Ireland-Hurling: Diarmuid O'Sullivan on Helmets and Pay for Play

Sadly Cork hurling star Diarmuid O'Sullivan is about to retire from the game. Unfortunately for him new Cork hurling manager Denis Walsh had plans which did not include the Cloyne man. The Rock realised that the writing was on the wall and walked. Increasingly he appears to have become disillusioned with the GAA.

From 2010 it will be mandatory for all hurlers to wear a helmet. O'Sullivan strongly disagrees with this rule and announced in a Sunday Independent interview that he plans to retire from the game completely, on the basis that players should have freedom of choice. He is strongly supported in this opinion by Irish Examiner columnist onside johnny.
With all due respect to both, players safety MUST come first. Hurlers must put aside selfishness on this matter. Avoidance of serious injury is of paramount importance . Sportsmen as bread winners have responsibilities to their families. Injuries can put them out of work and result in heavy loss of income. I strongly support the new GAA rule.

The Rock argues in favour of match fees for players. Undoubtedly many players are feeling the brunt of the recession and as amateurs invest huge amounts of time and energy into preparation for intercounty matches. Realistically they are entitled to very generous expenes. A fee is Pay for Play and would herald the end of the GAA as an amateur organisation. Onside johnny in the Irish Examiner strongly supports the concept. He argues that each player should get €10,000 per championship match and slightly less for league matches. He argues for an extra €50K per man for players reaching quarter-finals and so on.
The Rock and journalists such as onside johnny have not teased out fully the implications of such a proposal.
Many games do not generate sufficient income to pay such sums. Yesterdays Leinster Hurling Final between Kilkenny and Dublin would not have provided the wherewithal to pay the €10,000 per player fee. Presumably 10 other panel members on each side would demand the same pay out. Also Croke Park - in common with all major sports stadia on match days- eats up gate receipts. Stadia do not run themselves.

The proposal to pay almost €10,000 to each player for each league match is crazy.
Presumably onside johnny is aware of the poor attendances for Cork's league matches at Pairc UI Chaoimh. This is replicated througout the country. Diarmaid O'Sullivan will now play Rugby for Highfield. Will he now secure a match fee of €10,000 per game?

Thousands of volunteers drive the GAA. They get no financial reward. Many will walk away.
I suspect that people such as Dessie Farrell of the GPA are endeavouring to drive the GAA toward professionalism. Their real agenda is to create a professional elite. If so they are heading for disaster. As the recession bites attendances are dropping and supporters are increasingly unhappy with ticket prices. There is downward pressure on prices.

Quite frankly the GAA would not survive as a professional organization. The GPA needs to thread carefully.

The GAA must reorganise the Senior Hurling Championship structure

Quite frankly it is time for the GAA to reorganise the Senior Hurling Championship structure. Over the last two weeks Antrim has been at the receiving end of thrashings by Galway and Waterford.
In today’s game at Walsh Park, Waterford defeated Antrim by 6-18 to 0-15. This game benefited neither Antrim nor Waterford. Waterford experimented with Ken McGrath at full back and Shane O’Sullivan at wing back. I strongly agree with the decision to try Ken McGrath at full back. Waterford could not continue to leak goals at the back. Ken needs time to settle in this position. No worthwhile assessment can be made of Waterford’s performance. Waterford needed a very hard game today. It did not get it. The Deise players may now find it more difficult to raise their performances against stronger opposition. (Below Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh reports on the game for RTE. Included also is an interview with Davy Fitzgerald- Waterford's Manager)
The Munster Senior Hurling championship is the only provincial championship that is competitive. The Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is in urgent need of reform. Antrim and Galway must play in Leinster.

The Leinster Senior Hurling Championship could be seeded. The participating teams would be divided into two groups:
Group A would consist of:Kilkenny, Wexford and Laois. Group B would consist of: Galway, Offaly and Dublin. Both groups would be run on a league basis. The winner of each group would contest the Leinster Final. The second team in each group would go into the qualifiers. The third team in each group would play in the Christy Ring Cup.

Dominic McKinley and Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton have an impossible task at present. Both men live for the game of hurling. Antrim and Down suffer because of their isolated location far removed from the hurling strongholds of the south. Derry is another county, which could make greater progress at hurling. However Gaelic Football is a major obstacle. Each of the remaining six counties in Ulster has a small dedicated band of hurling men who work tirelessly to promote the game.

GAA headquarters must take the bull by the horns. The Ulster Council must be split into the Ulster Hurling Council and the Ulster Football Council. The new Ulster Hurling Council would be provided with funding of €2 million annually to develop hurling in each of the nine counties. Prominent inter county hurlers from the south could be employed by the new Ulster Hurling Council to help develop the game.
Its time to end the lip service. The Ulster Council is a football Council. It has little interest in hurling.
Ulster Hurling enthusiasts must go their own way. Otherwise hurling will die in the Glens and the Ards peninsula.

Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh reports on the game

Embedded from RTE.IE

Davy Fitzgerald interview

Embedded from RTE.IE

GAA:Justin McCarthy steps down as Waterford Senior Hurling manager

Today sadly Justin McCarthy resigned as Waterford Senior Hurling Manager on the basis that he had lost the support of some of the players. Tonight the County Board accepted his resignation. Selectors Seamie Hannon, Michael Ryan and Nicky Cashin have resigned also. The Board has now set in train the process to find a new manager.

Justin's seven years as Manager have been quite successful. In this period Waterford has won three Munster Senior Hurling titles and one National League title. As a hurling purist McCarthy greatly improved the players' skill levels. Waterford confronted and defeated teams such as Cork and Tipperary in some of the greatest hurling games that I have ever seen. McCarthy instilled a will and determination to win. This had been missing heretofore. Waterford players no longer suffered from an inferiority complex.

It was no secret that all was not well in the camp for some time and that some players were unhappy with the manager. The have finally got their way. Can they now deliver the exclusive All Ireland? One thing is certain. This is an appalling mess in the middle of the hurling season.

There is speculation as to the likely replacement. Names such as Eddie O'Connor, Donal O'Grady, Tom Ryan and Nicky Cashin have been mentioned. It is probably best if a manager is chosen from outside the county. Such a manager can take hard decisions and keep inter club rivalry at bay.

Statement by Justin McCarthy:

"Today I informed the Chairman of Waterford County Board that I intend to step down as manager of the Waterford Senior Hurling team. I made the decision as I feel I no longer have the full support of all the players on the team. I would like to thank the County Board for their co-operation, and for the support they have always given me, and I wish the players and the new management team every success in the future. I also want to thank the selectors and backroom team, and the great loyal supporters who have followed Waterford through thick and thin. Over the last seven years Waterford has enjoyed unprecedented success on the hurling field and I am privileged to have been involved with such a great team. I regret that my decision to step down has come in the middle of the championship season, however I feel it is the best course of action for everybody involved. I will be making no further comment at this time."

End of Statement

National Hurling League: Waterford V Kilkenny –Sending off spoils game

Kilkenny defeated Waterford by 0-25 to 0-14 in this National Hurling League game played at Nowlan Park today.

This match was competitive for the first 30 minutes. Unfortunately it was spoilt by the sending off of Waterford's Michael Brick Walsh. Referee Michael Haverty administered yellow cards liberally throughout the game. This was a clean game. The referee is the real story. Admittedly he is applying the rules as he sees fit. However in my view he was too fussy.

Croke Park authorities are out of touch with reality. Hurling is a physical and skilful game. It is a game for men. It is not soccer. Once the game is played in a clean and sporting manner the role of the referee should be minimal. Croke Park is a determined to ape the idiocy prevailing in soccer. Increasingly players are exasperated with much of this yellow card nonsense emanating from GAA headquarters.

The sending off of Michael Walsh in the 35th minute of the first half for a second yellow card effectively finished this game as a spectacle. In my view it was a harsh decision. The referee should have given him a final warning.

In the first half Kilkenny appeared sharper. They were quicker to the ball. The Waterford forward line was poor. However this is partly explained by the fact that high balls were raining in from outfield. In addition the forwards were largely static and failed to move off the ball sufficiently. The experiment of playing Declan Prendergast in the forward line is a failure. It must be discontinued.

The second half was one-way traffic. Kilkenny looked exceptionally sharp. However Brian Cody would have welcomed a stronger test again a 15 man Waterford team.

The problems in the Waterford full back line have not been ironed out. Neither Richie Foley or Kevin Moran is a full back. It is time for a radical reorganisation of the defense. Ken McGrath should play at full-back and Michael Brick Walsh should play at centre back. This would provide a strong central spine. The defence should be built around this. Some will argue that this is robbing Peter to pay Paul. However I see no alternative.
The forwards must move off the ball. Also low ball should come in to the forward line. Shooting from hopeless positions must be abandoned. It is time for more ground hurling.
The National Hurling League should be used for more experimentation. It is important to unearth more talent.

As of now Tipperary must be favoured to win the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.

Dynamic Dan Shanahan on top of the hurling world

Congrats to Dan Shanahan who - last night- was selected as Hurler of the Year. The Waterford scoring machine certainly set the championship on fire with some stunning goals and points. Thankfully Dan has kept his feet on the ground and is a fantastic role model for young hurlers not alone in Co. Waterford but also throughout the country. Surely the GAA could usefully employ Dan's talents in the coaching sphere throughout Munster. Even in Dublin Dan has a huge fan base amongst young sports enthusiasts. Hopefully the GAA authorities will exploit Dan's potential to promote the greatest field game in the world.