Would have always looked for his name in their team and assumed he was injured or, less likely, retired. Is there a story there (not hunting for one!) or just a case of geography (unlikely), age, family??

Great player at that level and part of that Clooney Gaels/Ahoghill team(s) that deserve a lot of credit.

Tragic news coming out of the Shane O'Neills club this evening. Thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Are you able to expand at all? Have not heard anything. Thanks.

A well known ex player, coach and current club ref was killed in a car crash. One of the best men you could have met, a real gent.

Very sorry to hear that. Thanks for the heads up. A tough time after such a high for them.

Tragic news coming out of the Shane O'Neills club this evening. Thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Are you able to expand at all? Have not heard anything. Thanks.

Five hurlers opting out next year    Two Elliots, Maskey, O'Neill and I assume the fifth is McManus which was obviously a known. That's not good.

Molloy the fifth, not McManus as he was already gone. They just taking a break? Travelling? A shame but has been a long few seasons for them, particularly the Dunloy ones.

It's the poorest standard at intermediate level that I have seen for a while. As things stand, an average Clooney Gaels team, look the pick of the bunch. The Senior championship appears more competitive for the first time in a few years. Dunloy, Cushendall, Rossa/St John's all in with a shout ......Dunloy, obviously favourites.

How many games have you been to ? What are you expecting from the IHC?

Fair question - how many games have you been to as the intermediate has always been the most competitive. Some serious teams left in. Sarsfields look like they are hotting up and have two main men with serious support crew.

Senior does indeed look competitive, which is great.

I see league games for Sunday 24 April are down for 10am. Is that because of the Joe McDonagh match v Down that day? Is it up to the two teams to actually pick a time??

A different ref wouldn't have changed the outcome, but he gave Armagh some very soft frees and very questionable decisions when our lads getting fouled. Plus the over carrying rule only applied to one team.

Couldn't agree more. Very frustrating. Don't think anyone saying that it would have changed the game/result but that really was an example of one rule for one and one for another. I do believe that smaller teams get penalised a bit harder than the bigger ones..."ach sure they're bound to be overcarrying...".
Sweeney's black card incident was a mistimed shoulder and not a trip (in my view)...down the field a few minutes later and Armagh dragged someone (Conor Murray??) down, which is exactly the reason the black card was brought in.

Decent, composed performance in first half...second half might always have been coming. Fairly well trodden view but promotion was the aim. Need to be playing at a higher level more consistently.

The O'Neills of Armagh look good and they just have too much back up on a number of fronts.

So far we've have a pop at The Chairman, Toland and Jarlath O'Donnell..

It's not even midday!

No pop at either of the three parties here

You kinda did with Toland...

Always found Brendan a good referee. Fair and explained things and actually the opposite of making it about him. Also appears to have been involved in a serious number of games this year.

Haven't been on here in a good while and within a 10 minute read I can see why.

Are portglenone going to wait until this player seriously hurts someone before they do anything about him county board need to investigate by all accounts very bad

Who are you talking about?

Not sure why Ryan Murray did not hit that lastvfree. Was in his range and he had been doing well.

We need to move forward more rather than side to side. We have the players to break the line with the two Murrays, KOBO, Sweeney, McAleer.

Sweeney is starting to come into his own. Almost in the mould of his old club mate Loughrey. Think CHB or wing back is his position.

Should have closed the game out - couple of frees missed and one hit into keeper's hands (along with a few previously).

Clooney & Creggan won the Intermediate which means they have to play senior for 5 (I think) years

As far as I am aware there is no obligation to go into senior if you win intermediate and same with intermediate/junior. I could be wrong here. Always thought it was just etiquette/stepping up/testing yourself that teams went up to the grade above.

I think the 5 year rule discussed relates to the Ulster Championship. If you win ulster junior then you either can't compete in ulster junior for 5 years or can't represent ulster junior if you win it for 5 years. It might be an Antrim rule re the winning team's participation in Ulster, rather than an Ulster rule. Not sure!!

Anyone clarify which is right? It is a very tough/long rule for those clubs (of which there appear to be a good few) who sit in the bracket of either (i) decent enough to win junior at a push but not intermediate or (ii) decent enough to win intermediate in a good year but get tanked at senior.

Not sure if discussed previously but 2/3 years would probably be fairer? I get that you should not be able to win it/represent Antrim 2 years running.

Conn Magee's Glenravel

Cheers. Heard Martin Scullion playing here next year.

Two good additions.

Which team PJ going with?

Think he was helping Keady this year.

I hear an ex AI winning manager is taking over at a div4 club in the next few weeks or so rumour has it.

Good to see PJ working with other clubs, plenty experience and obviously passion for the game

Yip. Could do a job with this team if the rumours are true.

We shouldn't be really. Maybe it's just down to how we view certain players for certain positions e.g. Small nippy players in corner forward and corner back. There's nearly a third of the team wee squirts to start with! Whereas in Kilkenny nearly the whole team  bar a couple( these two players are normally bad wee b@£t@!£s) are huge! Perhaps a more football mentality of picking  big strong fast players, obviously who can hurl a bit over the smaller more skilful players. How many times have u looked at certain players on county teams and said to yourself he's not built like a county player.

I agree with this - always a case of the small fast men are corner forward or corner back on Antrim.

Look at Jackie Tyrell. As big as any man about and one of the best corner backs about over the last 10 years.

I would have put Keady ahead of Carrickmore in terms of ability. Did Keady not operate in the Ulster Senior Championship for a few years? Experience like that would stand to them. That said ive not seen them play for a number of years now.

Not for a while. Middletown are the strongest team in Armagh last few years.  carrickmore won the ulster league this year. Keady were mid table. Still a strong team at this level though.

Not sure how many of those teams take that Ulster league too seriously. Middletown best of the bunch and they didn't.

Anyhow, good luck.