Antrim Football Thread

[YoungSaff]

I don't want to come across as a snob    so I won't mention any names from Cargin but there are certainly players in the county better than a lot of those starting for Antrim. Smyth from Dunloy, along with Seán Elliott. Ruari McCann another, McAleer another, Healy another...

Agreed them lads are all great players , however Seaan elliot opted for the hurlers , Healy refused the county squad as he is in Dublin as far as I am aware? You sort of have to play the cards you are dealt , from Cargin I would say Jamie Gribbin and big Pat Shivers the only two who would be touching near the seniors team excluding the others who aren't already there

[Gaels1789]

I don't want to come across as a snob    so I won't mention any names from Cargin but there are certainly players in the county better than a lot of those starting for Antrim. Smyth from Dunloy, along with Seán Elliott. Ruari McCann another, McAleer another, Healy another...

Agreed them lads are all great players , however Seaan elliot opted for the hurlers , Healy refused the county squad as he is in Dublin as far as I am aware? You sort of have to play the cards you are dealt , from Cargin I would say Jamie Gribbin and big Pat Shivers the only two who would be touching near the seniors team excluding the others who aren't already there



The 2 smalls from Creggan, Eamon fyfe
And james o'Connell


4 forwards that could 100% play at the county level,

And are easily better than a few on that panel.

[Take the Mark]

agree there Gaels especially O'Connell. Bags of talent and craft. At least 1 of the Smalls yes. Tiernan McCormick of MG as well a certain starter.

Young Saff - whether they are available or not is irrelevant to the question asked

[YoungSaff]

I don't want to come across as a snob    so I won't mention any names from Cargin but there are certainly players in the county better than a lot of those starting for Antrim. Smyth from Dunloy, along with Seán Elliott. Ruari McCann another, McAleer another, Healy another...

Agreed them lads are all great players , however Seaan elliot opted for the hurlers , Healy refused the county squad as he is in Dublin as far as I am aware? You sort of have to play the cards you are dealt , from Cargin I would say Jamie Gribbin and big Pat Shivers the only two who would be touching near the seniors team excluding the others who aren't already there



The 2 smalls from Creggan, Eamon fyfe
And james o'Connell


4 forwards that could 100% play at the county level,

And are easily better than a few on that panel.

Just had to sneak one of your own clubmen in there , I seen James playing against cargin in the championship..

Fyfe is just about allowed to play for Glenravel with soccer commitments never mind the county

the two Smalls have been with the county before , Kevin had been out with a long term injury and Conor was not to county standard when I last saw him.

I agree 100% there are great players outside this squad but is there circumstances holding them from playing or is there no want to play?

[YoungSaff]

agree there Gaels especially O'Connell. Bags of talent and craft. At least 1 of the Smalls yes. Tiernan McCormick of MG as well a certain starter.

Young Saff - whether they are available or not is irrelevant to the question asked

Correct is Irrelevant to the question , still do not think there is a full better 15 majority listed have been forwards

[Spike]

though its still much better than our county side. Go figure.

Could you name the best starting 15 in the county atm I am curious to see this as you think they would beat the county team?

are you seriously telling me you couldn't name a better starting 15 in the county outside of the 15 that started against Limerick?   Do you watch Senior football?

Go on. Put your money where your mouth is. Name a better starting 15 in the county outside of the 15 that started against Limerick.

Lads our county captain last year got rinsed by an Antrim Masters player.  Finding 15 better starters is easy, perhaps more of a stretch to get to a 25 man panel.   

i'll give you some hints of players off the top of my head. Without restrictions on call ups, age, travelling and such like,   8 Cargin, 5 Creggan, 2 Lamh Dearg, 3 Portglenone, 3 Dunloy.   I could add for a fuller squad an Aghagallon man, 2 more Dunloy, 1 St Endas, 1 St Galls, none of whom started on that pitch against Limerick.
 
I'm not even counting Matty Fitzpatrick in the above.

Thats where we are as a county.  the county of Short cuts.

The really tragic thing is this wasn't even difficult.  If i had more than 5 minutes and the time that list would grow.

[Spike]

Eamon fyfe, james o'Connell and young mccormick all worth a shot too and i'd missed them.

