There have been several dangerous strokes in today's games. In the first match two Waterford player were deliberately hit with sticks, one to the stomach, the other to the head. In the second game a Galway player has been felled by another belt to the head with a stick. Will these issues be discussed or even mentioned by the panel or mentioned on tonight's Sunday Game? Is hurling seen as beyond reproach by the GAA and media? These hits are dangerous and some poor fella is going to be seriously hurt or worse one of these days.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9702 - 26/07/2015 17:17:20    1759258

Id be more worried about the fist pumping and roaring into lads faces ,getting fairly cringe worthy at times. players are going to pull muscles doing this constantly and possibly get laryngitis.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 26/07/2015 17:27:16    1759261

I asked a similar question with regards over carrying, throwing of ball, pulling and dragging recently after Donal O'Grady and Donal Og Cusack brought it up, one night only! Notably they shied away when Cork were at it in subsequent matches. What is highlighted above is far too serious to ignore. The same analysts criticise refs for inconsistency! Laughable.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 26/07/2015 18:00:24    1759280

today's incidents were no worse than most weeks, you could make more of them if players didn't wear helmets. Business as usual.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 26/07/2015 18:11:29    1759288

It's alright Ulsterman.

These guys are playing a man's sport.

And they even wear helmets.

So it's okay to get smashed around the head/neck.

Just frustration man, thats all. It happens. No biggy

To think anything other than this goes against the grain and is frankly preposterous

So, Carry on, nothing to see here.

Let them at it.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 26/07/2015 18:43:11    1759310

County: Antrim
Posts: 7272

1759258 There have been several dangerous strokes in today's games. In the first match two Waterford player were deliberately hit with sticks, one to the stomach, the other to the head. In the second game a Galway player has been felled by another belt to the head with a stick. Will these issues be discussed or even mentioned by the panel or mentioned on tonight's Sunday Game? Is hurling seen as beyond reproach by the GAA and media? These hits are dangerous and some poor fella is going to be seriously hurt or worse one of these days.

When's the last time an inter county hurler spent two days in hospital after sustaining a broken nose and other facial injuries. received before the game even started?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2466 - 26/07/2015 19:23:48    1759333

Well said cockney cat, oh and by the way they are hurlerys not sticks.

therealtmo (Tipperary) - Posts: 1292 - 26/07/2015 19:30:14    1759334

Hitting another man around the head with a hurl is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Anyone on here trying to justify it is very wrong in my opinion.

Analysts in fairness never drew too much attention to this sort of stuff across the board until the football press pack decided to start going to town on certain teams in the last lot of years so maybe we have come to expect all teams, all codes to be subject to the same level of scrutiny.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 26/07/2015 21:09:50    1759404

Let's relax its a mans game! Do away with cards as well

222 (UK) - Posts: 693 - 26/07/2015 21:23:45    1759406

Well the way some of these "men" fall after being "hit" is the real crime. Someone said here guys are protected I have yet to see a barefaced lump at someone with a hurley to the head. No fractured skulls or broken bones. The "hit" is only as spectacular as the "dive/fall/roll" and there is plenty of that crap on show. Two good games and no arguments from anyone about the two teams going into semi's.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 26/07/2015 22:02:51    1759428

The thing is hurling is not as physical a game to play as football but the use of hurls gives it that more savage image though we are all aware of the etiquette that says you do not use your hurl in any dust-ups. Some guys don't seem to have got this message.

Look I am all for players getting totally stuck in and going at the game as hard as possible but to me lifting your hurl to anyone in the process is a cowards act.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 27/07/2015 08:06:40    1759430

If you play/played the game there are very few career ending injuries, over and above what happens in other sports. Very very few go out to hurt an opposing player - the use of the shoulder is no different to football. Most strikes are attempts to play the ball, players generally know how to protect themselves all part and parcel of playing the game. And these guys don't regard themselves as macho/real men either, they are athletes with a unique skill and its not exactly a parlour game either. If it all gets too much for you hit the off button.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 27/07/2015 08:34:18    1759438

I think the worst incident of the weekend was how Dotsy O'Callaghan was felled as he went towards goal at the end of the Waterford Dublin game. Two lads took him out and all Dublin got was a 21 yard free.

