Anyone think he has a point?

I think there might be something to it. Players are getting huge drives into their play these days and if the sliotar was even 10% heavier it might have a bearing on things. A slightly heavier sliotar might just improve hurling that extra bit, not that it needs much improvement.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 01/07/2010 16:41:57    693455

Definitely think he has a point. Midfielders are now obselete. And halfbacks are purely there for their puckout winning abilities. There are plenty of fellas playing who haven't got great touch but can still get good length on a ball. A heavier ball means youd have to catch it right to get distance. There would be more attractive hurling played with a heavier ball, as youd need to place passes rather than just lash it down the field. Thats just my opinion though.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2575 - 01/07/2010 16:53:22    693477

I agree.... Players can hit it a bit too far these days.... didn't they introduce a sliotar a few years ago that has a bit of extra bounce think that was shelfed fairly quickly.

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 01/07/2010 16:53:29    693478

Oh give over Babs, we couldn't be listening to you!

JGiles (Limerick) - Posts: 88 - 01/07/2010 17:17:30    693527

Babs talking through his loop. Nobody has hit the ball as long as Ger Cunningham since he retired.

Redfoot (Cork) - Posts: 388 - 01/07/2010 18:34:14    693636

What about the rock scoring from his on 21 yard line..... modern hurling is all about the half back and half forward line!!

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 01/07/2010 19:01:46    693659

Noel Skehan pointed a free from his own 21 in a championship game V Galway in the early 80's.

I suppose puck outs and frees as well as clearances are going longer now, but I wonder is that down to players improving their skills rather than the weight of the ball?

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 02/07/2010 10:47:11    693981

Gareth Magee hit the cross bar from a puck out there a few years ago in a club game. The distance that man can strike is savage!

GreenGlens10 (Antrim) - Posts: 64 - 02/07/2010 11:21:17    694038

Can anybody tell me if the sliothar is actually standardzed for intercounty matches? I know it is not in club games, not in junior B hurling anyway where you would rather nearly get slap of the hurley across the hands than catch some of the balls we play with they are so bloody heavy. Babs' comments are not relevant at Junior B where nobody pucks the ball more than 70 yards due to the heavy balls (and partly due to an unrelated lack of hurling ability)...he may have a point for intercounty

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 02/07/2010 12:30:58    694131

good point bennybunny.

I've seen games played at that level with the Connolly's sliothat, the Nuri one, the Opel ones and basically anything that can be pucked through the air. Most junior clubs are just glad to have sliothars :-)

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 02/07/2010 12:44:39    694150

Played a Junior match once with a ball i found in the ditch on the way into the match. Must have been lying there for the winter. I didnt get it back afterwards either.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2575 - 02/07/2010 13:12:12    694189

More drivel. Obviously needed to get his name back in the headlines. As for midfielders being obsolete, Ger Farragher wasnt obsolete in the Galway-Offaly game last weekend.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 04/07/2010 20:49:55    696073

Bennybunny - do you seriously think Babs even considers Junior B hurling to be hurling? Hurling, assuming it didn't stop in 1973 when a certain genius handed in his boots, is obviously only something that concerns the Kilkenny, Cork and Tipp (he might grudgingly acknowledge :-) senior inter county teams.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 05/07/2010 08:38:20    696210

It could be more down to the revolution of the hurley than the sliothar. Hurley's back in the day looked like hockey sticks, the boss is much bigger now and hurls are a lot heavier. Leave the ball alone, it can be sore enough catch the one we have on a cold day without making it harder.

Faithfull (Offaly) - Posts: 573 - 05/07/2010 11:01:28    696393

The Rock pointed from 110 yards out v Limerick in 2001,,wonder whats Babs comments on Satutuday nites scoreline Tipp v Wex,n last time they met when he was manager!!

arabrebel (Cork) - Posts: 42 - 05/07/2010 11:44:05    696461

He's dead right far too many pucks going out over the end line when they should be dropping 20 yards short giving the full forward line a chance.

hurler in the ditch (Louth) - Posts: 439 - 05/07/2010 14:17:03    696718

Babs is correct on this one. A ball hopped over the bar for a point in the Tipp/Wexford game on Saturday. I have never seen this happen before.

Star Gazer (Tipperary) - Posts: 436 - 05/07/2010 15:38:27    696908

and maybe we should get rid of boots too as they enable players to run faster...and let's stop training, as that makes games faster too...and definitely go back to those old woolly jerseys and long trousers, again because the current ones allow players to move faster too...

football first (None) - Posts: 1259 - 05/07/2010 15:49:52    696937

Star Gazer that was a bizarre score alright. I wasn't sure if someone got a touch on it cos I had a pillar blocking my view of it but my mates where sure it bounced.

Whether the sliothar has anything to do with it or not midfield is definitely bypassed these days for puck out. Keepers have a specific hurley for puck outs and another one for shot stopping.

I'm not sure but I think intercounty sliothars are standardised. Remember babs causing mischief against cork in the 2006 munster final when Donal Og was using different sliothars.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 05/07/2010 18:18:41    697215

I cant understand how hurlers play with such a big hurley bos now its far too easy to block down and the ball travels further with the old 4 inch bos

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 09/07/2010 12:10:03    701259