Subs need their chance to shine too

October. The time of year when, all over Ireland, county boards are holding their showpiece games: their county finals.

Interesting, then, to see the tweets from former Waterford senior hurler Brian Flannery about Walsh Park on Saturday night. Flannery posted a photograph on the internet which supported his suggestion that substitutes at the Waterford intermediate county final weren’t being admitted to the field at half-time to have a puck-around; this suggestion was strengthened by the wide open spaces in Walsh Park yesterday, lending strength to Flannery’s unofficial ‘open the gates’ campaign.

If true, this is a cruel imposition. Not on the players, but for the spectators. The half-time puck-around by a few lads along for the free tracksuit — er, sorry, treasured panellists is a treasured indulgence for the experienced observer.