Antrim Hurling

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Sneill are a formidable team still. I do feel they have fell short at the all Ireland semi final stage as they have been beat by better teams. Simple as that.

I was the Ballyhale game and yes they gave them their fill they didn't look to have enough to push on beyond them. For all the energy that day Ballyhale found another gear and up stepped Colin Fennelly to fire home a goal. Killed the game straight away.

For sure a very talented group of players and they will def feel that they should and could have reached an all Ireland final at this stage. But as has been proven, especially on our end, you still need to be better than every other team in Ireland, and get a degree of luck on your side, to claim the Tommy Moore Cup.

Brendan Rodgers is a joy to watch on the pitch regardless.

[imtommygunn]

Ballygunner and Ballyhale are two formidable teams. The players they have at their disposal are ridiculous so no shame in not beating them.

[Milltown Row2]

Hopefully the Johnnies will have a few good challenge games at the ready, difficult to get this time of year as some club teams have downed tools and would be a struggle to get ones out, the college teams probably best at looking for that in prep for their match..

I'm sure when they stop drinking next month week, they will be at it again

[johnnycool]

First things first, Portaferry's inexperience and naivety was the reason they didn't beat SN last year.

They had SN on the rack for much of the first half and failed to get a goal near the end of it that would have given them clear daylight between both teams. Big Niall M in FF took a great pass and with only the keeper to beat didn't move his feet and allowed the keeper to smother the shot. Contrast that to how Neil McManus moved around in the semifinal in a similar position until he got the shot away.
Secondly when one goal goes in against you, you need to kill momentum one way or the other, start a bit of pushing and shoving, tie your laces or whatever. Gives you time to get reorganised. Pierce Smyth couldn't get the ball pucked out fast enough for whatever reason, Ports didn't rectify and reorganise their defence and left the middle wide open for the second goal.
Thirdly Ports have an issue winning clean ball from their own puckouts, either long or short and rely heavily on the Sands brothers winning the breaks. Pierce Smyth can strike a ball some distance from a puckout but is terrible at the short ones, even to a corner back, let alone a half back. SN played a lot deeper and won a lot of those balls in the second half.

They may be hot favourites to get out of Down as we don't have enough wherewithal to expose them yet and don't help ourselves with lads picking up injuries along the way, and depending on how the Ports line out on Sunday they may have solved one of those issues by playing CT at fullback and Matt Conlon at centre back, but with Tom McGrattan out with a cruciate they are a bit lighter up front and that could be their undoing.

For us to beat them on Sunday we'll need an awful lot to go right for us and for them to misfire, which isn't beyond the realms, but that's my heart and not my head.

One things for sure the days of the Antrim final being the defacto Ulster final is gone.

On the SN AI semi-final record, they were fierce unlucky last year v Cork Sarsfields.

Shay McGuigan was out of sorts on the frees, Jack O'Connor should have seen a straight red all day long and how the lad missed the open goal right at the death I'll never know, well I do, he was lying backwards and never got over the ball, but he was only 8 yards out...
That's a sickener in anyones book.

The other few times, they were playing what I'd call generational club teams in Ballyhale and Ballygunner and did admirably on them as well, not to mention the time they had NaPairsigh of Limerick on the rack for the keeper to have a pure nightmare 5 minute spell to let NaPairsigh off the hook.

They've never let anyone down at this level.

[Tony Baloney]

Glenariffe advance despite playing most of the match with 14. Officiating was desperately poor.

[Milltown Row2]

Glenariffe advance despite playing most of the match with 14. Officiating was desperately poor.

No referee union lol but what happened? Significant loss for next game?

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Id imagine oisins will have a good chance at ulster

Lavey should be too strong for junior?

[Milltown Row2]

Maybe if  we have just a 5 Antrim team league it would improved the teams in Intermediate....

I'm joking, taking hand outta someone

Derry do what they do but that doesn't always convert even in Ulster never mind further on..

Had been an easy enough hunting ground for Antrim clubs at the start of the competition but counties have caught on and arrange a 'fairer' 😉 way for their best teams to compete

As for Glenariffe, one of the better Antrim intermediate teams for a while, Carey won last year so you'd expect them to come through..

