Toughest/easiest position in Hurling.

DublinGAA96

What's everyones opinion on this? What's the hardest position to play in hurling? And whats the easiest? Hard in terms of the work rate needed and physically demanding and many other reasons. To get the ball rolling, I would say that possibly playing in goal is the toughest position. Not too sure about the easiest position, I don't think there is one!

teednab-el

Hardest would be corner back or wing back, if your marker has the edge on you or has the beating of you there, you would be in for a real tough time and your team would be in for it too on the scoreboard.


The easiest position would be somewhere on the sub bench

who what when

I'd agree with corner back alright, although I would say it suits some people particularly well. For me full-forward. Anyone that says it isnt hasnt played there!

jive

Toughest = Corner back
No hiding when you're in corner back really. If your man has you for pace and/or agility then you will know all about it and so will everyone watching the game. You'll be peppered with balls (lol) and have to burst a lung just to look competitive. It's also the toughest position because if you have a great game, nobody really notices. Corner backs don't make many headlines!

Easiest = Keeper or full forward
As long as the keeper doesn't make simple mistakes (such as being beat from distance or being poor when he gets on the ball in open play) then he gets off scott free. Nobody really expects a keeper to make many saves in hurling, you just want a steady eddy who can distribute the ball well. Probably one of the more pressurised positions when push comes to shove but certainly one of the easier ones, esp. from a fitness POV!

Full forward is a nice position in hurling. You can take the plaudits or a lot of the time it's put down to it 'not being your day'. As long as you don't get absolutely cleaned out of it then nobody really points the finger at you. Not the most lung bursting position either and it just takes a moment to turn a shít game into a good one.

desaparecidos

Anywhere in the full backs is tough, Anywhere in the full forwards is easy.

Marking a player means you have to run as much as he does. If he runs a lot and runs fast, you have to try match that. If your opponent scores a lot off you, you stick out like a sore thumb.

A forward can run as much or as little as he wants, you can get into good positions with very little running and chip in with a few scores. If you don't score it's not as criticized or as obvious.

Orizio

A lot of former corner-backs in this thread...

Center-back is hardest, without a doubt. The fulcrum of the defense.

mickmcl09

In terms of work rate.
Hardest: Wing Forward, have to be the fittest guys on the pitch. Up down and across the pitch constantly.
Most unforgiving: Corner forward, more often than not, the first man to be taken off if the team is losing and very often the ball isn't even getting up to the corner. GK second because it only takes one ball to bobble past you to ruin your day and CB a distant 3rd, even if you're likely to get skinned you can hold and intimidate all day to limit the damage.
Easiest: Could say the Keeper, but it's more of an agile type position and nothing to do with work rate.
Wing back is the easiest position to play in from a work rate point of view. More often than not your going forward rather than having to 'go get', like a forward and then turn. Unlike football where a WB is required to make runs up the field, in hurling you hold your line for the most part, even if the WF you're marking decides to drift out the field.

Ask yourself where a high level of man of the match performances come from - mostly WB, why? Because it's the easiest position to perform and look good from a spectator view point.

Ask yourself which position on a team has the most players vying for it?
Again you'll find more often than not, no surprises.....wing back:)

Orizio

mickmcl09 wrote: »

Ask yourself where a high level of man of the match performances come from - mostly WB, why? Because it's the easiest position to perform and look good from a spectator view point.

Ask yourself which position on a team has the most players vying for it?
Again you'll find more often than not, no surprises.....wing back:)

Ummmm...what?

InchicoreDude

Never played hurling at a proper level so cant comment.

But in football, full back was the hardest position. Big dirty high balls coming down on top of you and if you mess up, the full forward is clean through on goal. It was easier playing in the corner because you tended to be a little away from goal. And it was easier again to play wing back - your man could get loads of the ball but you seemed to get away with it. That wasnt the case playing in the full back line. I was never skilful enough to play much in the forwards!

mickmcl09

Orizio wrote: »

Ummmm...what?

