Shinty

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

Has the makings of a great occasion - hope it comes somewhere near last Sunday's game in Croke Park for excitement and drama.

Well it certainly did - Kyles Athletic 6 Inveraray 5.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mxxpf/Shinty_Camanachd_Cup_Inveraray_v_Kyles_Athletic/

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

The second test of the senior international is in Ennis this afternoon and it's live on TG4 I believe. Ireland won the first test 25-19 so lead 3-1 based on the daft scoring system used over the series.

Highlights of the first test here with some brilliant stick skills from Patrick Horgan - the Scots will be happy he isn't playing today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jn9lDDnVZW0

[Hardy]

I love this game, but what lunacy inspired the decision to increase the value of the goal to five points?

I think it needs a few tweaks. The two points for a score from a free off the ground is stupid. If a Scottish player hits the ball in play it's one point. If the referee calls it back for a free from the same spot, it's two points, even though it's a much easier task now that he has nobody tackling him. It makes no sense.

And the Scottish goalie needs some kind of implement that gives him a chance of blocking shots. The shinty stick ain't designed for that, it seems to me.

Also, there is no effective way for the Scots to stop an Irish player running with the ball on the stick, so I think this needs to be curbed - four steps maximum or something like that.

What I really love about the game, though, is the fact that no handling is allowed. It's a joy to watch the stick skills displayed by the hurlers when they can't handle the ball. I've said it before, but I'm becoming more convinced that hurling would be a better game if handling wasn't allowed. Apart from the emphasis it would place on stick skills, it would eliminate most of the pulling and dragging that comes with trying to stop a man with a ball in his hand. OK, the spectacular high catch is something we'd want to preserve, so this could be allowed as the only occasion you're allowed to handle the ball - a clean catch when the ball is off the ground and immediate transfer to stick.

Something else I wonder about: the Scots charge the Irish player as soon as he lifts the ball for a free. Why don't we do this in hurling? Surely the ball is in play as soon as it's lifted?

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

I love this game, but what lunacy inspired the decision to increase the value of the goal to five points?

I think it needs a few tweaks. The two points for a score from a free off the ground is stupid. If a Scottish player hits the ball in play it's one point. If the referee calls it back for a free from the same spot, it's two points, even though it's a much easier task now that he has nobody tackling him. It makes no sense.

And the Scottish goalie needs some kind of implement that gives him a chance of blocking shots. The shinty stick ain't designed for that, it seems to me.

I think the 2 points for a free from the ground came about because going for points is so foreign to the Scots and Ireland were going for shots over the bar a lot more and racing ahead. Giving Scotland 2 points for hits from the ground was supposed to balance that a bit.

Awful drubbing for Scotland today. They were actually a little hard done by early on as they had as many goal chances as Ireland in the opening 20 minutes but didn't take them and found themselves 20 points down. Ireland defended much better however with extra men back crowding the Scots out in front of goal, and when the Scots did get a shot away the Irish keeper made a couple of great saves. At the other end Scotland went man for man so when the Irish player beat the defender he invariably had a clear shot at goal, which basically meant he was sure to score as long as he hit the target.

Some brilliant stick skills by the Irish team over both tests. I thought Scotland were below par in both games and never really got going, they will need to have another think about it for next year because something was badly wrong.

The stupid scoring system needs killed off too, just keep it and simple and make it an aggregate score.

[Asal Mor]

I think Hardy might be right about getting rid of handling the ball in hurling. It's not something we'll ever see happen I suppose, but it's an experimant I'd love to see too as the stickwork was brilliant and had to be so innovative. It's a game of pure skill.

Size and speed become less important. It would be a way of going back to an emphasis on skill rather than the huge emphasis there is on athleticism in the game now. When lads like Ger Farragher and Cha Fitzpatrick can't cut it at the top level there's something wrong.

[Eamonnca1]

I think Hardy might be right about getting rid of handling the ball in hurling. It's not something we'll ever see happen I suppose, but it's an experimant I'd love to see too as the stickwork was brilliant and had to be so innovative. It's a game of pure skill.

That's what the compromise rules game is like.