Antrim to win Div3?

I think it would be a great statement by baker and antrim if they were to win div3, need to get the wins on the road starting with a tricky trip to roscommon this weekend, then away to longford, lets hope for maximum points there and a double header in casement with the hurlers at the end of the month could set up a party atmosphere.

Last few years following the antrim footballers have been enjoyable and great after the years of being in footballing wilderness you had strong counties looking at us and thinking, its not going to be so straight forward, baker should be commended for his work and long may it continue.

The problem with Antrim is that they are good enough for division 3 but they are not good enough for division 2, although if they were in 2nd division this year I think that they would be able to survive.

GAA-Fan wrote:The problem with Antrim is that they are good enough for division 3 but they are not good enough for division 2, although if they were in 2nd division this year I think that they would be able to survive.

I dont think they played to potential last time up and only took one scalp from meath, that being said, i think we can survive in it, especially given some of the performances of Westmeath and Louth this year. Most of our team are sigerson winners at some stage which is always a plus and last time we were up we were young and inexperienced, i feel we have the footballers to mix it up in div2, but like baker said after the offaly game we must kill teams off and go for the jugular, which we still dont do.

Antrim are going well, which is great to see, but GF is right when he says that there is nothing to suggest that they would have any success in division 2.

NSG, you talk about the struggles of Westmeath and Louth, but Louth have 3 points from 3 games, and Westmeath beat Galway on Sunday, despite missing their Garrycastle contingent.

Antrim are among the top 20 teams in Ireland, but not in the top 15, which basically means that they are a good division 3 side, but would struggle badly in the higher tier. They are, however, on the easy side of the draw for the Ulster championship, with arguably the best 4 sides (Tyrone, Armagh, Derry & Donegal) all on the opposite half, so perhaps Antrim are shaping up for another good summer.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Antrim are among the top 20 teams in Ireland, but not in the top 15,

Would put Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wexford, Donegal, Tyrone, Down, Armagh and Derry ahead of them. After that you'd have to make a case for other sides ..... and I feel you could make equally as good a case for the Saffrons ....

I would certainly think they have a case for inclusion in a Top 15.

Parouisa wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:Antrim are among the top 20 teams in Ireland, but not in the top 15,

Would put Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wexford, Donegal, Tyrone, Down, Armagh and Derry ahead of them. After that you'd have to make a case for other sides ..... and I feel you could make equally as good a case for the Saffrons ....

I would certainly think they have a case for inclusion in a Top 15.

You'd definitely have to rate Laois ahead of them, while I think Galway, Louth and Monaghan are better also. After that you could debate Roscommon, Westmeath and one or 2 others, but Antrim would be just outside my top 15.

Thomas Clarke wrote:You'd definitely have to rate Laois ahead of them, while I think Galway, Louth and Monaghan are better also. After that you could debate Roscommon, Westmeath and one or 2 others, but Antrim would be just outside my top 15.

Why Laois - they have done nothing at C'ship level for years now. I would argue that Antrim would be well capable of beating any of the teams above in a qualifier in Casement.

Parouisa wrote: Why Laois - they have done nothing at C'ship level for years now. I would argue that Antrim would be well capable of beating any of the teams above in a qualifier in Casement.

Laois are a divison 1 side. They were promoted a year ago, from the same division that saw Antrim relegated. They went up to Donegal last month and won easily, something that I couldn't see Antrim being capable of doing. Laois are not a good outfit, but they are better than Antrim.

As for the others, yes, I'd agree that Antrim could upset any of them at Casement, but probably I'd make all the others favourites at neutral venues. Despite them being on the easy side of the draw, I'd almost take Monaghan, Down or Fermanagh to make this year's Ulster final ahead of the Saffrons. They are an average side who are going well in division 3 at present, but nothing more than that.

Laois are a poor side who have shown no form when it matters over the last 4/5 years ie the Championship.

Parouisa wrote:Laois are a poor side who have shown no form when it matters over the last 4/5 years ie the Championship.

