Antrim Football Thread

[Take the Mark]

You can talk about reaching finals all you want but nobody really looked like winning 1 during the dominant years of St Galls. After which Cargin have dominated apart from 2 blips when Lamh Dhearg and Creggan got 1 each. I say these were blips because neither of those teams featured after their wins.

Creggan certainly have the potential to get there this year but its not a given. LD, do not.

[Caesar]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

[NAG1]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

[Caesar]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

I'm looking more at the group currently breaking into senior level, and you'd probably expect to be about for the next 10 years or so. The point I'm making is that they appear to be blooding this new talent well already and that stands them in good stead for the future.

That said, it will be near impossible to replace some of their more experienced players and I certainly don't expect them to remain as dominant ever year, but I do expect them to be one of the top sides for the foreseeable

[SaffronSports]

While Cargin aren't pulling up any trees at juvenile, you have to remember that once they go into senior they will be training alongside boys with a pile of medals who have set incredibly high standards over the years. That kid in 5 years time will be a better player than one who was maybe better at minor but has gone into a different culture and environment.

[NAG1]

While Cargin aren't pulling up any trees at juvenile, you have to remember that once they go into senior they will be training alongside boys with a pile of medals who have set incredibly high standards over the years. That kid in 5 years time will be a better player than one who was maybe better at minor but has gone into a different culture and environment.

I recognise that and it is just a general query really, I just see them a little like the St Galls team who hung on to the bitter end and when they go a bunch go at once.

[Take the Mark]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

Its not about competing strongly at any juvenile age. Thats doesn't convert to senior success apart from a very special underage side, like say Glen.

[SaffronSports]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

Its not about competing strongly at any juvenile age. Thats doesn't convert to senior success apart from a very special underage side, like say Glen.

I think that's the line there. Cargin are in a position where a lads development isn't finished at minor. They can afford to take their time with them whereas there's loads of clubs who need minors to be hitting the ground running. Ultimately we can all theorise what it is but the facts are they've been winning titles for 30 years and lost a pile in the decade before that so they've been up there at the top for 40 years so it's a lot more than taking advantage of a good crop of players, it's a generational thing at this point.

[InnocentByStander]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

See this is the difference in Cargin and other clubs. Although Cargin have been at the top of the tree now for a few years now but when St Galls were the main team Cargin were still always second best, since probaly 1995 (or earlier) Cargin have been one of the top 2 teams. But we have not always been the strongest at Juvenile one or two good teams through the years back to back minor championships 2019/2020. But what makes the difference Cargin will get as many senior players from a bad minor team as they get from a good Minor team.

You don't need a conveyor belt of minor championships, you need a conveyor belt of 3/4 good players in every team to develop through to senior teams.

[NAG1]

St Galls were a truly outstanding team but the club didn't have the "conveyor belt" of young talent coming through to keep them at the top. The interesting thing about Cargin at the moment is the amount of youth already being blooded into their senior team.

As I've said before, this is a Cargin team supposedly in transition and even if St Brigids or Creeggan get over the line this year, I'd expect Cargin to remain the team to beat for a long time yet.

Genuine question, where is that assumption coming from?
I might have missed it but I don't see Cargin competing strongly at any of the juvenile ages groups. So when that group of experienced players eventually go, there just doesn't seem to be the quality to replace.

Or maybe I have missed something?

See this is the difference in Cargin and other clubs. Although Cargin have been at the top of the tree now for a few years now but when St Galls were the main team Cargin were still always second best, since probaly 1995 (or earlier) Cargin have been one of the top 2 teams. But we have not always been the strongest at Juvenile one or two good teams through the years back to back minor championships 2019/2020. But what makes the difference Cargin will get as many senior players from a bad minor team as they get from a good Minor team.

You don't need a conveyor belt of minor championships, you need a conveyor belt of 3/4 good players in every team to develop through to senior teams.

I get what you are saying but you are adding these players to a group of high quality players who are approaching the end of their careers. Once they go the quality goes with them, it is fair play to them that they have made this model work.

[Spike]

The shortcut to this of course is bringing in 5 or 6 Derry players to complete your senior team in a season which would have taken 20 years previously. 

If St Brigids get their timings correct they could have artificially bridged a gap they would never have been able to do so before.  Now they have a proper Senior team with underage talent to ease into it at their leisure. 

Obviously if the Derry boys go home this all goes up in smoke.

[Take the Mark]

[/quote]

I get what you are saying but you are adding these players to a group of high quality players who are approaching the end of their careers. Once they go the quality goes with them, it is fair play to them that they have made this model work.

[/quote]

Cargin have been in 23 finals in the past 38 years, how long do you think this group of 'high quality players' have been around?

[InnocentByStander]

I get what you are saying but you are adding these players to a group of high quality players who are approaching the end of their careers. Once they go the quality goes with them, it is fair play to them that they have made this model work.

[/quote]

Cargin have been in 23 finals in the past 38 years, how long do you think this group of 'high quality players' have been around?


[/quote]

Was just about to point this out   

[BigGreenField]

Meanwhile across the Lagan, in the leafy suburbs known as Carryduff they had 7 teams at P4, all with 7 kids on each team and that was in hurling at the last Down primary school blitz.

I'd hate to see what they have at the football...

Huge catchment for Carryduff at least 1600 primary school kids, no other clubs in the parish.


Similarities with Bredagh, Brigids and Endas in that regard although Carryduff has the biggest playing pool to draw from.

What they have done brilliantly is build facilities to ensure they can cater for them:

Down county board also helps, all games up to and including u12 on the weekend (no battling through city rush hour for primary school parents) and u14 games at reasonable times (Antrim schedule 6pm throw in's ffs, a nightmare).

Mobility (lack of transport, traffic) I would say is a serious contributor to drop off and cancellations, as is quality of coaching.

A single club/school connectivity also has a much greater chance of building a Gaa culture and identity affiliated with the club.

Sarsfields I think are making progress on this with St John Baptist (sending coaches in etc) , until clubs in the west have that singular relationship with a school then the core kid relationships of playing with your mates won't be there , playing for your DA's club isn't enough to prevent drop off.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Whatever about the debate that St. Bride's parish and beyond "needed a club" when there were plenty of clubs to travel short distances to (and they all did), I can't fathom the big presences in west Belfast clubs moving "across the city" and sending their children to St. Brigid's. St. Paul's, in particular, seemed to suffer mostly from this. And you can tell me everyday for a year that this isn't a class issue, but I'll not believe it. Mount Eagles is further away ffs.