Kildare v Antrim

Having watched Kildare's shocking display against Louth last time out I was veering towards an Antrim victory on Saturday. However, now that Kildare want to play - despite the tragic death of Dermot Earley Snr - I can't see past a Kildare win. They will want so badly to honour the man and to make sure their team-mate has a win on this day that I can't see past them now.

can't say i agree with you there JC - Kildare on the way down and going by their last outing are a team in disarray and Antrim are in buoyant mood and full of confidence - i'd be surprised if Antrim get beat.

I hope Antrim get it, Antrim for Sam 2010, After Derry of course

bocerty wrote:can't say i agree with you there JC - Kildare on the way down and going by their last outing are a team in disarray and Antrim are in buoyant mood and full of confidence - i'd be surprised if Antrim get beat.

I'm not sure that Antrim are in buoyant mood Boc. From what I hear, the return of the McGourtys has not been warmly received within the squad. I thought they were pretty poor against Tyrone, and very poor against Sligo in the league final. Kildare, as you say, are not a great side, but I can't seem them losing this at home.

up.the.oak.trees wrote:I hope Antrim get it, Antrim for Sam 2010, After Derry of course

more chance of Italy and France contesting the World Cup final

Thomas Clarke wrote:

bocerty wrote:can't say i agree with you there JC - Kildare on the way down and going by their last outing are a team in disarray and Antrim are in buoyant mood and full of confidence - i'd be surprised if Antrim get beat.

I'm not sure that Antrim are in buoyant mood Boc. From what I hear, the return of the McGourtys has not been warmly received within the squad. I thought they were pretty poor against Tyrone, and very poor against Sligo in the league final. Kildare, as you say, are not a great side, but I can't seem them losing this at home.

had heard that alright TC - though i heard Baker was losing a lot of respect in the dressing room too - more keen to have his face in the local press or TV than anything else by the sounds of things - at the expense of training sessions too, wonder were the lads get it from

Personally i think Antrim will win, this is not just my heart, I dont think the whole Dermot Earley death will come into it and if it does it may effect Kildare in the wrong way.

I was talking to two different antrim players over the last week and they both claim that the mcgourtys have not had a negative impact.

The game against tyrone was a tactics mess up in the first half. The notion that baker is losing respect too is also questionable! Love to know where your info is coming from lads but it sounds off the mark to me!

North Side Gael wrote:Personally i think Antrim will win, this is not just my heart, I dont think the whole Dermot Earley death will come into it and if it does it may effect Kildare in the wrong way.

I was talking to two different antrim players over the last week and they both claim that the mcgourtys have not had a negative impact.

The game against tyrone was a tactics mess up in the first half. The notion that baker is losing respect too is also questionable! Love to know where your info is coming from lads but it sounds off the mark to me!

fair enough NSG but my source is well in with a lot of people in the know and has his finger well on the pulse - ask the other 30 or so guys on the panel and see if you get the same answers

To add to my own sources ive seen a couple of the training sessions, your source could well be referring to the country - city split that exists in antrim football and hurling and is only ever sorted by external management coming in ie baker or dinny, external managers have previously stopped these rifts and arguments, but the country boys may well be unhappy with the mcgourtys but im sure that they will accept the same as i have that if these boys want to shut up and play for their county there better on the panel than off it!

I dont think there will be much of a rift within the squad and if antrim lose it will be because Kildare are the better team on the day and not because antrim have rifts in the squad!

Word has reached me that all is not well in the Antrim camp, indeed far from it.
Sitting ducks.

obviously something wrong with different sources saying different things, going to try and see from some of the boys this evening what the stories are about, still think we can win provided we play as a unit on the field, we have the players to win it!

Well replay this week lads and didnt see any sign of a rift last week either between bradley and the players or within the players!

Big Magill has been brought back into the panel and if he starts will add a very physical presence to the forward line, brilliant big player. With Kevin McGourty adding the scores from the half forwards this one could be antrims especially back in belfast, casement will not be easy to get a win in and with a large antrim support thats expected we can topple a very good kildare side!

North Side Gael wrote:Well replay this week lads and didnt see any sign of a rift last week either between bradley and the players or within the players!

You might want to read the front page of HS and re-think that...

Come off it would ye?

CJ McGourty walking out is not a split, ive played with CJ this year myself and can assure you the plans for the states where on his mind for some time and other players from the same club, the fact that he hasnt been playing a major part probably has played a part in his decision but i would not say its a split in the squad or disrespecting the manager.

