Joe Canning: Hurling critics not up to speed with game

'Skill levels are way better' than 20 years ago, says the Galway star

Galway's Joe Canning:

Two of hurling’s leading lights have railed against the narrative that the game is suffering as a result of more scores.

Joe Canning and Gearóid Hegarty have defended the current state of hurling with 2017 hurler of the year Canning intimating some of its critics, former inter-county players, are stuck in a time warp.

“I don’t know if it’s Covid or what but people love to give out a bit more in the last couple of months and they are looking for the negative more so than anything and it’s guys from back in the 1980s/90s that’s being interviewed and I don’t know if they are up to speed either with today’s game.

“There was something last week from a guy who played in the 2014 All Ireland final which is considered one of the best matches ever, the drawn game, which was 3-22 to 1-28 and no one gave out about the score of that but people are giving out that we are getting 30 points now but that game was 31 points a piece.

“So I just think there’s too much negativity and everyone has an opinion and is going now with somebody influential says something and we all just jump on that. Like try and look at the positives, what’s wrong with high scores. Do you remember Diarmuid O’Sullivan scoring a point from his own 45’ years ago and it is considered one of the best scores. It is always being shown and now is two or three guys do that it’s like ‘oh no we can’t have that happening’.”

Last season’s hurler of the year Hegarty is surprised by how much people are keen to put down the game. Also believing refereeing has improved as the league has developed, the Limerick forward said: “I don’t really understand the argument that there’s too many scores in hurling or it’s too easy to score. I think people should flip that negative into a positive and appreciate the level of skill and quality that is in the game at the moment because I think the game of hurling is in a great place.

“I’m sure some will probably ask about the refereeing and the spotlight that’s been on it the last few weeks, I don’t think anybody wants it to turn into a free-taking contest but I do believe that that quality of hurling nowadays is exceptional and I don’t think I’d like to see hurling turn into a low-scoring game.”
Canning sees no comparison between hurling now and how it was played 20 years ago. 

“I think the skill levels are way better, yeah. I was only watching games over lockdown back in the early 2000s, and saw people just getting the ball and driving it down the field and not worrying about it.

Still suffering bruised ribs from the win over Waterford last Sunday week and his right thumb in a splint, Canning laughs off the suggestion that the game has become less physical. He does admit the absence of crowds has taken something away from the excitement of the game but is amused by the amount of groupthink about hurling.

“It doesn’t really matter what anybody else thinks outside of what you are trying to do yourself in your own county. Everybody has opinions obviously, but you kind of block them out because sometimes I just….I find it really funny. Everybody seems to have the same opinion lately. To me, if we went into a room and there’s ten people, those ten people shouldn't have the same opinion realistically.

“There might be one person who gives their opinion, then the other nine are just probably yes-men that go ‘oh yeah, I agree with that,’ instead of giving their real thoughts on it. I don’t believe anyway that everybody should have the same opinion; like why not have a different opinion and tell people what it is? I think people are just latching on to some things and just going with it.”

As for the sliotar, Canning’s former team-mate James Skehill recently revealed after weighing balls from now and 16 years ago that there was a difference of a gram. “I’m actually glad James went to the bother of fact-checking something because it was very easy for people to say the ball has got lighter when did anybody check it? Probably not yet you had guys who said it was definitely lighter. I’m delighted James quenched that one anyway.”