CORK HURLING MANAGER Ben O’Connor says there is a danger of hurling being turned into soccer if GAA authorities continue to introduce new rules and regulations.
O’Connor, speaking after their 2-20 to 1-21 comeback win in a fiery contest with Galway in Pearse Stadium, said hurling people want to see ‘a good, hard physical game’ and that there is a real danger of taking ‘the manliness’ out of the game.
He said he was not perturbed by a free count of 21-7 against his side and that some anomalies can arise in games at this time of the year.
O’Connor said the inability to get messages to players on the field, with management confined to a zoned area on the sideline and the discontinuation of the maor foirne, and the crackdown on physicality on the pitch, was ruining hurling.
We’re gone like soccer, aren’t we? Black cards, red cards, yellow cards, technical areas, we’re following that game. That’s the fellas above trying to cleanse hurling. That is what they are trying to do, if you want to be fair about it.
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“They don’t want any dust-up, they don’t want any bit of blood spilt, they don’t want a hurley broken, they want to make it a nice game for ‘my little Johnny’ at home.
“Genuine hurling people don’t want that. They want a good, hard physical game. No one is hurt when it is played that way. There wasn’t a dirty stroke pulled outside there tonight,” said O’Connor.
Galway’s Cathal Mannion and Robert Downey of Cork. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
He was pleased with the way his men came from seven points down in the opening half to get on top, but admitted a wasteful Galway side left the door open for them after a blistering start.
Galway should have been out of sight. They had a lot of wides.
“We were under a bit of pressure, to be fair about it. We weren’t happy at half time. Maybe last week after winning so easy, maybe a small bit lethargic starting off, and I just think that at half time there were a few harsh words inside, and we just said we wanted to see the best of you in the second half, and in fairness we did.
“A dogged win, exactly what you want in the league, good fighting attitude out of fellas. It was nice to get the two points at the end of the day,” he added.
Darragh Fitzgibbon of Cork tries to escape the attentions of Galway’s Jason Rabbitte and Daniel Loftus. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The attention now turns to next Saturday’s All-Ireland final repeat against Tipperary in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and O’Connor said they will be ready for the challenge.
“We can’t wait for it. I suppose that was the standout league fixture when they all came out below in the Páirc, and I’m sure it will be as close as ever. We’ve got a couple of night’s training now over the week. We’ll get set for that, and we’ll be looking forward to that next Saturday night.”
Meanwhile, Galway manager Micheál Donoghue said they can take a lot of positives from their opening two games when they went down to the All-Ireland finalists.
“We should have extended the lead in the middle period. We had loads of opportunities and against a top team like Cork you have to take those. It was nip and tuck in the second half but we were really disappointed with the goals we conceded,” said Donoghue.
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Cork boss believes 'the fellas above' are turning hurling into soccer with new rules
CORK HURLING MANAGER Ben O’Connor says there is a danger of hurling being turned into soccer if GAA authorities continue to introduce new rules and regulations.
O’Connor, speaking after their 2-20 to 1-21 comeback win in a fiery contest with Galway in Pearse Stadium, said hurling people want to see ‘a good, hard physical game’ and that there is a real danger of taking ‘the manliness’ out of the game.
He said he was not perturbed by a free count of 21-7 against his side and that some anomalies can arise in games at this time of the year.
O’Connor said the inability to get messages to players on the field, with management confined to a zoned area on the sideline and the discontinuation of the maor foirne, and the crackdown on physicality on the pitch, was ruining hurling.
“They don’t want any dust-up, they don’t want any bit of blood spilt, they don’t want a hurley broken, they want to make it a nice game for ‘my little Johnny’ at home.
“Genuine hurling people don’t want that. They want a good, hard physical game. No one is hurt when it is played that way. There wasn’t a dirty stroke pulled outside there tonight,” said O’Connor.
He was pleased with the way his men came from seven points down in the opening half to get on top, but admitted a wasteful Galway side left the door open for them after a blistering start.
“We were under a bit of pressure, to be fair about it. We weren’t happy at half time. Maybe last week after winning so easy, maybe a small bit lethargic starting off, and I just think that at half time there were a few harsh words inside, and we just said we wanted to see the best of you in the second half, and in fairness we did.
“A dogged win, exactly what you want in the league, good fighting attitude out of fellas. It was nice to get the two points at the end of the day,” he added.
The attention now turns to next Saturday’s All-Ireland final repeat against Tipperary in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and O’Connor said they will be ready for the challenge.
“We can’t wait for it. I suppose that was the standout league fixture when they all came out below in the Páirc, and I’m sure it will be as close as ever. We’ve got a couple of night’s training now over the week. We’ll get set for that, and we’ll be looking forward to that next Saturday night.”
Meanwhile, Galway manager Micheál Donoghue said they can take a lot of positives from their opening two games when they went down to the All-Ireland finalists.
“We should have extended the lead in the middle period. We had loads of opportunities and against a top team like Cork you have to take those. It was nip and tuck in the second half but we were really disappointed with the goals we conceded,” said Donoghue.
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Ben O'Connor Cork hurling GAA Hurling