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Replying To waynoI: "Hurling isnt for me, said it before.
There is no method to hurling. I prefer to watch a game where you see teams try to figure out how to break a defence down for example, Like gaelic football and soccer. A game where you have to work a score rather than just blasting a ball from 110 yards over a bar. Its a lot of hit and hope stuff in my opinion.
Is it skilful ? Well yes, it is.
But then, give a hurler a snooker cue and he wont hit century breaks straight away. Give a hurler a set of darts and he wont be hitting 180s for fun straight away. Every single sport has its own admirable skills. Personally, I think id hit a sliotar over the bar from 65 70 mtrs in Croke Park with nobody tackling me, quicker and more regularly than id hit a 180 at the ally pally in the darts with thousands of people behind me watching or a century break on full size snooker table
My point is, This "most skilful game in the world" that people just throw out is something i simply dont agree with. If you practice and play hurling from a young age and youre good enough to play intercounty in all ireland semi finals, it should be expected that, you can do all the basics, and make them look straightforward like scoring from distance, like unreal fielding, like sideline cuts, like running through tackles while balancing the sliotar on your hurl. Its not *that* skillful
Is hurling the fastest, most hectic game in the world, Id say it probably is. Doesnt make it most skilful or definitively the greatest sport there has ever been.
The above is simply my opinion and i think other GAA people would have a similar opinion, Football for me is the better of the two. For some, just watching a fast headless chicken like sport is entertaining, for others, like me, i just prefer to go into a game knowing there are more than 1 way of playing the game, Its not just gonna be a you shoot from miles, then ill shoot from miles, 1 shot every 45sec-min type of game, Id rather stand watching a team clearly try to figure out how to beat a blanket defence. Or id prefer to see a high scoring kicking game like Kildare v Galway, Monaghan v Kerry etc.
The lack of hurling numbers on HS tells alot too. Its the inferior supported of the two codes." Your comments suggest you don't really watch the sport. Hitting a ball over the bar in hurling on your own from 60 yards is not the equivalent of throwing a 180 in darts. The equivalent in darts would be hitting the board. The skill in hurling is controlling the ball at speed with one touch. Putting a ball into a players hand from 80 yards away while on the run, timing a hook or block correctly while the apposing player is bearing down on goal. I'd like to see you try that and come back with the same comments. How do you think your striking would go if the ball was wet and the wind was blowing into your face. The best players make hurling look easy but it is far from it. Your just bitter that football doesn't get the plaudits because of how boring the games are most of the time.
Faithfull (Offaly) - Posts: 573 - 31/07/2018 13:28:23
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Replying To waynoI: "Hurling isnt for me, said it before.
There is no method to hurling. I prefer to watch a game where you see teams try to figure out how to break a defence down for example, Like gaelic football and soccer. A game where you have to work a score rather than just blasting a ball from 110 yards over a bar. Its a lot of hit and hope stuff in my opinion.
Is it skilful ? Well yes, it is.
But then, give a hurler a snooker cue and he wont hit century breaks straight away. Give a hurler a set of darts and he wont be hitting 180s for fun straight away. Every single sport has its own admirable skills. Personally, I think id hit a sliotar over the bar from 65 70 mtrs in Croke Park with nobody tackling me, quicker and more regularly than id hit a 180 at the ally pally in the darts with thousands of people behind me watching or a century break on full size snooker table
My point is, This "most skilful game in the world" that people just throw out is something i simply dont agree with. If you practice and play hurling from a young age and youre good enough to play intercounty in all ireland semi finals, it should be expected that, you can do all the basics, and make them look straightforward like scoring from distance, like unreal fielding, like sideline cuts, like running through tackles while balancing the sliotar on your hurl. Its not *that* skillful
Is hurling the fastest, most hectic game in the world, Id say it probably is. Doesnt make it most skilful or definitively the greatest sport there has ever been.
The above is simply my opinion and i think other GAA people would have a similar opinion, Football for me is the better of the two. For some, just watching a fast headless chicken like sport is entertaining, for others, like me, i just prefer to go into a game knowing there are more than 1 way of playing the game, Its not just gonna be a you shoot from miles, then ill shoot from miles, 1 shot every 45sec-min type of game, Id rather stand watching a team clearly try to figure out how to beat a blanket defence. Or id prefer to see a high scoring kicking game like Kildare v Galway, Monaghan v Kerry etc.
