Hurling 2026

[NAG1]

Clare and Tipp's record v Limerick the last number of years is not great or anywhere close to it yet they are the boys with the All Ireland medals where as Cork have beaten them plenty recently and can't get up the Hogan Stand

With the loss of Joyce you'd have to fancy Limerick again stood here today, incredible Sunday with no Gillane or Lynch

I think Limerick have gone to a new level. Clare havent replaced some of the older guard with similar quality, Limerick seem to be interchangeable with little drop off if any in terms of the talent.

Scary that they looked so good without Gillane. Tipp just dont know where they are at currently, maybe they will make a late run at it but I can't see it at the moment.

[EoinW]

What surprised me about the Limerick game was the latter stages, when the contest was decided.  With all the yellow cards piling up, I believe they left those players on the field.  The English second yellow(and suspension?) could easily have been avoided.

I also thought Nash should have been black carded.  Doesn't a black card count as a yellow - second in his case.

[Genocide Organ]

What surprised me about the Limerick game was the latter stages, when the contest was decided.  With all the yellow cards piling up, I believe they left those players on the field.  The English second yellow(and suspension?) could easily have been avoided.

No suspension for a second yellow.

[didlyi]

Say what you like about Clare but Limerick were awesome. Their ability to find players in space is something to behold . Having the ability to place the perfect pass compliments how the players seem to always know where to run when the ball is moving out from the back. They look as good now as ever in the past..

[AustinPowers]

Didn't see Limerick v Clare match. TG4 had  a few seconds of highlights last night.

One  tackle as Clare no 15 shaped to shoot , Limerick no 5 came in on his blindside and  absolutely clattered him. Did this  result in a card of any colour? And was the Clare player ok?

Jesus, it was  a dirty one

[marty34]

Didn't see Limerick v Clare match. TG4 had  a few seconds of highlights last night.

One  tackle as Clare no 15 shaped to shoot , Limerick no 5 came in on his blindside and  absolutely clattered him. Did this  result in a card of any colour? And was the Clare player ok?

Jesus, it was  a dirty one

O'Donnell was blind sided alright. Turned away and Byrnes lined him up. Don't know if it 'helped' O'Donnell but only thing was Byrnes wasn't running full pelt at him. He hit him in the chest area. Definately wasn't shoulder to shoulder. He got a yellow I think.


O'Donnell was shook obviously and after a minute or two, got up and played away. The issue for O'Donnell is that he's had a couple of bad concussions this past few years so good job it wasn't a hit to the head. Helmet might help soften a belt from a hurl but the brain can still move about inside the helmet/head from a body shot to the head.


My take on it is players should have a duty of care to their opponents - like rugby in a way. Maybe GAA will bring this in and means it will be up to players giving the hit to act responsibility.   

[johnnycool]

Byrnes didn't get a yellow as the ref didn't think it was a free.

In real time and from the angle the ref was at, probably a bit unclear, but yes, I thought it was more chest than shoulder to shoulder.

There were a lot of loose hurls in the tackling, not sure if they were near a ball though and I'm no purist, for me a hurl should only be swung,flicked at a ball, but now it's just in the general direction, hitting arms, hands and anything in between.

[NAG1]

Byrnes didn't get a yellow as the ref didn't think it was a free.

In real time and from the angle the ref was at, probably a bit unclear, but yes, I thought it was more chest than shoulder to shoulder.

There were a lot of loose hurls in the tackling, not sure if they were near a ball though and I'm no purist, for me a hurl should only be swung,flicked at a ball, but now it's just in the general direction, hitting arms, hands and anything in between.

Yeah its all getting a little bit much, if its not a chop down from the player entering the tackle to contact the tackling arm, it is a swing back on the way out of the tackle to break away. Neither are a great look and both technically fouls that we are never seen blown at this point.

The ref struggled in this game on a few of the big calls.

[Milltown Row2]

What surprised me about the Limerick game was the latter stages, when the contest was decided.  With all the yellow cards piling up, I believe they left those players on the field.  The English second yellow(and suspension?) could easily have been avoided.

No suspension for a second yellow.

Would only be suspension if he had previous in the competition, I think

[Lowkey]

Byrnes didn't get a yellow as the ref didn't think it was a free.

