Former Cork boss Meyler to head up new hurling expert advisory group

John Meyler. Pic: Larry Cummins

Former Cork manager John Meyler is to head up a new hurling expert advisory group.

Charged by GAA president Jarlath Burns, Meyler will chair a body that will make recommendations based on data provided by the games intelligence unit (GIU) tasked with collecting information on hurling matches.

Meyler will be joined on the group by the likes of former Kilkenny star Richie Hogan, Galway’s All-Ireland winning under-age manager Jeff Lynskey, former All-Ireland SHC final referee John Keenan and Hurling Development Committee chairman Terry Reilly.

Meyler, who has also managed Carlow, Kerry and Wexford, guided Cork to a Munster title in 2018 and a Christy Ring Cup with The Kingdom seven years earlier.

News of the St Finbarr's man’s appointment follows that of Kevin McStay who is heading up the football expert group that has also been tasked with making proposals to football based on data from the games intelligence unit.

The former Mayo manager was confirmed by Burns at Congress last month where he also revealed he would be announcing the hurling expert group.

In his address, Burns said: “No one believes that we need a Hurling Review Committee to the same extent the FRC was so necessary. However, the success of what has happened in football means it makes sense for us to see where hurling could also benefit.

“That is why the Games Intelligence Unit will extend its remit to provide data, insight, and analysis for hurling as well as football. The goal here is to ensure that we never again need to carry out major open-heart surgery on our games.

“This is a moment that we need to seize and after the revolution it is time to create space for natural evolution. That is why I am also delighted to announce that, liaising with the GIU, we will also have an Expert Advisory Group for hurling which will be named in the next two weeks.

"I am excited by the potential that exists in both of these Expert Advisory Groups and we have a structure in place now that allows our games to evolve naturally and allows us to be proactive and not reactive in how we manage the fundamental reason we are here – which is play games.”