Antrim Hurling

[groundlie]

Not really much to say about yesterday. Next week is our season!

[marty34]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/hurling/2025/0517/1513473-fitzgerald-says-he-will-go-to-croke-park-over-officials/

Davy not happy with the officials. Lodging a protest.

Always likes to deflect and make it about himself.

Big game next time out V Offaly.

In a way, I think it's not great that you can wait on 1 game to save you season. Probably the way the fixtures worked out this year.

Offaly still need a year or two to develop. Takes time for them U20s to develop fully into senior players.

[Hectic]

Never ending cycle then of targeting one game every year to stay at the top table so that we can target that one game again the following season.  Rinse, repeat.

[imtommygunn]

Unfortunately I don't think our one game will end well this year. I hope I am wrong.

[saffman]

If things don't end well at least we can look at getting the right people involved to drive things on again.

Gleeson not only was a great manager himself but had a good backroom team with a good mix around him.

[NAG1]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

[Gael-in-exile]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

I like the optimism but I'm doubting they would get out of the Joe McDonagh based on this years performances.
I hope I'm wrong.

[NAG1]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

I like the optimism but I'm doubting they would get out of the Joe McDonagh based on this years performances.
I hope I'm wrong.

Hard to argue on that this year, but in more general terms they 'should' be a level above that.

[Tony Baloney]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

I like the optimism but I'm doubting they would get out of the Joe McDonagh based on this years performances.
I hope I'm wrong.

Hard to argue on that this year, but in more general terms they 'should' be a level above that.

Sure it has been like that for 10+ years. Top of one league but bottom of the next; too good for this competition but not good enough for the next; beat a top tier team once on a while and it's the sign of big things to come.

[NAG1]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

I like the optimism but I'm doubting they would get out of the Joe McDonagh based on this years performances.
I hope I'm wrong.

Hard to argue on that this year, but in more general terms they 'should' be a level above that.

Sure it has been like that for 10+ years. Top of one league but bottom of the next; too good for this competition but not good enough for the next; beat a top tier team once on a while and it's the sign of big things to come.

Yeah youd actually think with some forward planning and investment we might be able to fix the issue or at least make some progress but who knew doing the same thing over and over again gives you the same results. 

[Milltown Row2]

We are in the horrible position of being too good for Joe Mc and not good enough to compete at LMcC level.

Destined to yo-yo for the foreseeable.

I like the optimism but I'm doubting they would get out of the Joe McDonagh based on this years performances.
I hope I'm wrong.

Hard to argue on that this year, but in more general terms they 'should' be a level above that.

Sure it has been like that for 10+ years. Top of one league but bottom of the next; too good for this competition but not good enough for the next; beat a top tier team once on a while and it's the sign of big things to come.

Yeah youd actually think with some forward planning and investment we might be able to fix the issue or at least make some progress but who knew doing the same thing over and over again gives you the same results. 

Look we can't just lift Antrim and move it to between Tipp Limerick and Cork, our position on the island is one of our biggest hindrances, Ulster is a football dominated province and getting proper competition locally has always been a big factor, the school college hurling is also suffering for that to an extent and while we have had some recent success at B level we have to have more exposure to teams of a higher grade more often rather than the odd expensive weekends that happen..

At club level there is plenty of skilled hurlers but a team like Limerick has 20 hurlers as good as our best hurlers ever! A huge pull or demand to be on that team drives the new kids on, the standards across all these counties has risen year on year, as Limerick lifted the bar, as did Kilkenny when they were in their pump.

So while there is still a lot we can do better and change certain things we can't change our position, the key is to have academies, I'm not seeing a hell of a lot of change with development squads if I'm being honest..

An Academy would need to be proper funded, to bring these lads to weekend coaching trips where their training is brought to a level from under 12 up, they need to be matching their counterparts in other counties and its the only way to gauge how well they are doing.. Once a batch is brought through to under 14 the next academy is started and they go from under 12, the under 14's move to the next stage and so on so that we have a conveyer belt of talent coming through 

None of that is cheap and to be fair, the money side of things isn't the real problem, getting kids and parents to buy into that will only bring about a proper change
 

[johnnycool]

What has the bould Terrence McNaughton said about wee Davy in the press now?

[Gael-in-exile]

What has the bould Terrence McNaughton said about wee Davy in the press now?

What most people are thinking

The timing is not good mind you.

[marty34]

What has the bould Terrence McNaughton said about wee Davy in the press now?

What most people are thinking

The timing is not good mind you.

True but Sambo always loves the limelight.

I think Gleeson done some job with Antrim. Big game V Offaly at week-end.

Antrim are now a Joe Mc D. team in my opinion. Just don't have the quality. Need a good influx of U20's coming through asap to boost squd.

[north aontroim gael]

Antrim Senior Hurling Backroom Team Announced

Antrim Senior Hurling Manager Davy Fitzgerald, has this evening announced his backroom coaching team.

Coach/Team Selection – Pat Bennett, Aaron Graffin, Paudie Shivers

Sports Performance/Forwards Coach – Neil McManus

We needed to get this right. I hope I am wrong but don't think we have done that.

Unless we get a shock win this weekend then I think this season has gone exactly how many thought it would and in fact probably worse. Regressed from Gleeson's time.