The lack of hurling numbers on HS tells alot too. Its the inferior supported of the two codes." Very simple analysis. If when 6 points down Limerick lamped every ball 100yds they wouldn't have come back. Look over that match from 64min to the end of ordinary time for an example of composure and taking the right option.
BliainanÁir (Laois) - Posts: 598 - 31/07/2018 13:37:16
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Replying To waynoI: "Hurling isnt for me, said it before.
There is no method to hurling. I prefer to watch a game where you see teams try to figure out how to break a defence down for example, Like gaelic football and soccer. A game where you have to work a score rather than just blasting a ball from 110 yards over a bar. Its a lot of hit and hope stuff in my opinion.
Is it skilful ? Well yes, it is.
But then, give a hurler a snooker cue and he wont hit century breaks straight away. Give a hurler a set of darts and he wont be hitting 180s for fun straight away. Every single sport has its own admirable skills. Personally, I think id hit a sliotar over the bar from 65 70 mtrs in Croke Park with nobody tackling me, quicker and more regularly than id hit a 180 at the ally pally in the darts with thousands of people behind me watching or a century break on full size snooker table
My point is, This "most skilful game in the world" that people just throw out is something i simply dont agree with. If you practice and play hurling from a young age and youre good enough to play intercounty in all ireland semi finals, it should be expected that, you can do all the basics, and make them look straightforward like scoring from distance, like unreal fielding, like sideline cuts, like running through tackles while balancing the sliotar on your hurl. Its not *that* skillful
Is hurling the fastest, most hectic game in the world, Id say it probably is. Doesnt make it most skilful or definitively the greatest sport there has ever been.
The above is simply my opinion and i think other GAA people would have a similar opinion, Football for me is the better of the two. For some, just watching a fast headless chicken like sport is entertaining, for others, like me, i just prefer to go into a game knowing there are more than 1 way of playing the game, Its not just gonna be a you shoot from miles, then ill shoot from miles, 1 shot every 45sec-min type of game, Id rather stand watching a team clearly try to figure out how to beat a blanket defence. Or id prefer to see a high scoring kicking game like Kildare v Galway, Monaghan v Kerry etc.
The lack of hurling numbers on HS tells alot too. Its the inferior supported of the two codes." Or else there's not many hurling people on Hogan Stand.
GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7370 - 31/07/2018 13:39:54
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Replying To royaldunne: "Got to say I'm totally in agreement with you , it's a sport that's of little interest to me, the hype around the two games at weekend did little for me, I tuned in and out of both and found them not that interesting tbh. (Probably going to be shot for that ) but it's just not my thing, whereas last week I was glued to every second of every game. I've held a hurl and what I thought was jasus that would make great kindling. But each to their own. Once you enjoy sport in one way or another then fair play, but the constant you have to like hurling from hurling people gets tiresome, many people couldn't care less about it. Give me a bad football match between two junior b teams any day over any game of hurling." That post is like one an Englishman would post. I'm not being anti English, or any nationality, but it shows a chasm in culture, a complete inability to get the game.
Myopic. There's a tone among some posters that we're a bit too sophisticated for the 'stick game'. Very like they have been anglicised.
BliainanÁir (Laois) - Posts: 598 - 31/07/2018 13:43:38
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Replying To Soma: "Always surprises me to hear people say there are no tactics in hurling. There is a bigger difference in how a team like Galway played on Saturday and Cork played on Sunday than there is between any of the top football sides at the minute. Even the difference in size of the Galway forward line compared to the Cork forward line is greater I'd say than between any 2 sets of starting forwards in intercounty football." It looks like hurling tactics are more positive. Could be to do with the ability to score from within their half negating a blanket defence but I think that's better for supporters than a slower football match with teams packing their defences.
GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7370 - 31/07/2018 13:45:24
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It is as shocking as being "Irish but never went up North".
Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 31/07/2018 13:49:45
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As for it being seen as a nuisance by some counties, at least the counties named above can field a county team unlike one hurling bastion I could name.
MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 4701 - 31/07/2018 08:30:03 2127734
I assume you're referring to Kilkenny. If so, just to correct your ignorance. Kilkenny do field a football county 'team'. For the last few years they have played in the British Senior Football Championship winning it at least twice. which qualifies them for AI Junior Football Championship (they lost to Kerry in semi-final this year).
On top of that, football is played throughout Kilkenny, nearly all the clubs are dual code, They have both hurling and football teams at all ages.
Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2481 - 31/07/2018 13:49:47
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The thing that annoys me about football fans, some at least, is the boasting about its geographical dominance over hurling, that this somehow proves its superiority over hurling. I mean, McDonald's is the most popular restaurant in the country, Love Island is the most popular show on television - popularity is certainly no indicator of quality.
Anyway, for all the multitudes of counties playing football, there's only one county can win the All-Ireland so what good does it do ye?
ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 31/07/2018 13:57:38
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The Hurling documentary on RTE 1 last night was a mixed bag. I'm be interested in the history and development of the game but the contributions from the talking heads were a little OTT. I think Loughnane said something along the lines of when you strike a ball cleanly, the vibration from the strike resonates up your arm, through your body and "into your soul"......I love hurling but that kind of sh1te wrecks my head.
ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 31/07/2018 14:02:42
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Replying To Soma: "Always surprises me to hear people say there are no tactics in hurling. There is a bigger difference in how a team like Galway played on Saturday and Cork played on Sunday than there is between any of the top football sides at the minute. Even the difference in size of the Galway forward line compared to the Cork forward line is greater I'd say than between any 2 sets of starting forwards in intercounty football." Its just a defence mechanism. He , for some reason, feels threatened by hurling so seeks to demean it. His description of what he likes about football over hurling is even boring!! His complete lack of knowledge of the game of hurling tactically is cringeworthy giving the fact that he came on here voluntarily to comment on it.
The reality is that football is being killed , at adult level, by its coaches and so-called great football minds. They also have a problem with their structures but can do very little about it hence the super 8s which is too little and comes too late in the season. The fame that is played at intercounty level bears little resemblance to the game that my son plays with his club at u12. Football at his age group is actually quite an enjoyable spectacle.
I genuinely believe that we, the gaa, have a really excellent product now in hurling. The new structures have been brilliant and a few tweaks here and there will make it better. Our structures are merit based and truly reflect a counties status and position in the game. That cannot be said for football championship wise. As I said in an earlier post it's the county boards of the traditionally football counties that are hindering the games development there which is unfortunate. Imo the structures used in Dublin should be mirrored throughout the country. Every second weekend should be designated to hurling and all clubs should be encouraged and incentivised to become dual. Only then will the game grow in the rest of the country.
Tadhgmacda (Limerick) - Posts: 99 - 31/07/2018 14:09:05
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Replying To neverright: "Watched the RTE programme tonight on hurling - a very interesting programme. One of the points made was that hurling was sponsored (for want of a better word) by the landlords in the more fertile grasslands in the southern half of the country. In truth, more than a century later, the game of 'hurling', despite the efforts of a lot of distinguished people, has not really spread to any great extent beyond that area." I knew the Brits were to blame for this as well somehow, it's a wonder they hadn't them all playing cricket as well in these counties with the good land. makes a lot of sense I suppose.
Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2758 - 31/07/2018 14:45:24
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Like most of the others on this thread I never played hurling, even though my club fielded hurling (and camogie) sides at senior and underage. It simply wasn't a consideration for a lot of us.
For the craic, I played hurling with the club when I went abroad, and found it surprisingly enjoyable. I'm still sh**e, but it is a pleasure being able to do little things that I wasn't able to a couple of years back, like catch a ball in the air or strike on the run.
I do also think though that hurlers need to get over the chip that many carry on their shoulders about football.
Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 31/07/2018 14:57:14
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Not much hurling in Leitrim. 4 clubs or less depending on the year. Seems to be hard to gather numbers for a football team nevermind play another sport. Lot of lads in my village would not be able how to lift and strike a sliothar with a hurl.
Usually a lad with a father from Galway or Tipp etc. will be more into it and may play a bit.
