Antrim Hurling

[btdtgtt]

The best development squads we have - are called clubs.

PJ has already said in several interviews that he's not going to interfere with the clubs. Players will always be available to their clubs, makes a refreshing change.

Great.
To be honest my point was aimed at the bigger picture.
Underage development squads.
I'm not against them.
But - if a club has say 20 under X aged hurlers.
5 go the county "development" squad.
2/3 unavailable for whatever genuine reason.
This means about a dozen hurlers fail to be developed!
Matches & training called off for young lads because of players away training with county development squads! It's really quite insane! And it happens often due to overlapping ages & codes.
Magnify this across all the clubs and you have a lot of ids falling through the net at a young age.
Our playing pool dwindles rather than - develops.
I question if at these younger ages what is done at the county development squads is any different let alone better than what young hurlers can get at their local clubs.
So yet again, the bigger picture falls down at the behest of the guys involved with the "development" squads.
But then are the guys with the Antrim track suits & ties worried about the long term or the bigger picture?
Often not.
Often their little empire.

So at underage and senior - we must look at broadening the player base - rising tide lifts all boats and all that.

[delgany]

Devemopment squads  didnt harm  dublin hurling  too badly

[theskull1]

If we have the right talent that learn they can compete well at juvenile level down south it will help them compete better come senior.

Not that many matches affected by dev squads. Clubs should train away regardless but I'd agree that dev squads should be reliant on clubs doing the lions share of the player development. There are some players on squads who look badly short on stickwork though I presume as a result of poor basic coaching in their clubs.

[btdtgtt]

Devemopment squads  didnt harm  dublin hurling  too badly

Another attempt to compare Dublin to Antrim.
I don't know why people persist in doing this.

Their development squads have as much in common with ours as their playing population - nothing.

I'm not against development squads.
But they could be run a lot better - and should without question be secondary to the club scene.
Too often they have been taken priority over clubs.
An absolutely scandalous situation.

If you want to compare anything with Dublin or any southern county - compare the number and quality of games played.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

i will believe it when i see it about clubs coming first. Maybe then clubs wouldnt use the county as an excuse to call a game off due to them having a number of players involved in the county!

JJ i take slight issue with your point

Playing matches will improve your hurling far more than training, gym work, ice baths, standing in the fuckin sea, taking protein shakes, drinking powerade, following a diet or staying off the beer.

As someone who is into this now and does alot of training myself i follow a strict diet eating well, drink a tonne of water, protein/oats/creatine shakes and cutting down the amount i drink ive personally found it a massive improvement to my personal self. im 38 now and can work with more in the gym that i was able to 6 months ago and its all from working hard and looking after myself.

Yes hurling ability must be looked after as well, its of course the main point of the game itself, but the two have to go hand in hand with each other. Its a personal thing of course, you cant force players to do it but those who do train hard and eat well etc will be better physical athletes for it.

It is hard tho for younger lads who play minor and senior to try and keep it to a reasonable level without it getting out of control.

[NAG1]

i will believe it when i see it about clubs coming first. Maybe then clubs wouldnt use the county as an excuse to call a game off due to them having a number of players involved in the county!

JJ i take slight issue with your point

Playing matches will improve your hurling far more than training, gym work, ice baths, standing in the fuckin sea, taking protein shakes, drinking powerade, following a diet or staying off the beer.

As someone who is into this now and does alot of training myself i follow a strict diet eating well, drink a tonne of water, protein/oats/creatine shakes and cutting down the amount i drink ive personally found it a massive improvement to my personal self. im 38 now and can work with more in the gym that i was able to 6 months ago and its all from working hard and looking after myself.

Yes hurling ability must be looked after as well, its of course the main point of the game itself, but the two have to go hand in hand with each other. Its a personal thing of course, you cant force players to do it but those who do train hard and eat well etc will be better physical athletes for it.

It is hard tho for younger lads who play minor and senior to try and keep it to a reasonable level without it getting out of control.

I think it is time that clubs grew up a bit in regard to this, even if you are missing 3/4/5 of you County players, accept it and get on with it all Div 1 teams can field a Senior team missing that level of players. So time to say I have 20 other guys here who need game time lets get on with it.

Realistically who cares about the league, I would see it as a challenge and a way to improve the club squad environment if I was looking after a senior outfit.

[themac_23]

i will believe it when i see it about clubs coming first. Maybe then clubs wouldnt use the county as an excuse to call a game off due to them having a number of players involved in the county!

