Thank God for hurling

[thejuice]

Got to sit down and watch some championship hurling for the 1st time this year on MSK tonight. As you know club commitments means I cant watch them live. Well after the free fests of the football so far, the games tonight were a breath of fresh air. Really enjoyed Wexford-Galway and Cork-Tipp. The magic is still there and the hand pass rule hasn't impeded too much on the game. Plenty of hard knocks but neither too dirty a game.

Cork were brilliant from 1 to 15. Aisake is still a bit raw but he battled hard and took a fair few knocks and feck all protection from the ref it seemed but TIpps backs couldnt really handle him. Will be interesting how the Cats handle him. Cadigan did well at the backs. Donal óg had a great game, his saves broke any spirit Tipp had left. Tipp certainly arent finished though, they are still up there with best.

Galway showed flashes of great hurling but Wexford put it up to them for period but couldnt make it count. Dont think any of the sending offs were merited except Galways one. Wexford can still go on and have a run if they can just make the possession count. Galway same as ever plenty of talent but look like they can be out fought.

Anyway, whether the football championship digs itself out of the mire remains to be seen but its good to see the hurling still be played the way it should be.

But anyway

[thejuice]

Oh Jaysus Brolly reckons they're going to ruin hurling next.

[Zulu]

You're easily pleased if you thought those games were great. The hurling I've seen has been poor so far.

[Milltown Row2]

maybe not great Zulu but the point is that they are not punishing the hurling games with the stupid rules, in fairness i've had to change my throwing the ball to handpassing!!!

[Rossfan]

Sure they totally ignore the rule book in that silly stick game 

[From the Bunker]

A foreign game to the north-west of the country. One team in Connacht-Ulster that can have any serious aspirations of winning an AI and they have not done it in 23 years. AI series my shite

[didlyi]

From the bunker, you shouls be ashamed of that fact rather than boasting about it

[slow corner back]

A foreign game to the north-west of the country. One team in Connacht-Ulster that can have any serious aspirations of winning an AI and they have not done it in 23 years. AI series my shite

Wherasin the much more popular football Connacht/Ulster has produced a whole 3 counties capable of winning all irelands in the last 15 years. Between 1969 and 1991 Connacht and Ulster football won a combined 0 all irelands at football. But sure thats OK so long as all those counties keep ignoring hurling.

[didlyi]

Sure and the fact that Kerry are competing in the Cristy Ring final this year and hold more all irelands in football than conaught and ulster put together says more about the disrespect for other sports in these 2 provinces than it does of Kerrys regard to sport in general. Disgracefull that ye should wallow.

[Reillers]

Not like you'd know it was on. Or even Championship time. I saw an ad or two for the Cork Tipp game all right, I saw nothing for the Waterford Clare game. Ya I haven't been watching much tv, but feck it like I saw enough ads for the world cup. Still there's been little or no promotion of it. And yes it's hard to compare it to something like the world cup, but I could tell ya who's playing in the first match of the WC, and like I said, I saw nothing for the Waterford and Clare game. I'd much rather watch Waterford against Clare than Mexico against South Africa.

The GAA talks about promoting the game, and well being of it, and all that jazz, but you rarely know when there's a hurling game on if you've no interest, yet you know who's playing on in the soccer in England, and the world cup has ads every break on the tv, it's supposed to be wanting to contest against these lads, but they're not even giving it a go.

And never mind the underage games, some of the recent Cork Tipp games at Minor and U21 level have been fantastic, replays, extra time..etc. Yet they've had zero publicity. The GAA cuts it's nose off despite it's face when it comes to publicity of the games.

[theskull1]

Theres a balance to be struck here and I'm not sure where the levels are. But there's a level where hyping something up too much is exactly that ....too much.

