TV Coverage

I wouldn't fully agree with that to bethe honest , the neutrality of the pundits. It can be entertaining if a little brutal to see someone Analyse their own county, especially if they are losing. A bit of a blood sport, especially if they turn on the coach and vent a grudge like Eamonn O'Hara did in Kevin Walsh some years ago. It was a low act, said more about O'Hara and his values than it did about Walsh, and it should have meant the end of O'Hara as a pundit, but it made for cringe worthy tv gold, albeit at the expense of Kevin Walsh.

The lack of any imagination though in the coverage is annoying, the games (like soccer) has moved on almost beyond recognition in the last 10 years and we still have dinosaurs who finished playing 30 or 40 years ago talking about intensity and getting stuck in like ould lads at the bar in your local. A waste of time.

There is even a huge lack of ingenuity in the coverage, camera angles etc. TG4 has attempted to move on a little with the picture in picture but could do mir of it, we constantly have replays of scores or of lads in the crowd yahooing for a score being shown while the ball is being kicked out.

The new lad just seems like a woke twat. Avoid controversy at every turn, get the gender balance right and go for panelists who can wear the gaudiest shirts or a suit with runners ahead of someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

I think that’s one of the problems though, analysts from a county are likely to have an agenda. O’Hara had a negative agenda, others have overly positive ones.

Davy Fitz was analysing several Clare games this year, even though he hasn’t talked to the Clare manager for years, that made no sense. Shane Dowling analysing Limerick games but was out socialising with the players after the Munster final.

The chances of getting objective analysis are way higher with neutrals.

Hahaha Jesus ya

Dowling talking about blatantly thrown passes for Limerick that he ignores

’pop pass’

A couple of positives with the RTE coverage today... they are all sitting in chairs in the studio, rather than Joanne standing and the others sitting. And the analysts are Donal Óg, Liam and Anthony so technically they are all neutral.

Think the panel today are fine for me no point in having guys on that are from the counties playing let alone played with some of the lads out there today .

The hurling crowd don't half enjoy telling everyone how great the sport is.

It's something you don't ever really hear when other sports are on TV.

Yes, seems to be very ‘anti’ about a lot of things to use that expression.

Chip on the shoulder is a word which could be used.

I'd say the pictures of the game are the same on Sky and RTÉ, it would be very unusual to have different camera crews covering the same game.

Credit where it is due, TSG got neutral analysts today. It’s a basic, but it wasn’t happening very often, today it did so fair play.

On the downside the hurling coverage has been really poor this year, it’s too much about the analysts and the presenters.

In Tom Ryans recent interview he made some valid points about a lack of debate. You could really see it tonight when Cusack had a monologue about the failings of the split season. No one challenged him at all, no one said it means summer hurling for club players and gives them certainty about dates.

Club fixtures was the GAA’s biggest issue for at least 20 years, but literally no one pointed out the improvement made by changing the calendar.

There are some good people on the Sunday Game but too often the hurling coverage is very poor, ruined by agendas and indulgence of the analysts.

There has been a lot of negativity towards the hurling coverage this year, but it could be improved a lot if the producers put a bit of smeacht on some of the analysts.

On the positive side, Dowling is excellent, he’s a very natural communicator and doesn’t ever seem to be trying to make himself look clever. Daly, Tyrrell, Cummins and Jacobs have been good too.

There’s the makings of a good programme, but a huge amount does need to change. RTE definitely could take a look at what Sky do, it’s not perfect either, but it is more natural and the analysts are much more grounded than some of the RTE lads.

It’s a totally fair plot that the praise of hurling is OTT and I say that as a hurling fanatic.

You have a situation now where conmentators wax lyrically about completely routine scores and pieces of skill. Not everything can be exceptional.

The match today was v good, but it certainly wasn’t the best ever, or the best All Ireland ever or even the best All Ireland of the last ten years.

Even with this though, there is an agenda.

RTÉ gave the intercounty rights, and Donal Og has a nice gig doing previews and covering the games from Fwbto July now.

It's obviously in his interests to have a longer season into August or even September. It means he (and RTÉ's coverage) is relevant for longer than if the championships are split and over by August.

There is certainly a strong counter argument, and it should have been represented if it wasn't (I didn't watch TSG)