Angry Fans
Cork hurling fans are still clutching at straws and in denial about the reality of them facing a long road back. Their angry response to their beloved Rebels’ exit from the championship now surfaces in the form of snide comments about the remaining teams, especially Dublin.
The famous ‘folksy’ atmosphere of Thurles on big match days may not be all it’s cracked up to be, judging by fans’ criticisms of increasingly loutish behaviour in the famous Square.
The need for greater respect for the playing of the anthem before games and the lack of availability of Croke Park for the big championship games this year, are also topics that are agitating some fans.
: Give your views and comments to An Fear Rua himself at GAA Angry Fans in Just drop an email to gaafans@examiner.ie and get AFR’s reaction to what you have to say.
If you make the , we have a fabulous prize of exclusive ‘his or hers’ GAA t-shirts, supplied by our old pals at , where you can design your own club or county leisure wear.
THE UMPIRES MADE numerous mistakes in Thurles on Sunday. A shot by a Dublin wing back from under the New Stand was given as a point, even though it clearly went wide. Paudie Mac had a clear point disallowed. Joe Canning’s shot hit the post and went wide but was counted as a score. Eoin Kelly’s point on the volley was over but it was given as wide.
THE UMPIRES IN Thurles made three glaring mistakes: two in Waterford v Galway and another in Limerick v Dublin. Luckily, the fact that the mistakes didn’t affect the outcomes reduced their significance. Eoin Kelly clearly split the posts with the score of the day. I don't even see how there could be any doubt over it.
SURELY ALL UMPIRES at inter county level should have to undergo an eyesight test, at a minimum of once a year, to ensure they are up to the job? It’s no longer good enough for a county’s efforts just to hinge on the word of some guy in a white coat who might or might not have seen something critical. Personally, I would go further and I wouldn’t allow umpires who wear glasses to operate at inter county level. As a former glasses wearer myself, who has done some umpiring at a low level, on wet days it can be something of a nightmare and you're left trusting to luck that you won’t have any difficult calls to make.
WHAT AMAZES ME is that at most games the umpires are white haired old men. Now, everyone knows that as you get older your sight deteriorates so why is this still commonplace? This is especially a problem in hurling where the sliotar is very hard to see and even harder on a cloudy or sunny day. Another thing is, why does the referee not consult his umpires when penalties are given? If the ref is a good bit behind the play would it not make more sense, as in most cases the umpire has the better view of things?
Sunday’s game had more than the usual quota of umpiring controversies and it’s hard to disagree with any of the comments made. It’s particularly unacceptable that a place in the All Ireland semi finals could hinge on a dodgy decision. Eoin Kelly’s stroke of genius in whipping the ball over the bar on the fly deserved to be remembered as the brilliant score it actually was. As for all those white haired old men? Maybe the GAA could dole out a few bottles of hair dye to match officials, but then, what if it rained and the dye ran down their lovely white coats?
SUNDAY IN THURLES highlighted the folly of the current hurling championship format. Limerick were desperate, which says a lot about Dublin, yet they are in an All Ireland semi final after beating Laois, Wexford and Dublin. These are the only wins they have had since 2007. It’s time for the GAA to introduce seeding to at least give us the best teams at the ‘business end’ because if Limerick are in the top four teams in the country then we might as well pack it in. The standard of hurling was awful and all I hope is that Tipp win and get through for the sake of a competitive All Ireland final. I can’t bear another September Final Day ruined by half time
A straight Red to match your jersey! It’s simple, really. Limerick are in an All Ireland semi final because they won the games required to get there. Dublin were worthy quarter finalists. Get over it.
THURLES IS STILL a great place to go to for games but the carry on beforehand has got out of hand. There are too many bus loads of drunken youngsters landing in a few hours before match time and teenagers getting sick in and around The Square around lunchtime. Generally, over the past two years the atmosphere is less family friendly than it used to be. Still, the ground itself is fine. Parking is plentiful and the toilet facilities have come on in leaps and bounds.
Since it claims to be the ‘home’ of hurling, you’d expect Thurles to be good. It’s a compact town, everything is central, the railway station is in a handy location and the atmosphere can be great. Nevertheless, some of the behaviour in The Square has got out of hand and the authorities need to stamp it out. The day has to be fun for everyone of all ages.
THE CORK COUNTY Board and the Club's Forum should seriously look at implementing an official scouting network for future emerging talent. Select scouts throughout all divisions should attend as many games as possible for under 16 to under 21 grades to highlight potential talent and liaise with the county team’s management. Along with recent developments this will do a considerable amount to safeguard the future of Cork hurling.
Would the County Board scouts wear a special uniform and maybe a bright red beret, giving the turnstile stewards the old scouts’ pass word on their way into games? You could even find mentors urging young lads on by telling them ‘I see the County Board scout is on the side line.’
IT’S BEEN A very disappointing hurling championship this year. This new relegation competition between four counties is a joke. We need as many counties as possible playing in the championship to raise the profile of hurling throughout the country.
Looked at from the perspective of Glounthane or The Glen it may not seem such a good championship, with the Rebels out of it. But to the rest of us in the ‘lesser’ counties, it’s humming along nicely. You’re right, though, about the relegation farce the GAA brass foisted on us last weekend. Why can’t they keep things simple? Too many Congress decisions on hurling ‘reform’ are based on counties like Laois and Carlow being kept in their place, rather than given their chance to progress and develop.