We didnt have him in the squad all last year and we wont have him the rest of this year (if we beat kildare) but it doesnt make a great deal of a difference, yes we'd like to have him, however hes made his decision and thats that.

what age is cj 21-22 and how many times has he walked off the hurling or football panel ? 25-26?!

his problem is that he thinks he is the best thing since bread came cut. and because antrim footballers and hurlers have the same chance of winning something / profile - he sifts between the two.

i know how i would sort him out - tell him if he quits one panel he cant then join the other for the rest of that season or the next. his yearly walk out is becoming boring.

good footballer but only looks out for number one - with that attitude he wont go too far. ( i know weveryone will tell me he has won this or that but if he was in tyrone kerry armagh or any other "big" county he wouldnt get a look in with that sort of behaviour!)

Agree to a degree with you redhandman but i think this time he has made a life decision to go to USA the same way two of our hurlers have went to australia, hes not walking out on the squad, yes maybe if he is throwing a strop at not getting started he should be disciplined but i believe thats the media blowing it out of proportion, hes realised that antrim dont need him as much as he thought they did and decided to go to the states, im sure he would want antrim to be successful as much as the next person.

He does have an attitude but he'll grow out of it, hes a decent footballer but i think he knows now hes not the be all and end all of antrim football as weve proved last year and last week, this stint in the county set up will have been a good experience for him.

North Side Gael wrote:i think this time he has made a life decision to go to USA ...hes not walking out on the squad

You're clutching at straws NSG.

My post last week didn't mention anything about a big split in the panel, just that the McGourtys return had caused problems. Now, one of the McGourtys has quit the panel, in a huff, after not getting picked.

You may well have known about his plans to go to the states, but I'd be pretty sure Liam Bradley didn't, otherwise I can't see why he would have taken him back onto the panel in the first place.

CJ is obviously a talented player but his attitude seems terrible. Against Tyrone he seemed to be more interested in racking up the scores beside his name than winning the game, nothing but a goal was going to help Antrim in the final minutes and the bould CJ slots over a point happily when there were other (albeit limited) options. Redhanman is right he seems to be only interested in taking care of Number One..

redhandman wrote:what age is cj 21-22 and how many times has he walked off the hurling or football panel ? 25-26?!

his problem is that he thinks he is the best thing since bread came cut. and because antrim footballers and hurlers have the same chance of winning something / profile - he sifts between the two.

i know how i would sort him out - tell him if he quits one panel he cant then join the other for the rest of that season or the next. his yearly walk out is becoming boring.

good footballer but only looks out for number one - with that attitude he wont go too far. ( i know weveryone will tell me he has won this or that but if he was in tyrone kerry armagh or any other "big" county he wouldnt get a look in with that sort of behaviour!)

No, Tyrone people think he is the best thing since sliced bread, hence the jealous and vitriol.

Just because CJ as a dual player is better than anything from Tyrone cuts no ice with him or his family.

Sure, I'm a better dual player than anyone from Tyrone......

And having seen Kevin last week, the next person who mentions Brian McGuigan in the same book as him................


SWhat a talent.

And I hatethe entire McGourty family, but have to admit the buggers are talented.

CJ was always going to spend summer in the states, not the first time, will not be the last.

Students from "The Ranch" have been doing it for years.

I have said for some years now, certainly since the dawn of the qualifiers, that ANY county with a DEDICATED panel, and two scoring forwards, one who could be a free taker, will do ok, reaching the odd quarter final or provincial final.

Sligo, Westmeath, and fermanagh were the proof.

Antrim however, part of the cultural make up or whatever, are a long way from having a dedicated panel.

At the end of the day i still cant see a rift within the squad now that hes gone nor when he was there, i dont see the lack of respect for Bradley, im starting to believe for some reason tyrone posters are trying to mix.

Tyrone always hated antrim football due to the quantity of footballers from the city on the panel, tyrone people hate belfast as do most country folk in the north for some reason or another.

Antrim have done well under Bradley to get where they are, they should be commended, they should not have randomers mixing stories about them they know nothing about, CJ always had plans to go to the states - fact, CJ did not cause problems within the squad this time around - fact, we have two hurlers away in austrailia - fact, my thing is why isnt the same being said about the two hurlers? Because they are just young lads looking to go and see the world and so is CJ, our hurlers and footballers are doing relatively well this year and long may it continue, i hope the life experience these boys get abroad will build their hunger to play for their county upon their return and add a bit more to the squad that they couldnt or didnt add this time round!