That said Leitrims a big GAA county and most people would tune in and watch the hurling so they would be quite into it even if they don't play it. Most lads I know would have a soft spot for Waterford and would like to see them win an All-Ireland.
Strangely enough my father reckons an old type of hurling was played in his grandfathers time around the area where they used sticks cut from the hedge and rolled a ball made from twine around a cork or something like that and played it all on the ground. One place is called Hurley Hill. So it would seem some type of hurling was played there years ago.
Grey_Wolf (Leitrim) - Posts: 235 - 31/07/2018 15:09:43
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Replying To Grey_Wolf: "Not much hurling in Leitrim. 4 clubs or less depending on the year. Seems to be hard to gather numbers for a football team nevermind play another sport. Lot of lads in my village would not be able how to lift and strike a sliothar with a hurl.
Usually a lad with a father from Galway or Tipp etc. will be more into it and may play a bit.
That said Leitrims a big GAA county and most people would tune in and watch the hurling so they would be quite into it even if they don't play it. Most lads I know would have a soft spot for Waterford and would like to see them win an All-Ireland.
Strangely enough my father reckons an old type of hurling was played in his grandfathers time around the area where they used sticks cut from the hedge and rolled a ball made from twine around a cork or something like that and played it all on the ground. One place is called Hurley Hill. So it would seem some type of hurling was played there years ago." Carrick hurling play in underage leagues and championships in Roscommon. They play adult league hurling in the Dermot Molloy hurling League which is run by Sligo afaik. There are teams from Sligo Leitrim and Mayo in it. They also play in the leitrim/longford league.
Longford Slashers also play underage in Roscommon and also in westmeath. They play in the Roscommon adult league.
Both club mentors tell me that life is made very hard for them by their respective county boards. The say that fixtures are regularly put on for the same nights making it a constant struggle.
Tadhgmacda (Limerick) - Posts: 99 - 31/07/2018 15:38:33
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I didn't mean to offend when I said it bugs me how hurling people keep rolling out the 'best game in the world' line. It's just an observation. If you think about it, hurling is only played in this country and it's not even the most popular sport in Ireland - but yet many think it is the greatest sport in the world. That's a strange scenario.
The reality is that hurling and football are in competition and with dual players extinct at county level, they are going to be extinct in the future at club level too.
For example in Go Games in Meath, football and hurling is played on alternative weekends. You can't play a football game at U10/U8 level or coach if it clashes with hurling. It's a small percentage of kids who play hurling in this county so the majority are stopped playing football every second Saturday. Soccer here is every week - kids know they are playing every Friday/Saturday for 30 weeks in a row bar a summer break. The GAA can't compete with that because it is trying to facilitate two completely diverse sports.
The reality is that if you have as much chance of making hurling popular in football counties as you have of making football a success in Kilkenny.
Roger (Meath) - Posts: 471 - 31/07/2018 16:21:33
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I train an u10 team in a non hurling county. There is one young lad on our team who has all the skills and utterly dominates every match we play. He also collects the cul cards and knows all the players names on the big inter county teams. It really saddens me that his future is limited because of where he lives. In soccer or rugby the sky would be the limit but not in the GAA. Any suggestions on what this lad could do?
liam500 (Wicklow) - Posts: 175 - 31/07/2018 16:41:16
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Replying To liam500: "I train an u10 team in a non hurling county. There is one young lad on our team who has all the skills and utterly dominates every match we play. He also collects the cul cards and knows all the players names on the big inter county teams. It really saddens me that his future is limited because of where he lives. In soccer or rugby the sky would be the limit but not in the GAA. Any suggestions on what this lad could do?" I could be cynical and say move when he gets older but that wouldn't help.
The reality though is that if he continues to progress as you say he currently is then he will play at the highest level available to him which currently is christy ring cup. If he's lucky there wil be others of similar ability to him in the squad at that time and they can progress together to Mcdonagh cup level as carlow have done with a similar amount of clubs. Of course it's likely that he will go to college in Dublin and play Fitzgibbon while there. He may decide to transfer to a Dublin club while living there and play Leinster championship for them or some other county should he end up in college/ living there.
They are his options.