NOW THAT SOCCER, soccer, rugby and whole weekends of U2 are accepted fixtures on the Croke Park Spring/Summer calendar, I wonder how long it will be before a GAA congress votes to exclude hurling from its so-called headquarters? This Summer, the GAA used Tullamore for the All-Ireland hurling champions' closest game in years (against Galway). This was an insult to both teams and their supporters, while two attractive hurling quarter-finals were kept in Thurles to accommodate U2. In both cases, double-headers could easily have provided ample income for the Association. That is, if the GAA's marketing people applied the same zeal they expend pursuing sponsorship from Middle-Eastern airlines and drink companies.
A mere four teams will grace the stadium in this year's All-Ireland senior hurling championship, prompting the question: what exactly is Croke Park for? There is something wrong when an iconic hurler like Joe Canning - possibly one of the greatest talents in GAA history - has yet to make his senior inter-county debut at Croke Park. It is equally lamentable that supporters of counties that have contributed so immensely to what the GAA is today - such as Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Wexford and Offaly - not to mention the football supporters of Kerry, Galway, Derry, Armagh etc - are potentially denied even one fixture in the capital this year.
At a time when Leinster and Munster rugby, Aussie Rules and English Premier League football are increasingly turning the heads of young people in this country, it is time the GAA reflected long and hard about its purpose and the unspoken mandate its grassroots supporters give through their commitment each year. They might rediscover what so many of us already know - that hurling beats any field game or concert in the world for entertainment.
If the choice is between thirty to forty thousand fans rattling around Croke Park and a provincial venue nicely filled with a similar number, then I’m for the provincial venue. I think the smaller, full-house venue in Tullamore – a fabulous ground, by the way – actually lifted Galway in their game against Kilkenny, much more so than playing in an echoey Croke Park. Whether or not Bono or the Edge were strutting their stuff on the 45 yard line or not, Semple Stadium was exactly the right venue for Sunday’s hurling quarter finals. Your ‘crack’ about seeking sponsorship is unfair, given how much the games have benefitted from this over the past decade especially.
WAS IT NOT Dublin’s Eamonn Breslin who scored the first headed goal in Croke Park? The occasion was a November League game against Laois, circa 1959-1962, and he nodded the ball to the net from the left corner-forward position at the Canal End. Laois on this occasion did not wear their traditional blue and white strip but lined out in black jerseys with a broad yellow or gold band. These were the colours of their county champions, The Heath.
Thanks for that info, Gerry. It happened in November 1964 in a National Football League game between Dublin and Laois. Dublin footballer Brian McDonald was noted for his ground football skills. He launched an attack on the Laois defence, dribbling the ball past a couple of players before passing to Jackie Gilroy who - instead of picking up the ball – chipped it up at head height to Eamon Breslin. To the amazement of the crowd, Breslin headed the ball into the net. The goal was allowed but a huge controversy rumbled on for months afterwards.
WHAT HAPPENED TO the practice of the teams lining up in their positions before the National Anthem? It was always part of the GAA's tradition and from a spectators’ point of view it looked good and manly. Nowadays, you have the teams huddled together in a corner of the field or, as in Waterford’s case, almost in the dugout!! I think Croke Park should make the teams go back to the old way and stand in their positions with their opponent during ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’. I know the teams are trying to show that they're a united bunch but they can show that after the ball is thrown in!!
Talking about being ‘manly’ on the hurling field brings back dim memories of the Christian Brothers in Mount Sion, below in Wawderfurd, trying to ding the bit of hurling into us. Times change, traditions adapt. So long as players stand quietly anywhere out of respect to the flag and anthem there’s no problem. However, instead of some of the warblers who feature before qualifier games, could Croke Park just issue a DVD with a standard orchestral or brass band version of the anthem, to be played over the PA system?
I REFER TO the comments by ‘Dubliner2’ in the ‘Angry Fans’ section of ‘The Irish Examiner’ (21st July) stating that Dublin hurlers had progressed further than Cork this season. Maybe when the Dublin hurlers have thirty senior All Ireland titles it would be appropriate to start making comparisons.
Ouch! The Cork v Dublin rivalry is always just below the surface and it doesn’t take much to stir it up. It must be all those cushy Civil Service jobs the Cork people used to get ‘up in Dublin’. Still, facts are facts. Dublin went further in the hurling championship this year than Cork and it would be a big mistake to think Dublin don’t have an excellent record of attainment in hurling titles. It reads: six senior, three junior and four minor All Irelands, while in Leinster they’ve won the senior championship twenty-three times, under 21 three times and they have twelve minor titles.
FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE of the Rebel hurlers, those of us who reside in the real capital still live in hope. Maybe it’s the Dubs turn to ‘strike’ this year! At least we’re still saving for more days out with our footballers.
That ‘strike’ comment is nasty! It gets you a Yellow card. See what I mean about the Dubs v Rebels rivalry? The only problem with Breandán’s scenario is that there’s a bunch of Rebel senior footballers waiting in the long grass.
IT ALWAYS SEEMS we exiles are in danger of not being able to view the upcoming big GAA games for one reason or another. I suggest the GAA set up an internet site for subscribers like myself and many others. I think it would make a lot of money for the GAA.
AFR’S SHOUT: That’s an excellent suggestion. The technology exists for high quality web streaming of pictures, it’s cheap and easy to use and wouldn’t be troublesome to set up and maintain. If the GAA don’t do it soon, I’ve a feeling some entrepreneurs may step up to the mark.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