JJ i take slight issue with your point

Playing matches will improve your hurling far more than training, gym work, ice baths, standing in the fuckin sea, taking protein shakes, drinking powerade, following a diet or staying off the beer.

As someone who is into this now and does alot of training myself i follow a strict diet eating well, drink a tonne of water, protein/oats/creatine shakes and cutting down the amount i drink ive personally found it a massive improvement to my personal self. im 38 now and can work with more in the gym that i was able to 6 months ago and its all from working hard and looking after myself.

Yes hurling ability must be looked after as well, its of course the main point of the game itself, but the two have to go hand in hand with each other. Its a personal thing of course, you cant force players to do it but those who do train hard and eat well etc will be better physical athletes for it.

It is hard tho for younger lads who play minor and senior to try and keep it to a reasonable level without it getting out of control.

I think it is time that clubs grew up a bit in regard to this, even if you are missing 3/4/5 of you County players, accept it and get on with it all Div 1 teams can field a Senior team missing that level of players. So time to say I have 20 other guys here who need game time lets get on with it.

Realistically who cares about the league, I would see it as a challenge and a way to improve the club squad environment if I was looking after a senior outfit.

Exactly, the best way to deal with this is have a league split after say 2 rounds of games, thats 14 games that ahead no matter about county players etc. then top 4 and bottom 4 split, and bottom 4 play off for relegation and top 4 for the league.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

The games should be played regardless of who the county are playing. These are senior teams with reserve players. im constantly hearing about developing players at club level and all these reserve teams for blooding them in yet the first instance they think they could be missing a couple of the main players to the county they ask for games to be moved.

You have the farce that was the end of our league season where the last 3 were never played against Lgiel, St Galls or Bcastle.

[johnneycool]

Lads,
  Christy Ring games are all on saturdays, so players can line out for their clubs on the Sunday like the Down clubs have been doing for several years now!

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Lol will believe it when i see it JC. Our clubs will use any excuse to get a game moved then moan that they dont get enough games.

The Down team got on with it this year, played on a sat and maybe lost a player to a knock of injury yet their clubs still played the net day. Im just a tad skeptical whether some will want games changed to suit them maybe losing a few players.

[btdtgtt]

The easiest way to deal with it is to not to let the players play for their clubs.
It's really that simple.

[theskull1]

Think your simplifying the simplicity of it btdtgtt

For good will between both club and county coupled with player welfare there needs to be an understanding of what weekends will be affected and ensure those are limited to a minimum. To free that up, there would have to be a bottom 4/top 4 league playoffs. Difficult to know post championship how clubs would feel about that format. Might take a season or 2 to get used to and no doubt there'll be 'injustices' come about on the back of it. Anyone know how well that format is received in Down? 

[johnneycool]

The easiest way to deal with it is to not to let the players play for their clubs.
It's really that simple.

Watch the standard of club hurlingin the league dropping with the best hurlers not playing!

In fact we've noticed the impact of training without our county players in so much that the intensity and speed drops considerably, hence we want them to train with the club once a week when the club hurling starts.

[johnneycool]

Think your simplifying the simplicity of it btdtgtt

For good will between both club and county coupled with player welfare there needs to be an understanding of what weekends will be affected and ensure those are limited to a minimum. To free that up, there would have to be a bottom 4/top 4 league playoffs. Difficult to know post championship how clubs would feel about that format. Might take a season or 2 to get used to and no doubt there'll be 'injustices' come about on the back of it. Anyone know how well that format is received in Down?

We just suck it up, but as a player who played in Athleague one day and Cushendall the next, its draining on you to say the least, but there's not a whole pile of alternatives out there.

Starred leagues, play offs have all been tried, but none were given the time of day. I even remember the top 4 play off thing where we beat Loughgeil in a semi-final in Casement and then got beat by Portaferry the week later also in Casement in the league final.
It wasn't the worst format in the world, but I think the powers that be in Antrim got blinkered by the fact that two Down clubs contested the final the only year it was run and didn't persist with it for the greater good. But you are talking league hurling in late October and November with the tail end of the Ulster club championship thrown in as I couldn't see it being fitted in before the Antrim championship begins.

[WTF u on about?]

It's ok for some of u to say the league doesn't matter but that's only if ur at the top end of it! What about teams at the bottom of div1 /top of div 2?? Them playing a match without a couple of their best players could be the difference between promotion/relegation and the progression of their club! Clubs should have all their players for all games sure why would X y and z miss an important club game to sit on the bench for the county.