To be fair, Gaelic football has tried to tackle this issue by using the black card. I am a hurling man through & through but don't blame football fans for looking on at hurling and wondering why football has a bad reputation & hurling doesn't when a lot of questionable things happen in hurling too.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 27/07/2015 08:52:31    1759446

arock not too much at all - literally just saying can we not try and use the excuse that because a guy is wearing a helmet it is alright to swing your hurl into the side of his head deliberately.

My normal take on hurling is that the higher the level the less likelihood you have of getting injured because the guys playing are of such a high standard that everything is done much more accurately while bringing a level of professionalism that includes the upmost respect for opponents.

Generally speaking though yesterdays two games were of great entertainment and in general I believe the hurling championship gives us more entertainment than the football championship with a lot more games in the boil for longer than many football matches.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 27/07/2015 09:43:06    1759477

Hurling is a unique sport in that the onus to protect yourself tends to be with you. We saw the cork half back / midfielder get booked for pulling on the Galway lads hand but as the analysts pointed out the Galway lad didn't have his hurl up to protect the hand so it was his mistake to catch the ball that way and fair game to go for the ball.

The difference is it is practically impossible top stop being lumped around the head or thumped in the guts as if you aren't expecting it your stick tends to be above the shoulders or below the waist when you dont have the ball, so whilst not career ending it can be game ending and sure the desired effect has been achieved.

We can see the way things are going teams have identified that not conceding goals is the order of the day hence sweepers are de rigour, we also see now that space is at a premium and two on one tackles or the last ditch pull down are increasing in frequency. Personally I'm not a fan of the black card and don't see it working in Hurling but a free from the 21 or penalty for these type of offenses would definitely make managers have a rethink because their tactic increases the chance of giving away a free score..

duckula20 (Antrim) - Posts: 175 - 27/07/2015 10:17:44    1759499

Not only did they only get a 21 Slayer, but the man that pulled down Dotsy was already on a yellow and then saved the resulting 21!

Heftydickonem (Kilkenny) - Posts: 175 - 27/07/2015 10:20:58    1759502

Lots of sledging in both games as well, but no "somebody think of the children" outrage.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12120 - 27/07/2015 10:25:21    1759506

John Bannon in his ref watch column in Examiner today says that Gleeson should have had two more yellows. He also says that Shanahan should have been booked earlier in the match for unsporting behaviour. An incident he didn't mention was when Gleeson threw the ball at a Dublin player early in the game. The linesman called the refs attention but he let it go.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 27/07/2015 10:25:34    1759507

Not only did they only get a 21 Slayer, but the man that pulled down Dotsy was already on a yellow and then saved the resulting 21!

Very true.

Not bashing Waterford here - If Limerick got away with this I'd be quite happy but the player had made such a good run and was hauled down not once but twice. We used to look at this in football and teams like Tyrone got slated for it but it is happening in hurling now and is sort of being glossed over.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 27/07/2015 10:48:51    1759529

Cork backs got slated yesterday for allowing Johnny Glynn scored the goal that he did score.

Fair enough you might say.

Johnny Glynn soloed the ball on his hurley. The only legal way to dispossess him was to flick the ball of his hurley. Cork players did not manage this and maybe they deserve criticism for not being able to do so (another way would be to credit Johnny Glynn).

However, what seems to to be the implicit suggestion from those analysing the game was that he should have 'ended up on his arse' - apparently that is what Ronan Curran, John Gradiner, Noel Hickey and JJ Delaney would have done to Johhny Glynn..what are they saying?

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 27/07/2015 11:08:06    1759544