TV Coverage

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 .

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.

This split season has to be given a chance. Soundings from players seem to be that they are happy with it. They are the most important people in the conversation. The likes of Cusack and Daly are thinking of their pockets rather than the good of the game. Cusack goes on a rant every year at this time to keep himself relevant.

I thought the analysis of the game by these pundits was poor last night. One glaring issue was ignored and that is the constant fouling of the ball by both teams by throwing it. It was a good game yesterday but only because the referee didn't enforce the rules. Fair play it was enjoyable but hurling is facing a big problem and I would like these pundits to discuss that and offer solutions instead of getting up on their soap box about non issues. Do you change the rules allow the ball to be thrown, allow all kinds in the tackle and only blow a free if a man is dragged to the ground or do we continue with the reffs pretending they are enforcing the rules.

It absolutely was broken though.

It is completely ott for sure and certainly Is worse now than ever. All this nonsense about matches being the best ever, as if anyone has seen them all ffs.

High scores are certainly not an indication of better games, idiotic to say otherwise. Of course Twitter is full of nonsense anyway, but unquestioning hyping up of hurling is certainly part of it.

It is very frustrating, the coverage of hurling has gone so bad. Incomprehensible analysis of tactics and systems, disingenuous commentary telling us average scores are fantastic, pundits criticising the best reform of competitions structures in decades while literally not acknowledging any pluses at all to it.

Surely it can be done much better and more honestly.

I like Ger Canning too, has got far too much criticism over the years, I’d consider him fair and level headed.

I totally believe the pundits have been told behind the scenes to tone down any "controversial"opinions and basically just big up the game itself. Marty and duignan went into overdrive with the praise of the game and the gaa in general. It was almost nauseating at times.

The fouling is nothing new. Kilkenny were absolute masters of discreet fouling but I still found them a highly entertaining team to watch in full flow. Limerick have upped the ante big time. But I would argue that a lot of their tackling is basically fouling as well, pulling the free arm, wrapping arms around the player in possession etc. My sympathy lies with the referee these days, it must be an incredibly difficult task to judge what's a real foul and what is acceptable these days. I know we watched the match in our local and the people that sat around the bar enthralled by the action, ended up in full disagreement numerous times over frees given/ not given. But what really annoys me is that pundits won't even talk about it. It's like they risk offending the GAA if they question the legality of these tackles because you know, hurling is the greatest sport in the world as Marty was at pains to point out....

My deepest apologies for turfing myself into this thread.... but I looked around and it seemed the best place to go.

I live in Germany as an Irish guy and I know F all about GAA. But recently my kids who are german born are into the GAA... .we even got hurleys imported from a shop in sligo (from oconners in cork)

Anyway I wanna let the kids watch the game tomorrow. Happy to pay as much or as little as it takes. Is GAAGO the place to watch abroad? Or can anyone recommend (DM ideas too) some places?

Yeah the RTE is not an option... we learned that from the late late toy show :)

The kids are really curious about the GAA at the moment.... so I reckon this would be a good game to show them. So I am happy to pay the money.... for anything semi stable........

Just for fun I have already told the kids that I have "bet the car" on Kerry :) So they are invested now!!! They love our little car a lot so they actually believe its invested in the result of the game :)

But happy to sub to anything.... I will go with GaaGO unless there is a better recommendation out there?

Just want them to remember it... and it not being all about "Loading stream" or any of that :)