The Hurling Thread

[rebel without a caus]

Ironically enough tipp were dirtier tonight. And without Cathal Barrett which is saying something.

Agree. Trying to meet fire with fire. I hope Cork do the same in championship.
This is where the game is going.
Agree, Cody's Kilkenny started it, Kielys Limerick are bringing it to the next level.
Rest assured, it will get worse as more teams take Tipps approach tonight to match Limerick.

 

[rebel without a caus]

Limerick could go on to dominate more, this horrible way of playing hurling the GAA has allowed develop suits them big time. However it was started by Cody's Kilkenny and not Limerick. The GAA have ruined our great game and there hasn't been a dickie bird. It was a good game tonight without the rucks, playing in the face and 3rd man tackling they deem to be macho.

Tipp did well to be leading but were never going to win with too many injured players out. Ronan Maher should be full-back, he hasn't the legs for outfield. Father time has also caught up with Noel McGrath, Seamus Kennedy, Dan McCormack and Bonnar Maher. Their defence needs Brian Hogan, Cathal Barrett, James Quigley, Brian McGrath and Craig Morgan soon. Alan Tynan and Gearoid O'Connor were excellent tonight and are their future in attack with players such as John Campion, Conor Bowe, Jake Morris, Mark Kehoe, Jack Leahy and Paddy McCormack.

My gripe is not with Limericks dominance. And I agree, they probably have the largest agglomeration of top-class hurlers ever to have been on a single team.
My gripe is with how it's being done, and where the game is going. And the GAA are just standing by.
Rucks, throwing, head/neck tacking, diving, etc, etc.
Then the most boring repetitive 60/70 yard points.
Yes, it's effective.
But as a spectacle its become a pile of steaming horse-shite.
This is not the hurling I fell in love with.
People giving out about football and the style it is being played in now. I actually fund hurling is gone harder to watch.

 

[Gregory_Mike]

My gripe is not with Limericks dominance. And I agree, they probably have the largest agglomeration of top-class hurlers ever to have been on a single team.
My gripe is with how it's being done, and where the game is going. And the GAA are just standing by.
Rucks, throwing, head/neck tacking, diving, etc, etc.
Then the most boring repetitive 60/70 yard points.
Yes, it's effective.
But as a spectacle its become a pile of steaming horse-shite.
This is not the hurling I fell in love with.
People giving out about football and the style it is being played in now. I actually fund hurling is gone harder to watch.

This is complete nonsense and very sour grapes. Did you watch last year's AI hurling final? There were 60 scores in the match and no dark arts whatsoever. Just a brilliant, free-flowing, end-to-end game.

 

[Northcorkman]

Some people want no physicality in the game. No long shots. No rucks. No tackling etc. also teams shouldn’t be take the sliotar off a cork player.

 

[CaptainSensible]

Agree. Trying to meet fire with fire. I hope Cork do the same in championship.
This is where the game is going.
Agree, Cody's Kilkenny started it, Kielys Limerick are bringing it to the next level.
Rest assured, it will get worse as more teams take Tipps approach tonight to match Limerick.

The genesis of today's game did not start with Cody's Kilkenny, to see why we are where we are today you need to go back a couple of years.

Up to 2003 hurling had been played pretty much 15 on 15, players playing to their positions (win your own position and that is your job done). Donal O' Grady revolutionised everything by introducing the running short passing possession game, and this was a winning game plan, To counteract that Cody introduced the massed/packed defence and it worked but more so it worked even better against teams that still played the traditional orthodox way. Blaming Cody is a bit myopic as KK would never have played that way (remember they had won 3 out of the previous 4 AI's) if O'Grady hadn't changed things up to begin with.

Limerick under Kiely (but more so down to Kinnerk I would think) have adapted the Cody KK approach of funnelling players back when they don't have the ball and the O'Grady Cork approach of playing the short passing possession game when they do have the ball. So basically their game plan is an amalgam of the tactics used by both Cork and KK in the early noughties.

Just to clarify I'm not blaming O'Grady just pointing out he was the first to revolutionise the game and that has ultimately led to where we are today, however a coaches job is to win and he did that, all games evolve and if he wasn't the first to tear up the previous script someone else would have, especially since the trend in recent years of coaches from different codes sharing ideas, attending courses etc.