Lay off lads and deal with your own stuff, is Mickey and Sean still not mates or is Mugsy keeping in line with the rest of the boys! Sort out your own internal stuff and stop making stuff up about ours!

North Side Gael wrote:Tyrone always hated antrim football due to the quantity of footballers from the city on the panel, tyrone people hate belfast as do most country folk in the north for some reason or another.

Lay off lads and deal with your own stuff, is Mickey and Sean still not mates or is Mugsy keeping in line with the rest of the boys! Sort out your own internal stuff and stop making stuff up about ours!

You seem to have an awful chip on your shoulder NSG. I'm not sure who you are referring to when you say Tyrone people hate Belfast (do you mean every last one of them?), but I certainly don't hate Antrim football, nor Belfast either. Why would Tyrone people hate Belfast? Sounds like a bit of paranoia there.

By the way, Sean & Mugsy have never left nor been put off any Tyrone panel.

North Side Gael wrote:Come off it would ye?

CJ McGourty walking out is not a split, ive played with CJ this year myself and can assure you the plans for the states where on his mind for some time and other players from the same club, the fact that he hasnt been playing a major part probably has played a part in his decision but i would not say its a split in the squad or disrespecting the manager.

We didnt have him in the squad all last year and we wont have him the rest of this year (if we beat kildare) but it doesnt make a great deal of a difference, yes we'd like to have him, however hes made his decision and thats that.

North side gael dean rock was on the bench sunday for Dublin, tuesday he was on a plane to the states no fallout-just realised no point sitting on the bench for the summer, while you can be in the satates with your friends afterall these are amateur players there free to come and go if they wish..if mcgourtys feels he needs to go fair play to him..

No, Tyrone people think he is the best thing since sliced bread, hence the jealous and vitriol.

Just because CJ as a dual player is better than anything from Tyrone cuts no ice with him or his family.

Sure, I'm a better dual player than anyone from Tyrone......


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Yesterday at 8:44 pm


And having seen Kevin last week, the next person who mentions Brian McGuigan in the same book as him................


SWhat a talent.

And I hatethe entire McGourty family, but have to admit the buggers are talented.





[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Yesterday at 10:20 pm




CJ was always going to spend summer in the states, not the first time, will not be the last.

Students from "The Ranch" have been doing it for years.

I have said for some years now, certainly since the dawn of the qualifiers, that ANY county with a DEDICATED panel, and two scoring forwards, one who could be a free taker, will do ok, reaching the odd quarter final or provincial final.

Sligo, Westmeath, and fermanagh were the proof.

Antrim however, part of the cultural make up or whatever, are a long way from having a dedicated panel.










[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Today at 1:24 am

At the end of the day i still cant see a rift within the squad now that hes gone nor when he was there, i dont see the lack of respect for Bradley, im starting to believe for some reason tyrone posters are trying to mix.

Tyrone always hated antrim football due to the quantity of footballers from the city on the panel, tyrone people hate belfast as do most country folk in the north for some reason or another.

Antrim have done well under Bradley to get where they are, they should be commended, they should not have randomers mixing stories about them they know nothing about, CJ always had plans to go to the states - fact, CJ did not cause problems within the squad this time around - fact, we have two hurlers away in austrailia - fact, my thing is why isnt the same being said about the two hurlers? Because they are just young lads looking to go and see the world and so is CJ, our hurlers and footballers are doing relatively well this year and long may it continue, i hope the life experience these boys get abroad will build their hunger to play for their county upon their return and add a bit more to the squad that they couldnt or didnt add this time round!

Lay off lads and deal with your own stuff, is Mickey and Sean still not mates or is Mugsy keeping in line with the rest of the boys! Sort out your own internal stuff and stop making stuff up about ours!

ok a few points on the above

1 CJ is not better than anything tyrone have produced - he would not nail down a squad position on the tyrone team because he does not believe in the team game he thinks its CJ's game. dual players dont make me laugh we had a fella who was on the hurling team and football team on the one day in the late 90's fella by the name of owens from killyclogher - BOC will testify to this.

2 Kevin mcgourty v brian mcguigan - the only time mcgourty would have got on a team in front brian was when the ace of playmakers was lying up with a serious broken leg /eye injury.

3 i have never hated antrim football ever - i always had a soft spot for them TBH . loved to see st galls doing well and the fact that they probably suffered more during the last 30-40 years than the country fellas means their achievements should be recognised.

4 oh and i love belfast great spot for a night out . just hate going to casemnet as trying to get away from it is a disaster.