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Donal O'Gs Comments On Football In General And The TC In Particular

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Any thought on Donal O'Gs comments on football. I personally thought they were OTT. I think he got a little carried away with his flowery articulation of his thoughts. Pat Spillane tore into him over them but I thought that Colm O'Rourke's riposte was classy.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 15/05/2023 17:43:10    2478786

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Replying To Freethinker:  "Any thought on Donal O'Gs comments on football. I personally thought they were OTT. I think he got a little carried away with his flowery articulation of his thoughts. Pat Spillane tore into him over them but I thought that Colm O'Rourke's riposte was classy."
He's just another hurley snob.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2293 - 16/05/2023 10:08:01    2478865

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I've always liked Donal Og and I generally agree with what has to say but he was out of order today.
I've no interest in football but any competition that has teams playing at their own level with a realistic chance of silverware is a well worthwhile venture. It's a long over due competition and I wish it more success for the future .

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2312 - 16/05/2023 15:11:38    2479004

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Just the veil dropping that we all know is there among certain hurling people.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11561 - 16/05/2023 15:17:01    2479005

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Donal Og and Cork wanted Kerry to playoff to enter the Munster Championship while Leinster counties were promoted automatically.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8773 - 16/05/2023 15:21:19    2479007

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"Good hurling people" believed the hype from the ad campaign that made them out to be Cú Chulainns.
They can't understand why the game isn't played all over the world and yet they'll look down their noses at counties that aren't traditional hurling counties.
Donal óg experienced that snobbery himself when there was consternation that he passed to a team mate instead of just lamping it as far as he could. There's a reason why it's only taken seriously in a few places. There's no point blaming rugby or Gaelic football.

ThePowerhouse (Leitrim) - Posts: 230 - 16/05/2023 15:41:40    2479016

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Replying To Freethinker:  "Any thought on Donal O'Gs comments on football. I personally thought they were OTT. I think he got a little carried away with his flowery articulation of his thoughts. Pat Spillane tore into him over them but I thought that Colm O'Rourke's riposte was classy."
He came out with cringe worthy nonsense that he rehearsed in front of the mirror. Embarrassing to hear him talk about it being older than God knows what historical monuments.
And what he said about the Tailteann Cup was plain wrong. It shows he doesn't care about the lower tier hurling competitions at all because the same opinion holds for them so.
Just get his beloved Cark on the box every week for the old farmers above in Mallow and he'll think the GAA are doing their best to promote the ancient game.

jam83 (Galway) - Posts: 189 - 16/05/2023 16:41:02    2479034

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Replying To Freethinker:  "Any thought on Donal O'Gs comments on football. I personally thought they were OTT. I think he got a little carried away with his flowery articulation of his thoughts. Pat Spillane tore into him over them but I thought that Colm O'Rourke's riposte was classy."
Just the usual hurling high horse mentality. These types live in a bubble - nobody in the world gives a fiddlers or has any interest in the sport outside of a few counties in Ireland. To me it's incredibly boring and over rated - ball is either out of play or high up in the air and you can score a point from literally anywhere. I turn it over as soon as I see it on tv and I know many like this - there is a reason it's a dying sport. Donal Og would want to wake up.

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 16/05/2023 16:50:43    2479037

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Take no notice of that man. He was in the driving seat of the disastrous pay-for-play push by a Cork senior hurling cohort in 2002-2005, they haven't recovered since. Of course, pay for play would have inevitably led to pay-per view but DOC wouldn't have cared much in that context. Hurling, the great game that it is at the top level, is lucky that it doesn't get more exposure. It would ruin the brand to have any of the 20+ point margin games on the TV, and they happen a lot.

Eddie the Exile (Monaghan) - Posts: 1201 - 16/05/2023 16:56:24    2479042

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A poster from one of the strong hurling counties took offense to me writing that the hurling championship shouldn't be called the 'All Ireland' as it is a glorified Munster championship plus one or two Leinster counties and Galway. Maybe they took offense as my statement has more than a grain of truth in it. DOG was involved in a game played in Australia a few years ago involving Kilkenny; designed to promote hurling worldwide. How detached from reality is that? This raised my eyebrows considering seventy five percent of Ireland is struggling to promote the game and put out a team at any meaningful level. Hurling is a skillful game but in terms of promotion and participation, football is played more at a decent level throughout Ireland compared to hurling. The problem we have in football is there are 'professional' counties competing against 'amateur' counties which causes mismatches particularly at provincial level. In my opinion, hurling as a product is actually in decline. There is a huge problem with the ball being thrown plus I think the introduction of a lighter ball has resulted in higher scores per game but equally it has resulted in a large number of players being bypassed during games. DOG comments were meant to be controversial but his comments actually gave people something to talk about especially when the Sunday Game as a product this season has been dull and devoid of anything meaningful in terms of punditry.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2097 - 16/05/2023 17:28:07    2479055

