Maurice Brosnan: Eight observations from the hurling championship
FAN FAVOURITE: Clare’s Tony Kelly with fans after the game. Pic Credit: Ryan Byrne, Inpho.
The Football Review Committee are powering on with their mission to make Gaelic games the most enjoyable games in the world to play and watch. Jim Gavin is in charge and leading the way. What is going on with hurling?
In March, president Jarlath Burns also re-established the National Hurling Development Committee. It is made up of several high-profile and informed members including Brian Cody, Neil McManus, Lizzy Broderick, Martin Fogarty and Darragh Egan.
Murmurs from the meetings so far suggest Burns is keen to stress their ambition is different to that of Gavin’s approach. Theirs is a long game involving a wide consultation process to assess the current challenges and opportunities in hurling development.
The committee will meet this week once more. Stakeholders can contact them directly with suggestions: queries.hdc@gaa.ie.
There are several key areas including developing guidelines for the promotion and growth of hurling nationally and internationally.
It is a noble ambition, but it is not without flaws. The lack of a Connacht representative is galling. On-field issues should be analysed as well as off-field ones.
While Director General Tom Ryan was adamant in his Annual Report that the game itself “is in a good place,” hurling can’t afford to be complacent either. Nothing is without scope for improvement.
That said, it is only right that they prioritise addressing the health of the sport. Gaelic football needs change to enhance its present. Hurling needs change to safeguard its future.
Here are eight observations from the hurling championship.
Midway through the Clare and Wexford clash, Brendan Cummins was in awe.
“Some skill there by Conor McDonald,” the Tipperary All-Ireland winner declared on RTÉ co-commentary. “He chipped the ball up with his right foot into his hand. Look at it here, white boots and here comes the chip. Unbelievable skills under so much pressure.”
Surrounded by three players, Wexford’s target man elected to dig his toe under the sliotar and lift it. A sensational pickup that worked as he was immediately fouled. Minutes later, Charlie McGuckin clenched the ball between both feet and attempted an audacious jump and catch.
The hits kept coming. Mark Rodgers wrestled in front of Shane Reck, dived towards the sliotar, lifted it with his hurl and caught it in his hand all before he hit the deck. Shane O’Donnell flicked a long ball around the retreating McGuckin and managed to catch it in the same move.
David Reidy delivered a kick off the ground into Tony Kelly’s hand for an awesome point. ESPN SportsCenter would have a field day with this sort of footage.
To their credit, the GAA’s X account produced nine clips, including half-time and full-time highlights, from this match. It isn’t enough. While they are fully entitled to police their media rights as they see fit, it shouldn’t come at a cost of players not getting the credit they deserve.
No one would suffer if that McDonald brilliance was shared as widely as possible.
Patrick Horgan notched 10 points, 0-3 from play, on Saturday to equal TJ Reid as the championship’s all-time top scorer on 699. Reid has racked up 34-597 across 88 games. Horgan’s total is 29-612 across 81.
As outlined in this paper earlier in the year based on work by leading hurling statistician Leo McGough, Reid has scored 25-123 from play, 9-474 from placed balls. Horgan’s breakdown is 20-173 from play and 9-439 from placed balls.
Annually RTÉ create a Google Drive to host all their match footage and share it with analysts from every intercounty team. The angle coaches love most is the Hi-Behind. Space, movement, work-rate, structure, nothing is spared by its glare.
As referee Michael Kennedy threw in the ball on Saturday to kick off the quarter-final between Cork and Dublin, Alan Connolly took off to the deepest line possible.
The number 14 ended up standing behind Dublin goalkeeper Sean Brennan in the small square. On Cork puckouts, he frequently positioned himself on the endline as well.
The Blackrock man was held scoreless for the second successive championship match. Pat Ryan later revealed he had been suffering with a bug recently. He also stressed there is a bigger picture.
“Look, he was still dangerous against Dublin but Eoghan O'Donnell's a very good player. He took minding and that makes space for other fellas.” The first ball aimed Connolly’s direction was a long puckout.
He was out in front of O’Donnell, but centre-back Conor Donohoe was marking zonal and got there first.
Cork created two goal chances in the tie. Declan Dalton forced a great save from Brennan. In the first half, Horgan attempted to bat a goal and gave O’Donnell enough time to scramble across.
