Working players being squeezed out of hurling?

With hurling becoming ever more professional in terms of preparation, is there a danger those in normal full-time employment are being squeezed out? So wondered Limerick’s Niall Moran in advance of the All-Ireland SHC semi-final between his side and Clare in Croke Park.

“You can never go too far in the pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of trophies. I just wonder, from a lifestyle point of view, where is the gap for people to live. Training has become a 12-month year-round experience and I feel you are losing some of the old folklore that used to go with it.

“Professions — is there a role for the blocklayer in hurling any more, the farmer? Are guys going to have to make their lifestyle choices around it — are they going to have to have jobs where they have three months off in the summer to fully focus? It’s an area of concern. Where does the next advantage come in? Does it come in the use of supplements, guys giving up their jobs? I wonder where the next competitive advantage comes. Look at rugby and games like that constantly evolving doesn’t always mean that the lustre of the game improves.”