Tadhgmacda (Limerick) - Posts: 99 - 31/07/2018 16:58:53
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Replying To Roger: "I didn't mean to offend when I said it bugs me how hurling people keep rolling out the 'best game in the world' line. It's just an observation. If you think about it, hurling is only played in this country and it's not even the most popular sport in Ireland - but yet many think it is the greatest sport in the world. That's a strange scenario.
The reality is that hurling and football are in competition and with dual players extinct at county level, they are going to be extinct in the future at club level too.
For example in Go Games in Meath, football and hurling is played on alternative weekends. You can't play a football game at U10/U8 level or coach if it clashes with hurling. It's a small percentage of kids who play hurling in this county so the majority are stopped playing football every second Saturday. Soccer here is every week - kids know they are playing every Friday/Saturday for 30 weeks in a row bar a summer break. The GAA can't compete with that because it is trying to facilitate two completely diverse sports.
The reality is that if you have as much chance of making hurling popular in football counties as you have of making football a success in Kilkenny." Rugby is only played by a small percentage of the population but it's hugely popular spectator wise so why can't you judge Hurling by similar standards. There are only 10 teams in the League of Ireland premier division and many other countries top leagues so why beat hurling with that stick. Your county played in the Joe Mcdonagh cup this season. If there was a tiered system in football, and it is badly needed, what tier would Meath football be in?
Kids play soccer because it's all around them and easy to play. That is the reality. Sky sports and other media outlets are saturated with it and parents dream of Johnie playing for Utd. Football people forget that this is a dual sport organisation created to promote the Irish identity through our sports. They forget this and say that the two sports cannot blossom side by side due to resources etc while bringing their children to the local soccer club. How hypocritical is that? Yet it happens everywhere. I see people with their gaa club tops at the soccer club and they won't let their kids hurl because they have too much activities. That's the reality.
Tadhgmacda (Limerick) - Posts: 99 - 31/07/2018 17:09:00
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Replying To Tadhgmacda: "I could be cynical and say move when he gets older but that wouldn't help.
The reality though is that if he continues to progress as you say he currently is then he will play at the highest level available to him which currently is christy ring cup. If he's lucky there wil be others of similar ability to him in the squad at that time and they can progress together to Mcdonagh cup level as carlow have done with a similar amount of clubs. Of course it's likely that he will go to college in Dublin and play Fitzgibbon while there. He may decide to transfer to a Dublin club while living there and play Leinster championship for them or some other county should he end up in college/ living there.
They are his options." I think theirin lies the nub of the problem. What's the point in a young lad in Cavan, Leitrim etc playing hurling in that the peak of his career might be a Lory Meagher cup appearance? I think really that there should be a route for exceptional young players in those counties to the top level.
liam500 (Wicklow) - Posts: 175 - 31/07/2018 17:09:38
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I found "The game" a bit embarressing and its "history" is not really history. That said once you have been involved with the sport nothing else compares nor can compare. To say there is no pattern to the play reveals a terrible ignorance and suggests resentment towards the sport which is undeserving. Anyone who watched Glaway vs Clare and compared to Limerick vs Cork will know there was a difference, if you played or are interested in the game you will know why they were different games. It is unfair to compare it to football which is an utterly different sport. Hurling has evolved, because the people overseeing the game if they see a problem with the sport they change it (look at the penalty rule). Football has no such oversight or consensus and rules are compromises and as a result the changes are bolted on in a rather haphazard way. But make no mistake the same percentages as apply in football apply in hurling, puck out/possession retention, forced turnovers/errors, support play, running off the shoulder, high fielding, tactical marking - in top hurling their is nothing left to chance.
It is just a very fast game with reactions, touch, speed/strenght all coming into play in the modern game. At the end of the day though when you strike the sliotar that feeling never ever leaves you it is spiritual in many ways and simply nothing at all in this world comes near it as a sport.
I am ok with the fact that some of its worst opponents are actually the followers of Gaelic football, they would rather club players took up rugby or soccer before a hurl. But in Dublin (at least) in the bigger clubs that is no longer the case. Hopefully hurling will be around for another few thousand years.
arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4898 - 31/07/2018 17:16:04
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