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Would we have a better record at Intermediate over the years? Not as easy to t**ker with that at other countries as generally their county champs go into Intermediate level.

Can remember a good few Ulster champions over the past 10 years. Carey, Creggan, Cloughmills, Rossa, St Endas, St Galls?

[SaffronOak]

Id imagine oisins will have a good chance at ulster

Lavey should be too strong for junior?

Lavey have some serious long term injuries to 4 if not 5 players.  If they were available for the full championship, they wouldnt be in Junior but they are probably exactly where that group of players should be right now.

[Tony Baloney]

Maybe if  we have just a 5 Antrim team league it would improved the teams in Intermediate....

I'm joking, taking hand outta someone

Derry do what they do but that doesn't always convert even in Ulster never mind further on..

Had been an easy enough hunting ground for Antrim clubs at the start of the competition but counties have caught on and arrange a 'fairer' 😉 way for their best teams to compete

As for Glenariffe, one of the better Antrim intermediate teams for a while, Carey won last year so you'd expect them to come through..

Fair point. Glenariffe won't be underestimating anyone as we've seen over the last few years this isn't an Antrim-dominated championship and good teams can appear from anywhere.

[NAG1]

Maybe if  we have just a 5 Antrim team league it would improved the teams in Intermediate....

I'm joking, taking hand outta someone

Derry do what they do but that doesn't always convert even in Ulster never mind further on..

Had been an easy enough hunting ground for Antrim clubs at the start of the competition but counties have caught on and arrange a 'fairer' 😉 way for their best teams to compete

As for Glenariffe, one of the better Antrim intermediate teams for a while, Carey won last year so you'd expect them to come through..

Fair point. Glenariffe won't be underestimating anyone as we've seen over the last few years this isn't an Antrim-dominated championship and good teams can appear from anywhere.

Glenariffe could do with trying to keep 15 men on the pitch for a start, seem to be down a man in nearly every game they play.

[faughs]

Would be great to see an Antrim clean sweep but some of the points in earlier posts hit about physicality and conditioning hit the nail on the head.

The Ulster matches Carey came through last year were all battles of attrition - in truth not a massive amount of hurling in any of them bar the final v Swatragh!

Discipline is key in these games

It's pretty much the same teams in the champ from last year - Carrickmore will be a massive test for Glenariffe, and will be hurting from the defeat from us last year on penalties. Surprised to see Swatragh beaten at the weekend but shows that pitch conditions, physicality and having a number of good hurlers levels the playing field massively in this competition - as shown by the point that Antrim wins in the comp don't come around like buses.

Good luck to all Antrim teams!

[podge]

Maybe if  we have just a 5 Antrim team league it would improved the teams in Intermediate....

I'm joking, taking hand outta someone

Derry do what they do but that doesn't always convert even in Ulster never mind further on..

Had been an easy enough hunting ground for Antrim clubs at the start of the competition but counties have caught on and arrange a 'fairer' 😉 way for their best teams to compete

As for Glenariffe, one of the better Antrim intermediate teams for a while, Carey won last year so you'd expect them to come through..

Fair point. Glenariffe won't be underestimating anyone as we've seen over the last few years this isn't an Antrim-dominated championship and good teams can appear from anywhere.

Glenariffe could do with trying to keep 15 men on the pitch for a start, seem to be down a man in nearly every game they play.

Really?  What other games had they a man sent off ?

[Saffrongael]

Maybe if  we have just a 5 Antrim team league it would improved the teams in Intermediate....

I'm joking, taking hand outta someone

Derry do what they do but that doesn't always convert even in Ulster never mind further on..

Had been an easy enough hunting ground for Antrim clubs at the start of the competition but counties have caught on and arrange a 'fairer' 😉 way for their best teams to compete

As for Glenariffe, one of the better Antrim intermediate teams for a while, Carey won last year so you'd expect them to come through..

Fair point. Glenariffe won't be underestimating anyone as we've seen over the last few years this isn't an Antrim-dominated championship and good teams can appear from anywhere.

Glenariffe could do with trying to keep 15 men on the pitch for a start, seem to be down a man in nearly every game they play.

Really?  What other games had they a man sent off ?

Yeah was curious myself, no answer then ?