I made the effort to get out, and scurried accross to Thurles for the Cork-Tipp hurling clash of the day......an exciting finish fails to highlight the issue that really, hurlers should not be out this time of the year. Cork hurlers aren't too hopeful about next season
Word reached Shoulder today in Tipp from a good Cork source as well that Cork will struggle next season in the small ball game, with little expectation in the camp and belief of taking Tipp in the first round......
Discipline - the GAA must deal with violent tackling
What has plagued my troubled mind, has been the burning issue of discpline.....now, this is no new chestnut.
But when a hurler gets a smack in the face with a hurl at half time in a Dublin semi-final and in the same week a football referee is head butted and ugly scenes yet again dog Galway club hurling, then we must all accept we have issues.
The violence associated with some GAA matches, especially this time of year and especially in club matches is not new.
What is also not new and must be tackled, is blatant disregard for refs and the giant irritant of appeals and rule-bending and nod and wink politics to get clubs and players off the hook.
The GAA MUST deal with the dicipline issue and grasp this thorny nettle now. Pictures of prostrate refs in national papers do little for the image of the game....we must start again, make the rules water tight and make the refs untouchable.....
But are hard hats the answer?
Hard Hats.....okay, you need them on the bulding site but fair play to the GAA for introducing the mandatory wearing of helmets next year. It will be harder to recognise players and yes, it will not suit the Mullane's and Sean Ogs and the keepers will hate it, but it has to be done.
Shinty - please, anything but shinty
As for the shinty/hurling debacle....what in the name of God kinda game is that??
A very hungover Shoulder endured this spectacle.....It is like a cross between golf, lacrosse and ground hurling with a bit of medieval hockey thrown in.....my god, we could all do without it. It is absolutely dreadful.
A bit more time trying to reinvent the inter pros and forgetting about this shambles would be a good start.....what next/?
Some form of cross between welly throwing ,netball and football?
Hurling and football are basically very good games, that with some tweaking could become even better....do we need to play GOLF/Hurling/HOckey/Lacrosse just to have an international team??