It's All-Ireland hurling semi-final weekend - but it certainly doesn't feel like it, with the lack of buildup from the teams involved, or media presence from the GAA.
In a repeat of last year's semi-finals, Limerick will face Galway and Clare will face Kilkenny, in a mouth-watering set of games for hurling fans.
Given the closeness of just about every game involving these four teams this year, it should be an easy sell for the GAA and the four counties involved to market these games - but there has been little media work done by any of those parties.
In fact, not one of the four teams who will compete in this weekend's semi-finals has carried out a media day ahead of the weekend, leaving a sense of blackout in the buildup.
Naturally, there is disappointment among GAA fans and punters with the lack of access to players - but former Cork goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack says that he can understand why players are wary of speaking to the media.
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GAA: Dónal Óg defends players' media presence
2 July 2022; Cian Kenny of Kilkenny in action against David Fitzgerald of Clare during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final match between Kilkenny and Clare at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Cusack has made headlines already this summer for his comments on the GAA and their broadcasting decisions - specifically, their usage of GAAGO - and has now weighed in on the latest controversy.
The Cloyne man spoke on Morning Ireland on Thursday about the perceived media blackout by the hurling semi-finalists. He said that, though the blackout would do nothing to help the promotion of hurling, that players had their reasons for staying away.
Cusack criticised the "soundbite" nature of some of the media's coverage of GAA, and questioned whether the imbalance between players and journalists was causing their decision to stay away:
You have top journalists in the country, many of them brilliant GAA and sports gurus in their own right, wanting to do proper pieces with the players. The kind of soundbite environment that's in place doesn't do them, the players, or the game, justice.
They [the players] are obviously amateurs and the journalists are professionals, so there is an imbalance there immediately. We see right across society misquoting, taking words out of context, spinning in a different way is commonplace in sport. Things get passed along in different ways like 'Chinese Whispers'; one trying to sound more dramatic than the other.
There was a really good example in Cork last week. Patrick Horgan spoke in public, Patrick is a very interesting, independent thinker. His words were totally taken out of context and spun back as if he were telling Pat Ryan, who's the Cork senior hurling manager, that he would stay on the panel next year.
It was said that Patrick was putting unnecessary pressure on Pat Ryan to pick him, whereas in fact that was totally incorrect and Patrick didn't say that.
You could see then why a player would say 'why would I be bothered?'
It's a fascinating point, though given Cusack's continued pleas for more coverage of hurling in particular, it feels a tad misjudged.
Excitement for sporting events is built by the players who will star in them, and it feels as though the lack of access to the GAA's biggest stars is only harming the game's promotion in Ireland.
Featured image: Sportsfile
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