Antrim Hurling

[Deerstalker]

Antrim Football leagues are a clear warning to how that can go wrong. 16 teams in there and shouldn't be more than half that tbh.

Is that a one way league?

16 teams equals 15 games and finding 15 slots to play them is a challenge enough.

I think the Div1 hurling is right, there needs to be jeopardy, there needs to be something to play for, there needs to be relegation, there needs to be a reason to avoid the bottom 5.

We have 9 first round games, then another 4 after the split, so that's 13 games all in. Nothing wrong with that, especially when most of the first 9 are without county players.

The issue is that teams like St Endas, Glenariffe etc won't have deep squads and if they have 3/4 lads each on county squads they will suffer and inevitably those lads will come under pressure to leave the county squad to help avoid relegation.

I would prefer the position around lads not being allowed to play for their clubs is revisited but it feels like that is generally accepted nowadays.  Certainly the number that county squads are holding back is way over the top in my view . 

This does seriously need re-visited.

Holding squad players back from playing with their club is a pure nonsense. Hopefully we get someone local on board who will understand the club game here and bit of common sense can prevail.

Well if it's McShane don't hold your breathe, if the last couple of years is anything to go by.

[NAG1]

Antrim Football leagues are a clear warning to how that can go wrong. 16 teams in there and shouldn't be more than half that tbh.

Is that a one way league?

16 teams equals 15 games and finding 15 slots to play them is a challenge enough.

I think the Div1 hurling is right, there needs to be jeopardy, there needs to be something to play for, there needs to be relegation, there needs to be a reason to avoid the bottom 5.

We have 9 first round games, then another 4 after the split, so that's 13 games all in. Nothing wrong with that, especially when most of the first 9 are without county players.

The issue is that teams like St Endas, Glenariffe etc won't have deep squads and if they have 3/4 lads each on county squads they will suffer and inevitably those lads will come under pressure to leave the county squad to help avoid relegation.

I would prefer the position around lads not being allowed to play for their clubs is revisited but it feels like that is generally accepted nowadays.  Certainly the number that county squads are holding back is way over the top in my view . 

This does seriously need re-visited.

Holding squad players back from playing with their club is a pure nonsense. Hopefully we get someone local on board who will understand the club game here and bit of common sense can prevail.

Well if it's McShane don't hold your breathe, if the last couple of years is anything to go by.

Yeah I won't be regardless of who takes it over, but I think its time the clubs and the leagues were given more consideration. Clubs don't just exist to provide players for the county set up.

[imtommygunn]

one thing that I have wondered on the u20s... So this was a good crop that we thought would get into A but wouldn't quite make it. Was one of the star players not a fella Bradley from Cushendall who seemed to not play after a while and you see him play for Cushendall all the time? Is that anything to do with the club games?

[NAG1]

one thing that I have wondered on the u20s... So this was a good crop that we thought would get into A but wouldn't quite make it. Was one of the star players not a fella Bradley from Cushendall who seemed to not play after a while and you see him play for Cushendall all the time? Is that anything to do with the club games?

Well my understanding was that there was a climb down by the u20 management about releasing players for club games after that defeat. Players made it pretty clear they would be going back to club games.

[podge]

one thing that I have wondered on the u20s... So this was a good crop that we thought would get into A but wouldn't quite make it. Was one of the star players not a fella Bradley from Cushendall who seemed to not play after a while and you see him play for Cushendall all the time? Is that anything to do with the club games?

Well my understanding was that there was a climb down by the u20 management about releasing players for club games after that defeat. Players made it pretty clear they would be going back to club games.

And also young Bradley stepped away from the u20s and I am
Pretty sure didn't play after they were knocked out the A section

[imtommygunn]

A lot of the cushendall and glenariff ones were playing in the league I noticed. It would be very unfair on the latter to be without their county players as they are only up and would struggle though I guess same for some other clubs too. Cushendall could probably survive alright.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

I think the boys were playing away with the clubs? Glenariffe have a lot on the u20s and seemed to line out for the club

I would imagine a lot of these boys will progress into a senior panel. That will be unsustainable

[SaffronSports]

I think that was why the Glenariffe vs Cushendall match was on a Friday night was it not? An U20 match was on that Sunday. Some brilliant young hurlers across both panels but then those are the last two Ulster Minor Hurling champions so that's to be expected.