Hurling duo criticise format

HURLING / News: Two top hurling managers have expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of the upcoming National League.

Yesterday's launch of the Allianz National Leagues by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and GAA president Seán Kelly was livelier than the going rate for these events with Cork's John Allen and Babs Keating of Tipperary criticising the format.

Allen, whose team will be chasing a third successive All-Ireland this year, said the reduction in the number of matches was unwelcome.

"The league has changed for hurling," he said at the sponsors' offices in Dublin. "We are guaranteed five games as opposed to eight last year. The old system would have been more beneficial. Maybe something had to be done to rejig the format but I saw nothing wrong with last year."

Keating, meanwhile, criticised the schedule of fixtures. "I would have thought that more thought would have gone into the formation. We meet Limerick in the championship and in the league and we play them and Kilkenny in two weeks. They're high-profile games that I would have preferred at the latter end of the campaign.

"Still there's a hurling man taking over next year," he said of president-elect Nickey Brennan, who was also present, before adding that he was joking.

Allen's football counterpart Mickey Harte, manager of All-Ireland champions Tyrone, and Dublin manager Paul Caffrey both gave floodlit matches a thumbs-up although Harte was concerned players shouldn't be asked to play club fixtures on a Sunday afternoon if they had already played for their county under lights on any given weekend.

Cork hurlers have played regular, floodlit matches in Páirc Uí Rinn but whereas Allen said that the venture had been "a big success", Keating was more sceptical.

"I think that the floodlit grounds that I've seen aren't up to the standard required for an important hurling game. That includes Parnell Park where we played a county final (as coach of UCD) because there were two goals got that evening that wouldn't be got in daylight.

"More expertise and more development are needed. Hurling is more difficult than football and there's more risk of injuries in a floodlit game than one played during the day."

Harte has become a role model for advocates of the league's importance, as his team has qualified for at least the semi-finals of each of his three campaigns as manager.

"There's not a lot of league titles in Tyrone," he told the media conference, "and when you're in a position to challenge for one, you should do so. It's well known that I like winning games and this is the second most important competition in the country. People who dedicate themselves to the league can expect to be around in the championship.

"There's no such thing as an established team any more. You need a squad and flexibility. If you intend to stay in the league as long as you would like, you need a strong squad and I'm glad that the numbers have been restored to 30 because I think it was nearly impossible with 24."

Keating was the only manager facing into his first year in charge and even he had a famously productive spell as manager with Tipperary for eight years between 1986-'94.

"There are similarities to '86," he said yesterday, "and differences. One plus is that this Tipperary team will have six or seven All-Ireland medal holders. The other side of that is that I'd (Pat) Fox and (Nicky) English in '86.

"The disadvantages are that this year's squad has only two under-21 players and I'm not sure that they'll make it.

"It has to be a source of concern that there's not a better representation than that and that we haven't won an All-Ireland under-21 in 10 years.

"Then there's the whole of West Tipp that produced players like English and Fox and John Kennedy. There's no one - well maybe one - on the panel this year. That's a cause of concern to the Tipperary County Board."

Launching the season, GAA president Kelly identified the introduction of the calendar year as one of the main influences on what he saw as the rising status of the National Leagues.

"I think it was the key. Some are suggesting that we switch back to the old system of starting in October. I think that would be a disaster. It would ruin it."