Maybe so, but I don't see how you couldn't rate them as being better than Antrim, for the reasons I gave above.

Anyway, we are basically arguing the same point. You say they aren't in the top 12, but could be anywhere from 13-18 or so. I say they aren't in the top 15, but could be anywhere frrom 16-20. Not too big a difference.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Anyway, we are basically arguing the same point. You say they aren't in the top 12, but could be anywhere from 13-18 or so. I say they aren't in the top 15, but could be anywhere frrom 16-20. Not too big a difference.

Floored I is ... floored! But that's about right!

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Parouisa wrote:Laois are a poor side who have shown no form when it matters over the last 4/5 years ie the Championship.

Maybe so, but I don't see how you couldn't rate them as being better than Antrim, for the reasons I gave above.

Anyway, we are basically arguing the same point. You say they aren't in the top 12, but could be anywhere from 13-18 or so. I say they aren't in the top 15, but could be anywhere frrom 16-20. Not too big a difference.

I wasnt referring to the struggles of westmeath and louth i was commending them on their will to scrap for points, i would however say we are better than both if at least not equal, we easily disposed of both at the last time of asking westmeath in championship and louth in the league, both in the last couple of years.

I think last time we stepped up we were young and niave i would say if we gained that opportunity again we would take it and be mid table. We are on the right path to building a div1 team and i dont doubt that, we must achieve div2 first out of a very tricky division3 and while i think we are more than capable i would not be in shock if we didnt.

I think were a couple of years behind laois and monaghan but not too many.

Parouisa wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:You'd definitely have to rate Laois ahead of them, while I think Galway, Louth and Monaghan are better also. After that you could debate Roscommon, Westmeath and one or 2 others, but Antrim would be just outside my top 15.

Why Laois - they have done nothing at C'ship level for years now. I would argue that Antrim would be well capable of beating any of the teams above in a qualifier in Casement.

If Donegal are included in the list then surely Laois should be to.

Very Poor antrim where yesterday from what i here, looked very down troden, always felt the Rossies would have too much, we missed a penalty with twelve to go which im sure was heart breaking.

I think we can judge our footballers better in their next game away to longford, two reasons an acurate reflection of how we handle defeat and Longford are a team we would consider ourselves better than who are currently riding high in our division, although going on yesterday being the first show on the road i wont hold my breath as Longford look very hungry.

Another defeat this week, well the wheels came off, from what i can see we still lack a good consistent point taker from play, but who am i. We have quality in antrim, we have numbers, i cant see why we cant get a high tempo playing team at inter county, Antrim county teams do suffer from the highly competitive club scene which has at times seen county players not play with each other, 2 club all irelands in both codes in recent years and our teams show no signs of getting near an all ireland although they have improved, a bit more building to be done obviously.

I think Baker will walk away this year if its more medicore stuff from antrim in the championship, hes a quality coach who made great improvements with our county and he can go higher than this and sooner or later he will want to.

I think that there were a couple of lads getting a bit carried away on this thread, although this is forgivable for posters commenting on their own county.

This is the level that Antrim are at, and their players simply wouldn't be good enough to be competitive in division 2 (or certainly not division 1, as some were suggesting). Antrim were relegated from the 2nd flight last year, and have failed to go straight back up. They can hold their own against most sides in their league, but that is all they are doing - holding their own.

I know the club scene is very competitve, but you could say the same about other counties, notably Derry. The reality is that Antrim have some fit, keen lads, but they don't have anywhere near enough top class players to compete with the top dozen or so sides in the country.

Your right TC, we are improving though and the structures are getting better, we are looking at tyrone and dublin and the like and trying to implement the same ideas, i think if we keep improving as we have done we can look forward to div1 in the years to come, but yes, we punched above our weight to get to div2, and it showed last year and this.

I still think football has two levels, i think div 1 and 2 are a level which everyone can compete at and i think 3 and 4 everyone can compete with each other bar 2 or 3 teams, i still think if the sport is to evolve nationally this will need reflected in championship formats.