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Just the usual hurling high horse mentality. These types live in a bubble - nobody in the world gives a fiddlers or has any interest in the sport outside of a few counties in Ireland. To me it's incredibly boring and over rated - ball is either out of play or high up in the air and you can score a point from literally anywhere. I turn it over as soon as I see it on tv and I know many like this - there is a reason it's a dying sport. Donal Og would want to wake up."
Sadly the game of hurling isn't promoted equally, as in equal to football, by the GAA in every county. I say sadly because the GAA was actually founded to do just that. Promote and Preserve Irish sports. In our club we promote both equally. My eldest is playing u12s. Games alternate weekly between football and hurling, while the 2 training sessions a week also alternate, hurling training leading up to the hurling game, and football training leading up to the football game. There is no reason on earth why every club in the country couldn't do the same. And I include hurling only clubs in that criticism too.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15681 - 16/05/2023 17:35:43    2479057

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Just the usual hurling high horse mentality. These types live in a bubble - nobody in the world gives a fiddlers or has any interest in the sport outside of a few counties in Ireland. To me it's incredibly boring and over rated - ball is either out of play or high up in the air and you can score a point from literally anywhere. I turn it over as soon as I see it on tv and I know many like this - there is a reason it's a dying sport. Donal Og would want to wake up."
Sadly the game of hurling isn't promoted equally, as in equal to football, by the GAA in every county. I say sadly because the GAA was actually founded to do just that. Promote and Preserve Irish sports. In our club we promote both equally. My eldest is playing u12s. Games alternate weekly between football and hurling, while the 2 training sessions a week also alternate, hurling training leading up to the hurling game, and football training leading up to the football game. There is no reason on earth why every club in the country couldn't do the same. And I include hurling only clubs in that criticism too.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15681 - 16/05/2023 17:53:57    2479066

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Replying To Eddie the Exile:  "Take no notice of that man. He was in the driving seat of the disastrous pay-for-play push by a Cork senior hurling cohort in 2002-2005, they haven't recovered since. Of course, pay for play would have inevitably led to pay-per view but DOC wouldn't have cared much in that context. Hurling, the great game that it is at the top level, is lucky that it doesn't get more exposure. It would ruin the brand to have any of the 20+ point margin games on the TV, and they happen a lot."
Never liked him tbh. He has done hurling some disservice down the years. However I do think hes right there have been hardly any championship hurling games on rte tv. Is it even 3 games total? And no middle or lower tier counties' games which are the ones where hurling needs promoting in.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15681 - 16/05/2023 17:57:31    2479067

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Replying To Bon:  "I've always liked Donal Og and I generally agree with what has to say but he was out of order today.
I've no interest in football but any competition that has teams playing at their own level with a realistic chance of silverware is a well worthwhile venture. It's a long over due competition and I wish it more success for the future ."
Donal Og let himself down a bagful. What does it say to hurlers outside of Liam McCarthy what he really thinks of them if he's calling footballs second tiers also rans. There's 5 tiers in hurling and even in those tiers, there's more tiers!!

CillTormoir (Galway) - Posts: 521 - 16/05/2023 18:37:11    2479076

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Replying To Freethinker:  "Any thought on Donal O'Gs comments on football. I personally thought they were OTT. I think he got a little carried away with his flowery articulation of his thoughts. Pat Spillane tore into him over them but I thought that Colm O'Rourke's riposte was classy."
When was this on? Very hard to catch 10% of what's on these days. I connected with Eddie Keher's 'sentiments' some days ago, where he was lamenting the lack of timeframe to enjoy and relish and desect and anticipate and discuss games anymore. To borrow Donal Og's excellent term that he used the other night, we're tasting snippets of a 'microwaved championship'.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4127 - 16/05/2023 18:54:30    2479080

