IN ALL FAIRNESS - Hurling’s issues are overblown

For so long, Gaelic football was seen the problem child of the GAA in comparison to hurling where the games were free-flowing and exciting.

I’m sure there is an element within the football fraternity having a wry smile at hurling’s perceived issues, particularly since the start of the National League. One week the refereeing was too strict, on another week it wasn’t strict enough. Then there were too few goals, now there are too many points. Now, it is what can we believe from some games as to whether teams are going full pelt or whether there is an element of shadowboxing with the championship now firmly coming into view.

Hurling’s issues could simply be put down to having such a long period of no action, with pundits and supporters so eager for action, they are trying to cram all the criticism they missed out on in the spring into a six-week league period where teams are under-taking a pre-season, and a competitive competition, at the same time.

There is no doubting that as we get closer to the championship that potential repeat meetings do have an element of not showing their hand in it. We had it with Dublin and Antrim two weeks ago, and we certainly had it with Limerick and Cork last weekend, just four weeks out from their Munster semi-final in Thurles.

I was surprised that Cork went with such an under-strength side to the LIT Gaelic Grounds, particularly as it would have been the ideal opportunity to see if their updated running-game could work against Limerick’s press and physicality. On the evidence of what we saw, it doesn’t but it is early days in the Kieran Kingston/Donal O’Grady evolution, and they would have left Limerick with plenty of learnings of what needs to be refined in how to make their gameplan work against the Shannonsiders.

They are highly unlikely to rip up the script based on one game, but even without playing the likes of Patrick Horgan, Seamus Harnedy and Darragh Fitzgibbon, Limerick easily got to grips with Cork’s plan to work the ball out from the full-back line, almost like what Manchester City do in soccer. When it works, it can be very effective, and we certainly saw that with Cork’s first goal when they got the ball in behind the Limerick half-back line. However, when it doesn’t work and turnovers followed in their own half, it led to so many cheap scores for a Limerick side that were far from full strength with Nicky Quaid, Mike Casey, Kyle Hayes, Gearoid Hegarty, Dan Morrissey, and Seamus Flanagan sitting in the stand.

While neither camp will put too much store in the result (Limerick having over 50 shots at goal in the game) one thing we can take from it is Limerick are getting back to near their best. The intensity they brought in their tackling and workrate last Saturday was a step up from what they produced in the three league games prior to that. It’s arguably their trump card in how they play, forcing opposition into turning over the ball from where Limerick can either go long or work the ball quickly through the hand to a man in space for an easy score.

Such were the scoring rates in five of the six division one games last weekend, it was hard to get away from a challenge match feel to them, played in empty stadiums. However, the one game that felt real was in Belfast where five hundred people were able to attend Antrim v Wexford, and their presence certainly helped create a real atmosphere both temas fed off of, and thankfully we’ll have two hundred people at National League games in the Republic next weekend, which will benefit games.

If there was a question-mark over Antrim’s first round win over Clare as being just first day rustiness on behalf of the Banner-men, it was quashed last Saturday as Darren Gleeson’s charges stood toe to toe with Wexford and came out with a deserved draw, which secures their division one status for another year which was the main aim for the Portroe native this year. Indeed, with the hurling league groups for 2022 to be determined based on the final standings after this weekends games, I’m sure many Tipperary hurling followers would welcome an away day to Antrim in the next year or two.

However, Antrim have shown they can be a thorn in the championship, and considering they rested a few players also last Saturday, they still produced a quality performance with James McNaughton, Keelan Molloy, Niall McKenna outstanding, while Neil McManus is showing his class at the very highest level, with his vision and pass for their second goal as good as the best players in the country. They can now rest players against Laois this weekend and focus on their Leinster quarter final against Dublin and certainly there is little to choose between the sides at this stage.