Rebels find another jewel along the way

There’s a qualitative difference between Division 1A in hurling, and the second tier. Of course there is.

A harmful difference? Elsewhere in this morning’s paper you can read a casual reference to metrics and measurements, and the need for hard evidence when considering anything in sport (I know there is: I wrote it).

It’s difficult to put a precise value on the damage done to a team by prolonged exposure to low-grade competition; there are certainly plenty of people on Shannonside who could grumble about that, given the Limerick hurlers’ prolonged stay in what we can only describe as the old second division.