If you look across all team sports the tactics are all becoming very similar, close down space, keep possession, work hard etc it's not unique to hurling or Gaelic football, soccer, rugby have gone down the same route, its just the group think that has perpetuated all sports most likely from coaches being more open to taking ideas from other codes and the fact they are now attending all these coaching events and mixing and sharing ideas with other codes.

If I had to name one sport which I think all others have borrowed from, it is basketball. Defend in mass by pressing hard, and then, if you turn it over attack in mass at pace.

 

[slowhandm]

The genesis of today's game did not start with Cody's Kilkenny, to see why we are where we are today you need to go back a couple of years.

Up to 2003 hurling had been played pretty much 15 on 15, players playing to their positions (win your own position and that is your job done). Donal O' Grady revolutionised everything by introducing the running short passing possession game, and this was a winning game plan, To counteract that Cody introduced the massed/packed defence and it worked but more so it worked even better against teams that still played the traditional orthodox way. Blaming Cody is a bit myopic as KK would never have played that way (remember they had won 3 out of the previous 4 AI's) if O'Grady hadn't changed things up to begin with.

Limerick under Kiely (but more so down to Kinnerk I would think) have adapted the Cody KK approach of funnelling players back when they don't have the ball and the O'Grady Cork approach of playing the short passing possession game when they do have the ball. So basically their game plan is an amalgam of the tactics used by both Cork and KK in the early noughties.

Just to clarify I'm not blaming O'Grady just pointing out he was the first to revolutionise the game and that has ultimately led to where we are today, however a coaches job is to win and he did that, all games evolve and if he wasn't the first to tear up the previous script someone else would have, especially since the trend in recent years of coaches from different codes sharing ideas, attending courses etc.

If you look across all team sports the tactics are all becoming very similar, close down space, keep possession, work hard etc it's not unique to hurling or Gaelic football, soccer, rugby have gone down the same route, its just the group think that has perpetuated all sports most likely from coaches being more open to taking ideas from other codes and the fact they are now attending all these coaching events and mixing and sharing ideas with other codes.

If I had to name one sport which I think all others have borrowed from, it is basketball. Defend in mass by pressing hard, and then, if you turn it over attack in mass at pace.

100% correct. However everything that O'Grady did had the purpose of moving the ball quickly to a player running on the shoulder or a player making themselves available to take the handpass. It essentially depended on moving the ball to a player in space and away from contact. Crucially it was also dependent on the rules of the game at the time being correctly implemented.
The way to stop this game was as you described bringing players back and industrial use of the free hand tackle.
Corks big mistake was in continuing with the running game for the last 20 years.
All coaches will do whatever they can to win and it is up to the governing body to make sure the game is played within the rules.
We are where we are now and I think there is a good discussion to be had as to how the game could be cleaned up.
In my opinion 2 rules need adjusting.
1 the handpass ,I suggest that the handpass must be struck with the second hand, this would mean that players should be allowed drop the hurley.
2 the free hand rule, it is way too late to crack down and enforce this rule so it is time to legitimise it and give the ref something look for. Not sure on how to do it. Maybe the free arm can only be used below the shoulders and once a player engages his free arm he cannot stop the player in possession from handpassing the ball away.
Anyway it is the greatest game in the world and it will continue to evolve, the most important thing is to make sure that the player are protected from injury particularly 'playing on the edge' injury.

 

[JimmyBarrySmurph]

Who said they were AI contenders? The way there are being wrote off here though is hilarious, seemingly people have short memories when it comes to them.

I’ve posted this view many times. Limerick are ahead of the rest by distance.
The rest are all below their normal county team standard.. Not much between them all and they can all beat each other on the day. nearly all are in the process of building of some shape or form. Look at Waterford- 2nd favorites and AI contenders this time last year.. Clare being written off by many and they “nearly” took down Limerick etc etc

 

[Northcorkman]

Richie English has probably played his best hurling in this league campaign since his injury but Kiely will go with Nash Casey and Finn at the back for the championship after a complete lock out of this media hyped tipp offense. Nicky quaid didn’t a save to make all night.

 

[Cook My Sock]

God be with the days of hurling played on a ploughed field, kissing the bishop’s ring, flat caps, cycling to Thurles, the rest gathered around the wireless, no helmets, fellas getting split asunder.
Tis all gone to shit

 

[JimmyBarrySmurph]

God be with the days of hurling played on a ploughed field, kissing the bishop’s ring, flat caps, cycling to Thurles, the rest gathered around the wireless, no helmets, fellas getting split asunder.
Tis all gone to shit

Did ye have any tae & sandwiches???