Sligo manager Niall Carew was one of the many GAA people that didn't agree with Babs Keating's article last Sunday morning.

Keating wrote that Waterford manager Derek McGrath should step down if the county didn't win last Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final because they weren't playing 'traditional hurling'.

Carew, who managed Waterford's footballers before taking over Sligo in 2014, took exception to this and wrote in his own column in the Sligo Champion that like everything else hurling has evolved:

"What baffled me about Babs was his assessment of Derek McGrath, the Waterford hurling manager. This, of course was before a sliotar was pucked in the All-Ireland final of 2017," writes Carew.

"Babs said that Derek should step down as manager if Waterford didn't win it. His reasons are very simple. Derek is not play traditional hurling. All I can say is 'Oh my God'. So if we are not playing the traditional way we are not playing the right way. Sure look let's bring back the little fat corner backs that would take your life that we all know existed up to 20 years ago.

"I got my jaw broken twice by these sort of lads when I was a minor playing both football and hurling at senior level. It was simple back then. Burst the young lad and it was acceptable.

"I'm sorry Babs but the GAA world has moved on. Imagine how Sligo's greatest ever footballer Mickey Kearns would have benefited if he got protection when he was in his heyday. Sligo could probably have won an All-Ireland but the fact of the matter was these great players got no protection back then."

He added: "The world has moved on and the GAA is going with it. It's men like Derek McGrath that evolve our games so give him a break and some credit with what he has achieved to date. For me, he has worked wonders and I'm so sorry they didn't reach the holy grail."

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