He was scrambling because of Connolly’s movement. A long puckout broke to the wing. Connolly made for the corner flag. Shane Barrett looked up and saw Connolly pointing to empty space in front of goal, O’Donnell had followed him all the way out. That allowed Barrett to square for Horgan and should have led to a well-worked goal.
After the Cork defeat, Micheál Donoghue suggested he would remain at the helm for 2025: “That is the plan anyway.” Will proceedings out west have any influence on that?
The future of Henry Shefflin should become clearer this week. It is still by no means certain that he will depart but if he does, Donoghue becomes an obvious contender to return to his native county.
The raw numbers from the Munster final wouldn’t have overly worried Brian Lohan. Clare retained more puckouts than Limerick. Their net return was higher.
It went to another level against Wexford, understandably given Rory O’Connor’s red card. Clare scored 0-8 from their puckout and conceded 0-2. Wexford scored 0-6 and conceded 0-5.
However, Limerick’s six-in-a-row triumph served as another reminder of the importance of a plan B. Clare have several terrific long options but clearly strived to maintain their short restarts too. It has been more fruitful for them.
John Conlon, a brilliant distributor, was centrally involved in three early short puckouts. None of them worked out. One was a short puckout to go long that was lost. The second was miscontrolled and went out for a sideline. The third was a Conor Cleary pass to Conlon. It was too high and he couldn’t catch it.
That short game completely malfunctioned for the penalty. Adam Hogan drilled a poor pass back across his goal before Lee Chin’s blaster.
In the second half with an extra man Clare were comfortable. Conlon dropped into the full-back line as a short option. He assisted 0-4 in total. Shane O’Donnell’s opening score of the second half was textbook. Eibhear Quilligan to Conlon followed by a long ball to a hungry O’Donnell who fought for the break and swung over.
1.3 (ii): “Two Players from each team shall stand one behind the other on their own defensive side o the halfway line, and shall face the referee, for the throw in. The other Players, shall be in their respective positions behind the 45m line (Football) or 65m line (Hurling).”
At least six extra players were in front of each 65 as Clare and Wexford got underway. Seconds later, Rory O’Connor picked up his first of two yellow cards.
Speaking to RTÉ after Offaly’s campaign came to an end with a 4-25 to 3-19 defeat against Cork, Johnny Kelly stressed what needs to happen next.
“The reality is we’re in the Leinster Championship now, so the focus in Offaly has to be to stay in the Leinster Championship,” he said.
“There’s no point in going after underage titles again. Obviously if they happen, great, but the Leinster Championship is where it’s at now.
“We saw with Carlow, who were a magnificent team this year, who drew with Kilkenny, and then subsequently are going back down again. I don’t think that’s right.
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“But what I do think is; if it’s that way again next year, we really consolidate.” A U20 All-Ireland and Joe McDonagh Cup made it a stunning season for The Faithful. The 60-hour restriction regarding players featuring in both intercounty senior and U20 championship will come into place next year.
Counties will plead with fixture-makers to factor that in. Half of Offaly’s U20 championship games in 2024 were played on a weekend, as was every Leinster game before the quarter-final stages.
Kelly has navigated such situations before. As Galway U21 manager, the first time he saw Cathal Mannion and Conor Whelan all year in one particular season was when they boarded the team bus on the way to face Limerick.
Current U20 boss Leo O’Connor was also adamant on what needed to happen next after they lifted the cup in front of a packed house at Nowlan Park.
“Now we’ve to come back and defend an All-Ireland championship. That is the standard.”Â
In the green machine, all the pieces matter. One line in particular gives them immense power on both sides of the ball. There is a reason Limerick’s half-back line favour zonal over man-marking. It protects their defence. It charges their attack. Consider the Munster final.
Clare’s half-forward line of David Fitzgerald, Mark Rodgers and Peter Duggan scored 1-5 from play between them. Including being fouled for a free, they assisted 0-6.
Limerick’s half-back line of Diarmuid Byrnes, Declan Hannon and Kyle Hayes scored 0-6 from play between them. Including behind fouled for a free, they assisted 1-7. Byrnes and Rodgers both landed a pair of frees.
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