Hurling Needs a heavier sliotar

[manfromdelmonte]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/hurling-needs-heavier-sliotar-925583.html

Galway’s ability, two years ago, to win an All-Ireland title without finding the net in their last four matches was a peak season for point-scoring but then it was a sign of the times. On average, All-Ireland winning teams are scoring six points more now than they were in the 1980s or 1990s. After beating Cork and Waterford this month, Tipperary are now averaging an aggregate of 29 points per game.

[burdizzo]

Completely agree.
Though I think a bigger rim on the ball would also do the job?

[Milltown Row2]

Is it not the same weight for both teams? Whether hitting the ball extra distance or not both teams are playing with the same ball and have to get the ball on target. Anyone can hit a ball, hitting it with the wind or against you still have to find the target.

Teams/players evolve as do the equipment thats used in playing the sport, are golfers hitting the ball further than 30 years ago?

Denis Taylor was talking about his playing career and how when starting out if he hit a break of 65 then he was hitting hi average highest break, again the game/players/equipment changes

I didnt see anything negetive in Sundays games to say we need a heavier ball

[Antrim Coaster]

Was there not an issue around 10-15 years ago regarding sliotars that were much lighter than normal?

I recall a few of the top players, including DJ Carey, giving off about the fact that the keeper could puck the ball as far as the opposition 21/20 yard/metre line.

I thought the powers that be were going to correct that.

In fact when you have Enda Rowland of Laois and Martin Stackpoole from Kerry launching missiles to land on the 21 yard line it would seem that the GAA never implemented the original heavier sliotar.

[manfromdelmonte]

all of the rules seem to be in advantage of the attacking team now

players being let carry the ball for 5-9 steps
throwing of the ball - I thought there has to be a clear striking motion of the hand?
if a forward runs into a defender they are never pulled for charging

[Franko]

Hurling (at the top level ONLY) is going through a golden age at the minute.

Why would you want to try to fix something which is so obviously not broken?

[Milltown Row2]

all of the rules seem to be in advantage of the attacking team now

players being let carry the ball for 5-9 steps
throwing of the ball - I thought there has to be a clear striking motion of the hand?
if a forward runs into a defender they are never pulled for charging

Running into a player is not charging, charging into a player is charging, needs to lift both feet and aggressively charge a player. The steps thing needs looked at and the hand pass for sure. Refs have been told for years if you can’t see a ‘foul’ technical or otherwise you can’t call it on a hunch, the definition has changed on the handpass though, clear striking motion. But hey the game at that level is phenomenal hard to call, unless you are sitting on the armchair and watching in slow mo

[The Boy Wonder]

I'm in full agreement that the game would be best served by reverting to a heavier sliotar. The ball used today travels so far that you would think they're hitting a tennis ball. Teams are knocking up basketball scores and the bloody ball is ping-ponging from one end of the field to the other 

Hurling was my first love but I'm disenamoured with today's game - the main reasons are the light sliotar, the absence of ground hurling and first time pulling on the ball. How many time do you see groups of players mullocking over the ball, trying to get it into their hand instead of driving the thing up the field (to hell with the possession game). Back in the 80's you could get a spell of ground hurling that would electrify the crowd.

[Milltown Row2]

Hurling does not need changing! Any player driving a ball through a ruck not knowing where it’s going is clueless, it generally lands into the opposing players hands who drives it forward under no pressure!

I’m nearly sure most of this is a wind up

[lenny]

Hurling does not need changing! Any player driving a ball through a ruck not knowing where it’s going is clueless, it generally lands into the opposing players hands who drives it forward under no pressure!

I’m nearly sure most of this is a wind up

I know they’re working on it but I would love to see a luminous brighter sliotar. Most games are totally spoiled on tv trying to follow the ball which is impossible to see most of the time. The golf tracer would work great also for free kicks.

[The Boy Wonder]

There is a sameness creeping into today's game, i.e. it can be hard to distinguish different teams' styles of play and indeed different players' styles of play.
It was the unique skills and traits of individual players that stood out up to recent years. Where are the D J Careys, Brian Whelehans etc. of today ?
Yes, there are great hurlers playing the game today. My point is that today's ball in hand game limits the scope for great hurlers to display their full range of skills.

[clonadmad]

Leave Hurling alone FFS

If it’s not broken don’t fix it

Instead of pricking around with this non issue,instead focus on getting the likes of Carlow,Laois,Kildare,Meath,Westmeath up to a point where they can compete with the top 8 or 9

And for the love of god,will someone stage an intervention with Offaly hurling

[marty34]

I'm in full agreement that the game would be best served by reverting to a heavier sliotar. The ball used today travels so far that you would think they're hitting a tennis ball. Teams are knocking up basketball scores and the bloody ball is ping-ponging from one end of the field to the other 

Hurling was my first love but I'm disenamoured with today's game - the main reasons are the light sliotar, the absence of ground hurling and first time pulling on the ball. How many time do you see groups of players mullocking over the ball, trying to get it into their hand instead of driving the thing up the field (to hell with the possession game). Back in the 80's you could get a spell of ground hurling that would electrify the crowd.

In games nowadays, there are still huge passages of play which are absorbing - hooks and blocks at full pelt then somebody gets a score after 2mins of hell for leather hurling.

Couldn't beat it - no need to change what is already fantastic.

I remember reading an article about this last winter.  The teams can pick their own brand of sliotars for the championship season.  Therefore there will be a huge variation in distances the sliotars travel.  That's why opposition try to 'pinch' the keepers' sliotar bag and chuck it away.

The article also stated that there'll be yellow sliotars available shortly - with red stitching as it's been trialled and is best for the human eye.  They will also be a chip in each sliotar, which, using an app, can check the weight and all sliotars will be standardised.

Can anyone else remember this article?

[The Boy Wonder]

Leave Hurling alone FFS

If it’s not broken don’t fix it

Instead of pricking around with this non issue,instead focus on getting the likes of Carlow,Laois,Kildare,Meath,Westmeath up to a point where they can compete with the top 8 or 9

And for the love of god,will someone stage an intervention with Offaly hurling

I don't like this talk of intervention - look at where that got us with the injection of funds into Dublin !

The best means of improving "2nd tier" hurling counties is for these counties to engage top coaches from established counties
- obviously there needs to be raw material to work with and top coaches are not two a penny.
Examples where this has worked in the past:
Dermot Healy was key to Offaly's breakthrough in 1981
Georgie Leahy, RIP, did great work with Laois in the 1980s.

[Eamonnca1]

Hurling (at the top level ONLY) is going through a golden age at the minute.

Why would you want to try to fix something which is so obviously not broken?

Completely agree. There's damn all wrong with the game and it's never been more popular.