Theres are lot of 'but but buts' in the above responses that are irrelevant the question asked.

The players are there. Its up to the county to get them out. We just cant be arsed.

[Take the Mark]

Whilst I agree with all you've said I do look forward to Bannsides response to 'county captain rinsed by a Masters player' lol

That bit might leave him in a quandry 

[Spike]

maybe its a pat on the back to our leader and the quality he is attracting to the Master's panel 

[Milltown Row2]

It's a sad state of affairs when the best player in the county is 40 this year.. and people are complaining that we should do better?

[bannside]

Lol. Some great points raised here for sure.

Regarding Mick McCann, no doubt he could impact a senior county contest right now, adding composure and nous to the mix, as well as leadership, craft etc. A one off. Would he be on my county panel right now? Yes. Is any player in Antrim right now likely to get the better of him. Most unlikely.

But leave him where he is at the moment, please.....lol.

Regarding his duel with the current county captain. Both were carrying bad quad injuries into county final, and the way I saw it both were restricted. Two good players, I'll leave it at that.

Regarding forwards, it's my view we are struggling to produce consistently good forwards and it's a long time since we had a proper marquee forward.

James OC and Eamon Fyfe (he was superb last night) are two, and we've had a lot worse in Saffron up front than Seamus McGarry. Kevin Small allegedly back to his best (that would be up there with the best in the county in my book) and I love a really pacy player in the middle third, which would bring in a SON, Paddy Ferris and for what it's worth, I'd bring Eunan out of full back, as he is up with Paddy McBride when it comes to orange flags. We need pace in middle third and scoring forwards on the end of moves, and we have a quality panel.

Ps, Peter Healy a proper loss too this year. A superb player who turned our 9 point half time deficit to Fermanagh almost single handedly!

Is there a pacier player then Eoin McKeown in Ulster? And Matt Fitz too, another huge loss to the cause.

That's only my opinion, its Andys that counts.

[NatSoSaff]

Unfortunately Andys expensive opinions have been both costly and regressive from beginning to what I assume will be the end after next weekend.

Bannside for the hotseat.

[Milltown Row2]

We've went for the 'cheap' options also over the years..

Jim Galvin wouldn't make a difference even if he was free.

If people are not willing to buy in then you are screwed

[AllStar15]

Lol. Some great points raised here for sure.

Regarding Mick McCann, no doubt he could impact a senior county contest right now, adding composure and nous to the mix, as well as leadership, craft etc. A one off. Would he be on my county panel right now? Yes. Is any player in Antrim right now likely to get the better of him. Most unlikely.

But leave him where he is at the moment, please.....lol.

Regarding his duel with the current county captain. Both were carrying bad quad injuries into county final, and the way I saw it both were restricted. Two good players, I'll leave it at that.

Regarding forwards, it's my view we are struggling to produce consistently good forwards and it's a long time since we had a proper marquee forward.

James OC and Eamon Fyfe (he was superb last night) are two, and we've had a lot worse in Saffron up front than Seamus McGarry. Kevin Small allegedly back to his best (that would be up there with the best in the county in my book) and I love a really pacy player in the middle third, which would bring in a SON, Paddy Ferris and for what it's worth, I'd bring Eunan out of full back, as he is up with Paddy McBride when it comes to orange flags. We need pace in middle third and scoring forwards on the end of moves, and we have a quality panel.

Ps, Peter Healy a proper loss too this year. A superb player who turned our 9 point half time deficit to Fermanagh almost single handedly!

Is there a pacier player then Eoin McKeown in Ulster? And Matt Fitz too, another huge loss to the cause.

That's only my opinion, its Andys that counts.

Some tasty players on your list. On Eunan Walsh, I think that point can be made about the whole full back line, none do those positions for their club and I think you need out and out full backs for those positions. TTM i think it was mentioned Kobo a while back sort of tongue in cheek, but he is still the best man marker in the county. An out and out corner back.

That's not to say our corner backs have let the county down all year, they haven't.

[YoungSaff]

I feel the county team could also do with a resurgence of youth among the team get some new young lads onto the scene who are hungry to impress and show they belong at that level. A lot of the lads who have been around a while could maybe do with new competition too