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "A poster from one of the strong hurling counties took offense to me writing that the hurling championship shouldn't be called the 'All Ireland' as it is a glorified Munster championship plus one or two Leinster counties and Galway. Maybe they took offense as my statement has more than a grain of truth in it. DOG was involved in a game played in Australia a few years ago involving Kilkenny; designed to promote hurling worldwide. How detached from reality is that? This raised my eyebrows considering seventy five percent of Ireland is struggling to promote the game and put out a team at any meaningful level. Hurling is a skillful game but in terms of promotion and participation, football is played more at a decent level throughout Ireland compared to hurling. The problem we have in football is there are 'professional' counties competing against 'amateur' counties which causes mismatches particularly at provincial level. In my opinion, hurling as a product is actually in decline. There is a huge problem with the ball being thrown plus I think the introduction of a lighter ball has resulted in higher scores per game but equally it has resulted in a large number of players being bypassed during games. DOG comments were meant to be controversial but his comments actually gave people something to talk about especially when the Sunday Game as a product this season has been dull and devoid of anything meaningful in terms of punditry."
WS -

When you have pundits changing their choice of man of the match and the apologising for it, you know there is a big problem.

As for DOG's comments, he should know better, coming from a county whose footballers play before a few hundred supporters.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2928 - 16/05/2023 18:56:20    2479082

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Replying To ThePowerhouse:  ""Good hurling people" believed the hype from the ad campaign that made them out to be Cú Chulainns.
They can't understand why the game isn't played all over the world and yet they'll look down their noses at counties that aren't traditional hurling counties.
Donal óg experienced that snobbery himself when there was consternation that he passed to a team mate instead of just lamping it as far as he could. There's a reason why it's only taken seriously in a few places. There's no point blaming rugby or Gaelic football."
I like both sports (most other sports too) but I wouldn't put gaelic football in the same sentence as hurling,, in my opinion the small ball game is considerably more entertaining and skill orientated.
I believe the reason that hurling is only taken seriously in a few places is because it's incredibly difficult to create a hurling culture where historically there was none before, because unlike gaelic football it's a very difficult sport to master that requires time and patience.
And for the record, compared to soccer gaelic football and rugby are only taken seriously in a few places too,, so what's the reason for that?

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 16/05/2023 18:58:09    2479083

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Replying To Bon:  "I've always liked Donal Og and I generally agree with what has to say but he was out of order today.
I've no interest in football but any competition that has teams playing at their own level with a realistic chance of silverware is a well worthwhile venture. It's a long over due competition and I wish it more success for the future ."
I'd tend to agree. He has been right on several things and completely wrong on others, including the strike and the GPA nonsense.

The Tailteann Cup makes no difference good or bad to TV coverage of hurling or anything else affecting hurling so it was a strange target in the first place. And actually Jackie Tyrell who started it not Donal Óg.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3512 - 16/05/2023 18:58:39    2479084

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "A poster from one of the strong hurling counties took offense to me writing that the hurling championship shouldn't be called the 'All Ireland' as it is a glorified Munster championship plus one or two Leinster counties and Galway. Maybe they took offense as my statement has more than a grain of truth in it. DOG was involved in a game played in Australia a few years ago involving Kilkenny; designed to promote hurling worldwide. How detached from reality is that? This raised my eyebrows considering seventy five percent of Ireland is struggling to promote the game and put out a team at any meaningful level. Hurling is a skillful game but in terms of promotion and participation, football is played more at a decent level throughout Ireland compared to hurling. The problem we have in football is there are 'professional' counties competing against 'amateur' counties which causes mismatches particularly at provincial level. In my opinion, hurling as a product is actually in decline. There is a huge problem with the ball being thrown plus I think the introduction of a lighter ball has resulted in higher scores per game but equally it has resulted in a large number of players being bypassed during games. DOG comments were meant to be controversial but his comments actually gave people something to talk about especially when the Sunday Game as a product this season has been dull and devoid of anything meaningful in terms of punditry."
I think you touched on some of his issue. I don't think it is coming from snobbery but misdirected anger that hurling is in the situation you outline. The Tailteann Cup is getting more coverage than the tiered hurling competitions. I can understand his anger as hurling is a brilliant sport but being really left behind in a lot of counties and no signs of new counties breaking through (Kerry have come on a lot and Kildare doing good work at underage and club but still a long way behind those in Liam Mc). Even the Wexfords and Offaly's seem miles off challenging. Resources in counties are limited and the inter county teams have taken on a professional approach so in football dominant counties hurling is going to get the crumbs.

MachaireConnacht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1000 - 16/05/2023 18:59:25    2479085

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Just the veil dropping that we all know is there among certain hurling people."
Both sides are guilty of that.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 16/05/2023 19:00:01    2479086

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