'That's the respect we've shown hurling': RTÉ pundit angry after station misses start of Cork v Offaly

With Sunday's football championship clash of Dublin and Donegal at Croke Park going to extra-time, RTÉ coverage of that game overlapped with the start of the hurling.

SWITCHING FOCUS: In Thurles, the attention on the All-Ireland SFC clash went on longer than scheduled, keeping RTE presenter Joanne Cantwell, Peter Canavan, floor manager Michael Broughton and Colm Cooper engaged and animated while coverage of Cork and Offaly at Semple Stadium was delayed. Pic: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

Sun, 21 Jun, 2026 - 18:37

Larry Ryan

RTÉ hurling pundit Neil McManus took aim at the situation that saw the station miss the first 10 minutes of Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final between Cork and Offaly. The former Antrim star felt hurling was disrespected.

With Sunday's football championship clash of Dublin and Donegal at Croke Park going to extra-time, RTÉ coverage of that game overlapped with the start of the hurling match, which threw in at 3:30pm in Thurles.

The Sunday Game presenter Joanne Cantwell explained on air that the station had requested the football game start at 1pm rather than 1:15pm, to avoid the potential for this scenario, but were told by the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) that it wasn't feasible.

Even that start time would likely have seen a short overlap if the football game had gone to penalties.

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Before coverage of extra-time in the football, Cantwell explained that live coverage of the hurling would begin as scheduled on the RTÉ Player, but several viewers reported difficulty finding that broadcast.

As well as the RTÉ1 screening in English, the football match continued to be shown on the RTÉ News Channel in Irish. The RTÉ Player also continued to carry both screenings of the football.

Live TV showing of the hurling game began approximately 10 minutes in with Offaly already trailing Cork by 1-3 to 0-1.

Speaking after the match on RTÉ, McManus felt the situation was unacceptable.

"We watched 10 minutes of the extra time of football rather than coming to the biggest day in hurling for Offaly in 23 years.

"That's what we did here today. And that's the respect that we've shown hurling. So why should we be in any way surprised when the game isn't growing?"