In real time and from the angle the ref was at, probably a bit unclear, but yes, I thought it was more chest than shoulder to shoulder.

There were a lot of loose hurls in the tackling, not sure if they were near a ball though and I'm no purist, for me a hurl should only be swung,flicked at a ball, but now it's just in the general direction, hitting arms, hands and anything in between.

Yeah its all getting a little bit much, if its not a chop down from the player entering the tackle to contact the tackling arm, it is a swing back on the way out of the tackle to break away. Neither are a great look and both technically fouls that we are never seen blown at this point.

The ref struggled in this game on a few of the big calls.

I think hurling has become impossible to ref properly though. There's so much ball-in-hand with teams playing the possession game. We have players routinely taking 6+ steps and throwing the ball so tackling becomes more about big hits and whatever spare-arm grabbing and grappling you can get away with, rather than the actual skills of hooking, blocking or flicking the ball away. Those skills are often redundant against teams running the ball up the pitch and throwing it to the open man.

I'd love a zero tolerance campaign wrt possession rules like steps and the clear release & definite strike that's required on the handpass (not the freeze-frame "separation" that Donal Óg and Derek McGrath seem determined to redefine as the requirement). If players had to play the ball quickly and legally there'd be far less need for the big (dangerous) hits and more opportunity to dispossess someone skillfully.

If I want to watch big hits (ie. two lads crashing into each other) and people running around with ball-in-hand throwing it to each other, there are other sports that cater for that.

[EoinW]

Byrnes didn't get a yellow as the ref didn't think it was a free.

In real time and from the angle the ref was at, probably a bit unclear, but yes, I thought it was more chest than shoulder to shoulder.

There were a lot of loose hurls in the tackling, not sure if they were near a ball though and I'm no purist, for me a hurl should only be swung,flicked at a ball, but now it's just in the general direction, hitting arms, hands and anything in between.

Correct.  It was not ruled a foul.

To be fair to the referee, in real time it looked like shoulder to shoulder.  As a fan, I prefer to see officials keep their whistles in their pocket unless there is "without any doubt" a clear foul.

Maybe it's my old eyes but I'm constantly amazed by how often referees get the calls right.

[EoinW]

What surprised me about the Limerick game was the latter stages, when the contest was decided.  With all the yellow cards piling up, I believe they left those players on the field.  The English second yellow(and suspension?) could easily have been avoided.

No suspension for a second yellow.

Would only be suspension if he had previous in the competition, I think

Cheers for the clarification.

[johnnycool]

Hurling is getting impossible to referee to the current rulebook, if that's even a thing.

For me when Clare should have had the penalty for the jersey pull which was saved and Barry Nash won possession and was surrounded by three Clare lads, arms and hurls flailing as per the norm now, but for me he charged out and then hit the deck.

I'd have of given the free in for that as charging and pulling the attackers arms around you is getting very common too.

Who'd be a referee, eh?

[Milltown Row2]

Hurling is getting impossible to referee to the current rulebook, if that's even a thing.

For me when Clare should have had the penalty for the jersey pull which was saved and Barry Nash won possession and was surrounded by three Clare lads, arms and hurls flailing as per the norm now, but for me he charged out and then hit the deck.

I'd have of given the free in for that as charging and pulling the attackers arms around you is getting very common too.

Who'd be a referee, eh?

Think jersey pull is the easiest to give and no complaints from players, It may be soft looking at the time and a lot of refs will raise the hand for advantage but its the one that no one can complain about when given

[marty34]

Hurling is getting impossible to referee to the current rulebook, if that's even a thing.

For me when Clare should have had the penalty for the jersey pull which was saved and Barry Nash won possession and was surrounded by three Clare lads, arms and hurls flailing as per the norm now, but for me he charged out and then hit the deck.

I'd have of given the free in for that as charging and pulling the attackers arms around you is getting very common too.

Who'd be a referee, eh?

Think jersey pull is the easiest to give and no complaints from players, It may be soft looking at the time and a lot of refs will raise the hand for advantage but its the one that no one can complain about when given

But it all depends on the referee's view of the jersey pull.

Like Cork rightly complain when Robbie O'Flynn got his jersey tugged by Clare's Leen (iirc) at the death in 2024 AI Final.

Although O'Flynn got the shot away, and it went wide, it still should have been a free.