Yes? Might be no harm looking at the last 25 All ireland finals and looking at the MotM list. I haven't looked myself but I'm fairly sure WBs will feature fairly highly as distinct from other positions.

Why do a lot of teams always complain that they have lots of back and a shortage of forwards? Because it's easier to play in the backs for the most part.
A forward has to go out collect and turn in most instances.
He's also expected to get there first.
He also has to think about what's behind him as he collects.

A back has none of that to worry about. Yes, a back has to compete, tackle and try to make sure a forward doesn't waltz past him, at worst a back is expected to make life difficult for a forward. Much easier to stand under a ball with your man in front of you and if your not trying to catch it you can bat it out ( which many backs use as a finger breaking exercise as well).
A forward has way more work to do, get possession ( and protect yourself as the back is mostly on the forwards blind side).

Besides the op asked about work rate not about what if's, like a forward who gets past a back and makes him look bad. Beating your man (fairly if you can) is part of the beauty of the game.

Palytoxin

I'd say anywhere in the backs is the hardest. Corner backs have nowhere to hide, nothing worse than being on a nippy forward who has you for pace. At least in the half back line chances are your man will take his point rather than go for goal. As for the full back once he can break down a ball there should be men around to tidy it up.
Corner forward has to be the easiest, you probably won't be picked there unless you're fast, so you probably have the beating of the corner back, and nobody really expects much of you anyway, if you sneak in for a goal it's all good, if you don't nobody is too worried.

cgpg5

Corner back toughest by a mile. If getting cleaned from early you'll know all about it. As another poster pointed out rarely get any plaudits for a good performance!

I'd have to say mid is relatively easy although many would disagree I'm sure. Not half as much fitness required as in football. Don't have to man mark and if your man starts scoring at will you can disguise this by winning a lot of ball yourself. What I'm trying to say is that it is probably the easiest position to look good in, in fact (at club level anyway) average players can be made look good playing in midfield as you can potentially see a lot of action.

Think wing forward is also difficult. Played here myself and imo its the most physically demanding position in hurling. Have to be prepared for every puck out to catch a break and to challenge for the ball. Also, one needs a very good sense of positioning to play in it. Also have to stop your marker from bombing up the pitch. Very underrated position imo.

Overall FF is prob the easiest. Can stand on edge of square all day not breaking a sweat and one goal can make you look good. Corner is harder than you think personally I hate playing in it, can see no ball all day and be subbed early as well as that you are always judged on how much you score which is unfair. Also, have to know when it is and isn't acceptable to come deep looking for ball. Can be tougher than you think and you can be often made the scapegoat for a poor performance.

Littlehorny

Played everwhere from 2 to 15 over the years but as said before corner back is the toughest, you have to have a perfect game to get a few slaps on the back after a game. In my opion the easiest position in the backs is centre back but you still need one of your best players in this position to make a difference.
In the forwards wing forward is the worst, run your arse off for a whole game and if the ball doesnt roll your way now and again you can have a poor game very easily.

tipp86

How long is a piece of string.....

johnny_cash

There is no such thing as the toughest position in hurling or football.I have played in nearly every position on the pitch from underage up to adult level and the mean thing is to have a good understanding with the players around you and talk to each other.

fusion19

Full back, corner back and goals are the hardest cant really pick one for different reasons. I think centre back can be the easiest if you are a good hurler and can read the game. However it depends on the player and some people are more suited to some positions than others. For example if your an absolute gazelle midfield can suit and if you have a bucket of a hand wing forward is a good spot for you. Everyone has their own preference and there are plenty of sticky tough lads that like corner back. I think the quality of corner backs that have emerged in the modern game is testament to how difficult of a position it is to play...eg paul murphy, johnny coen, jackie tyrrel, michael cahill, ollie canning and so on.

