15 April 2009
Maybe this is good time to rethink our attitudes – what if?
Antrim senior footballers, along with their management team led by Liam Bradley, set down their achievable goal of getting out of Division 4 football, at the beginning of this season. With Sligo having defeated Waterford in round 4 of the NFL, Antrim Senior Footballers along with their new management team, have now proved their combined capability and have achieved that first goal. Stepping stone success is unquestionably what Antrim Senior Football needs and with it the County, in order to sow seeds and build self-belief and restore a modicum of pride and confidence.
The next step, and it will of necessity be bigger and bolder but why not, will be to put down a marker by way of a good showing within the Ulster championships. On a good day Antrim senior footballers can certainly raise their game and the evidence of significant progress is now history. Antrim Senior footballers have for long suffered a high level of gratuitous ridicule, from some, and whilst poor performance in the past, was all too often seemingly all but endemic, there has, since the commencement of the 2009 season, been inordinate effort put into regrouping, in order to overcome the totality of obstacles.
Stepping up to Division 3 next year is but a marker and there is essentially no reason as to why Antrim senior footballers should not continue to make good progress. We certainly have both the material and good management; credit should be freely given where it is both fair and fitting. This might be an appropriate time to let both players and management know that their hard work and well earned achievement, is appreciated and a time to add your words of personal encouragement, so that this measurable progress may continue. It really is a good time to wear an Antrim jersey.
Players and managers alike are human and as such will naturally respond to words of encouragement; where they have support they simply won’t want to let those who believe in them down – Success, at county level within GAA, really is a ‘we’ situation where visible support and positive contributions from all sources, be it Managers, mentors, clubs, sponsors, supporters et al., can add up to greater achievement.
An Ulster Senior Championship title should be our next goal – why not? New doors are opening within Antrim; we have no reason as to why we should not get behind our players and encourage them onwards and upwards.
Lawrence Smyth County PRO.
