Tyrrell fears managers will play safe in league

Kilkenny’s Jackie Tyrrell isn’t a fan of the new hurling league structures, which offer fewer games and give managers fewer chances to look at players.

“I think it’s a minus because there is a lot of pressure,” he said.

“If you lose your first game you are looking over your shoulder. A lot of managers use the league to experiment. If they are looking at relegation then they are less likely to experiment as much and try out young lads. If you look at it from a county board’s perspective it is less revenue. “You’d rather be playing in Nowlan Park than getting flogged somewhere else in Kilkenny at training. From my point of view it is hard to see the pluses from the structure.”