Youre either a hurling man or your not. To introduce hurling into areas where no one has a passion & knowledge to develop the skills of the game is impossible. Footballing strongholds just wouldn't have the individuals capable of teaching the game properly so they can hardly be blamed. You'll find most of the hurling pockets of success in football heartlands (well up north anyway) come about because a Cork man or Tipp man married into the area and started getting youngsters interested. Playing the game is where the love of it is created rather than by TV marketing. If you've played both (and both are enjoyable btw) there is only going to be one winner.

[Reillers]

Theres a balance to be struck here and I'm not sure where the levels are. But there's a level where hyping something up too much is exactly that ....too much.

Youre either a hurling man or your not. To introduce hurling into areas where no one has a passion & knowledge to develop the skills of the game is impossible. Footballing strongholds just wouldn't have the individuals capable of teaching the game properly so they can hardly be blamed. You'll find most of the hurling pockets of success in football heartlands (well up north anyway) come about because a Cork man or Tipp man married into the area and started getting youngsters interested. Playing the game is where the love of it is created rather than by TV marketing. If you've played both (and both are enjoyable btw) there is only going to be one winner.

Ya but there's a difference between hyping something up too much and not promoting it at all. Like I said, one of the greatest rivaliries in hurling, one of the greatest games of the year, one of the most anticiapated matches, Championship finally here and you wouldn't have even known it was on despite the one or two ads, never mind the Waterford Clare game, if you weren't a hurling man you wouldn't have known it was on at all.

They go to extreme lengths to broadcast the soccer in England and the World Cup, (ya all right, it is a massive tournament) and they don't even go about promoting our own games, typical GAA mentality as well though, whatever about RTE who when it comes to GAA, especially hurling has nothing between the ears, the nightmare that was the Late late GAA special I mean, where do you even begin to describe that, but that was even more of a reflection of the game and RTE lack of knowledge, they had ridiculous guests on Dunphy, some singer (I can't remember who), Bertie Ahern, and it was the "rivalry" between Dublin and Kerry was all that they talked about. Pat Kenny was terrible, a late attempt to save it when Des Cahill came on and started pointing out the people in the crowd who Kenny missed and was about the only time hurling was mentioned, some of the Kilkenny lads had flown home from their team holiday (which they bloody well deserved) early to be there and said about 2 words. It was just ridiculous.

The GAA then, has pretty much the same attitude as you were metioning there. You either know it or you don't and that's that. Then you've got fair weather fans turning up at the Alll Ireland final, and Kilkenny are probably the worst for it, but they don't show up all season and every Tom Joe and Harry who haven't gone all year are able to get tickets while Mick who's been there since the League can't. But I suppose that's another problem within itself.

Like I said I could tell ya what time the world cup was starting but I had to double check what time Clare and Waterford was on it.
Why is it that a South Africa soccer game is more promoted than our own games.

[dowling]

Reillers how did you manage to use this thread to put the boot into Kilkenny supporters?

[Reillers]

Reillers how did you manage to use this thread to put the boot into Kilkenny supporters?

Mother of God your endless wumming is beyond tiring. Get over this personal obsession you have.

[heffo]

Not like you'd know it was on. Or even Championship time. I saw an ad or two for the Cork Tipp game all right, I saw nothing for the Waterford Clare game. Ya I haven't been watching much tv, but feck it like I saw enough ads for the world cup. Still there's been little or no promotion of it. And yes it's hard to compare it to something like the world cup, but I could tell ya who's playing in the first match of the WC, and like I said, I saw nothing for the Waterford and Clare game. I'd much rather watch Waterford against Clare than Mexico against South Africa.

The GAA talks about promoting the game, and well being of it, and all that jazz, but you rarely know when there's a hurling game on if you've no interest, yet you know who's playing on in the soccer in England, and the world cup has ads every break on the tv, it's supposed to be wanting to contest against these lads, but they're not even giving it a go.

And never mind the underage games, some of the recent Cork Tipp games at Minor and U21 level have been fantastic, replays, extra time..etc. Yet they've had zero publicity. The GAA cuts it's nose off despite it's face when it comes to publicity of the games.

Do you think it's the suits above up in Croke Park who are at fault?