The gulf between the have's and the have-not's in hurling seems as wide as ever.
Waterford and Limerick treated GAA fans to a wonderful spectacle of hurling on Saturday evening. Again the plaudits rolled in: hurling is the greatest game in the world.
However, a video posted to social media yesterday by Tomás Colton ahead of a Tyrone-Mayo U17 hurling match showed players prepping to play on a pitch with car tyre marks.
I can remember playing in fields back in the 80’s. Check out what Tyrone and Mayo U17 hurlers had to play on yesterday. Time stands still 🤷♂️🤷♂️Ps, fair play to the club for actually offering their ground. It isn’t easy being a hurler in big ball Country 😡😡 pic.twitter.com/EiNvCAfqRl
— Tomás Colton (@TomasColton) April 24, 2022
You can be sure the next generation of great hurlers in Kilkenny, Cork or Limerick do not have to play in such conditions.
The question of the GAA's investment in hurling came up again on The Sunday Game last night.
Donal Óg Cusack and Anthony Daly discussed how the GAA can bridge the gulf of quality in intercounty hurling.
The Leinster championship has been the perfect example of this, with Kilkenny, Galway, and now Dublin all clear of the chasing pack.
While Wexford’s performances have been there, results haven’t come their way with one point from two opening two games.
The same cannot be said however for Westmeath and Laois, who endured another weekend of heavy defeats.
Both counties have lost their first two games, with point differentials of -25 and -41 respectively.
Cusack believes counties like Westmeath could benefit from serious investment into their hurling set up.
Donal Óg and Anthony reckon the GAA needs huge, planned investment in the smaller counties if hurling is to thrive. pic.twitter.com/5kpWe0IxFL
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 24, 2022
“It’s almost a travesty that we can’t spread hurling more on this island. Everybody talks about how they love watching hurling, they think it’s such a unique part of our culture, and I really think it needs investment in the likes of Westmeath, but real investment.”
I think it’s as important, if you look at the likes of Belfast, for the future of the GAA, that hurling is one in Belfast, and I think to do that it needs money and proper investment.
There’s a lot of talk around the director’s of hurling over the last while, its not about going out doing ball ally sessions.
For me, it’s about if you’re in that position, that you’re actually going where that money’s going.”
While Daly also agreed that more funding is needed to support weaker counties needed to be supported by a long-term strategic plan.
The former Dublin manager also claims that more must be done to give smaller counties a greater chance of success.
“We need a better strategic plan in my opinion to look at the bigger picture.
Not just going in for a night, doing a session, we need a bigger plan. Could we even have given the two Joe McDonagh cup teams, the two that are there, home fixtures against the big four in Leinster.
Just say it’s on in Mullingar, it’s on in Portlaoise, get on with it and we’ll toss for a year home or away when ye meet.
It would be a help, wouldn’t it?”
This is not a new problem for the GAA. But the state of the pitch for that Tyrone-Mayo U17 match shows just how hard it is to get the game up and running in counties that don't have a hurling tradition.
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