Perkins135

I really can't believe the amount of people here saying corner back is the hardest position to play in. Either we have a lot of ex corner backs or a lot of hurlers on the ditch.
At corner back, you need to be able to run, hold, kick, scoop, do whatever it takes to get the ball away from your man and the goal.
Take that against the person he is marking, corner forward, has to run, make space, take up good positions, look for passes, get balls thrown in to the corner or over your head or up in the sky and be expected to win them all cleanly, whereas all the back has to do is break it away. All that on top of being a quick and nippy striker, eye for goal and keen awareness of others for passes.

Ask yourself this, how many times is the first person taken off in a match the corner forward? How many times will both corner forwards be substituted?
If a corner back has a bad match, he looks terrible, but that can be very rare. If a corner forward doesn't get any balls, he is taken off, not that it's his fault.

After all that. I'd say the worst position to play is wing forward. Puck outs dropping on you with hurls flying everywhere. If your backs are anyway decent strikers they will be hitting clearances over your head, if your full forward line is playing well they will be taking scores. You will be left running in and out like a headless chicken.

randd1

The subs bench. As you just want to be on the field.

As for on the field, it would have to be full back for me, very much the position where a slip up can cost everything. Plenty of teams have had great success without a good full forward, but very few have won much without at least a good full back.

n32

Full forward without a shadow of a doubt. You re touch has to be perfect and you have to be very good under the high ball. Its made for the defender , all he has to do is bat the ball when its coming in high. If you manage to get possession you have to turn and make space for a shot while the defender only needs to get a touch or a hook. FF is a nightmare to play. I ve played FB and FF and definitely full forward is way more difficult. Centre forward is no picnic either

Fatswaldo

Full Forward is the most difficult in my opinion. Always playing with your back towards the goal. Opponent just has to prevent you from getting possession of the ball or turning.

If you are anyway athletic and reasonably fit, midfield is easiest. Nightmare if unfit though!

grazeaway

Having played in every position in both football and hurling regularly during my time I would say that it depends on how you look at it.

Physically midfield in football is the hardest as you are middle of everything that goes on, centre forward is hardest in hurling as you need to be able to compete with half backs and midfielders to win ball usually with out support from the other half forwards

Fitness wise wing back/forward in football, midfield in hurling

Speed wise corner back is the hardest in both.

Reading the game is the most important at centre back and full back

Concentration wise goalkeeping is the hardest as you need to not only read the game but also all your defenders too. Also there is usually no one to cover for your mistakes and you are also responsible for all restarts. Physically goalie is a lot more challenging then most people realise especially if you side are under pressure.

Confidence wise the full forward is the hardest as you need serious self belief to believe you can win every ball take your man on and score even when things are going your way.

Full forward is the easiest to play physically but you need to be clever to do it, hence most of us end up playing there to bring on the young lads when we get older.

I always played in goals regularly from young age but as I got older it was usually as the back up goalie as I mostly played out the field. When I was a teenager it was usually at corner or wing back in football but in the forwards in hurling. By the time I got into my 20's I was mostly playing through the middle and when I got my 30's I was moving from goalie, centre back or full forward.

Browney7

Wing back is the easiest. If its over your head its the corner backs problem and all you have to do is break the ball in the air for your midfield and wing forwards. If you burst forward the odd time you look great.

Hardest is wing forward. You can be running around like a blue arse fly all game lookingvfor the ball. Have to contest most puck outs. Can't let your man maraude up the field. Have to be a good striker of the ball and able to take a score.

All my opinion from playing junior and under 21 club hurling

LMK

Hurling
Hardest/most important - corner back
Easiest - wing back

Football
Hardest - Don't Know
Easiest - Center Forward

Sliabh gCua

Toughest place to play has to be in goal. Any mistake made is seen quickly whereas mistakes made further out the field are not seen as much.

Corner forward is also a tough place to play as when things are not going right, one of them will most often be taken off first to send on a sub.