O’Grady details Rebel hurling’s alarming downward spiral

A major investigation by former All-Ireland-winning coach Donal O’Grady for this newspaper has uncovered the shocking evidence behind Cork’s dramatic slide down the hurling rankings.

O’Grady’s three-part investigation details the fall-off in participation among younger children in hurling as well as the poverty of Cork’s challenge at underage level in recent decades.

The 2004 All-Ireland-winning manager discovered almost 40% of boys who win ‘A’ grade hurling titles with their primary schools are effectively lost to hurling after as they attend non-GAA schools.