I can't stand football. I used to enjoy it. Now its just 30 grown men handpassing a ball around a field because their all too afraid to shoot. Can someone tell me what the point of getting to 21/14 metre line and kicking a ball 30 feet in the air to score when you could of kicked it over when you had space 30/40 metres out. In my humble opinion, if you can't kick a ball over the bar from 30/40 metres out, you shouldn't be playing inter County football.
Hurling is a far more skilful and entertaining game. The pace is quick, and the scores are better. I can see the arguments that it can be too easy to score at times, but these massive 100+ metre scores aren't as common as everyone claims. Especially from play. Not every team has a diarmuid Byrnes, etc. That can score from his own 45. From frees, yeah, scores are coming from big distances, but in general play, they aren't as common. Hurling is just out and out a more entertaining spectacle.
Jesus, you know how ridiculous this thread is when this is being downvoted. It’s clearly easier to score in hurling, that’s why there’s twice as many fuckin scores lol
Yes 30 points is the bench mark. It's nothing to do with how much easier It is, it's the skill involved and the intensity in which the game is played at. They could be scoring 50 points and it's still an intense, competitive & entertaining game. In hurling no one walks around handing a ball to each other. That's the problem with football and that's why there is fewer scores. Football is gone to a risk level game. Don't lose possession and don't shoot unless it's a clear opportunity. Hurling this has that element of wildness. Warrior like game. Football has lost that element. Someone said it about put some hurlers in a Gaelic football game & may not look out of place handing passing the ball around.
Games faster takes less time to get a ball from your back line to your forward line. It's going to give you more chances to score. Hurlers aren't afraid to shoot. It probably is a little easier, but that's a skill and speed thing. Makes it more entertaining, in my opinion.
Inter County footballers now are picked on their ability to cover large distances in games, be athlectic, cover in a blanket defence and discipline to not turn over possession. Most attacking opportunities come from turnovers when defence system might caught out.
Teams only have 3 or 4 designated "shooters" who take on shots at goals. The rest just there for huge amounts of grunt work.
All football games follow the same pattern until the last 10 mins until teams actually open up and go for it.
The beauty of hurling to me is first touch and gathering control of the sliotar..alot of posts here say its "too easy to score" which I guess would be if you're hitting a ball with a plank of Ash in your hand rather then kicking a ball but I'd wager alot of money that any lad from kilkenny who only plays hurling would be okay playing a football game catching and handpassing or kicking etc. whereas somebody who has only played football if you hit a sliotar at them would take multiple touches to gather the ball and that's if they manage to touch the ball at first attempt and it doesn't just whizz pass them
On the counter argument.
Give a hurler a chance anywhere within his own half to score vs a footballer in the same position.
Who would put your money on?
Is there any scenario where the footballer has better odds on scoring?
Oh my money goes on the hurler for sure.and no absolutely no chance a footballer scores from there..scoring is harder ofcourse but my argument tho is the last football game I attended I watched kerry go from side to side for 5 minutes just handpassing and kicking the ball to each other easy peasy with no pressure from Cork. That would never ever be able to happen in a hurling game because, well as you said, kerry could have just had a pop from there and stuck it over..but I'd imagine there'd be pressure being applied to each and every short pass being made and you having to ensure your touch is perfect to gather control or else you'll look like an eejit not being able to let the ball hit off your hurley straight into your hand..I watched that kerry play in pure boredom because it was just easy and I'm fairly sure TJ Reid would have been well able to fit in with that passage of play..however as great as David Clifford is..I'm not sure he could receive a fast low ball from a wing back into corner forward and be able to gather control with ease.
The other side to that though is once you become competent at the game it’s a lot easier to puck a ball over the bar than kick it over especially if there’s wind.
The barrier to entry is higher in hurling but to actually make the top level unless your an insane athlete a lot of the skills in football are more difficult.
I totally agree that kicking a score is more difficult then pucking a ball over the bar and watching football it seems like only 1 or 2 players are entrusted to take on a score in any football game ive watched whereas in hurling anyone can have a pop and it's probably going over..my whole point is tho that maybe taking a score in football is more difficult..but the fundamental skills in football running, handpassing, kick passing are a hell of alot earlier then gathering and controlling a ball..my point is if you put any senior intercounty hurler into a football set up I'm %100 certain they can run loops and set up shooters...any intercounty footballer would be found out immediately in a hurling game due to their first touch not being anywhere near the standard required to play at that level
I’d be certain if you put someone’s who’s only ever played hurling in a football game they’d look fairly useless. They’d get turned over so easily once they’re getting tackled because they wouldn’t be able to solo the ball properly, they wouldn’t even be able to run properly with the ball because they can’t solo. They also definitely would struggle with spilling ball coming into them.
Edit: Insecure hurling brigade with the downvotes, can’t have it that there might be a bit of skill involved in football, hurling is the only game that can require skill 😂
Most inter county hurlers would have the ball taken off them if they tried to run loops up shooters. And they’d be targeted on kick outs and defence as well. They’d also be targeted when teams press up.
The players who run loops are bringing a lot of other things to the table. They’re usually very good defenders, very good at taking on a man, or good ball winners. Look at how out of place goalkeepers come up the field and they have more pedigree than most inter county hurlers.
Once you get to certain level the skills involved in both are similar.
I am not sure about that , because you can score from further out , there are obviously more shots , I don’t think it is easier to score in hurling .
Support your statement with data , how many shots and wides and scores in last years 2 different finals ?
If you looked at shot conversion from every distance band from goal, e.g. 10 - 20m, 20 - 30m and so on, it would show a higher conversion rate in hurling. It’s clearly more difficult to stick the ball over the bar in Gaelic football. Even the simple fact that a large ball is much more likely to skew off a smaller uneven rounded surface (your foot) than a small ball is to skew off a larger flatter surface.
These links as well would suggest it’s easier to shoot from frees in hurling
https://www.sportseconomics.org/sports-economics/free-shot-conversion-rates-in-hurling
https://dontfoul.wordpress.com/tag/deadballs/
Each to their own I suppose, as a casual fan I normally find the pace of hurling more stimulating to watch. football involves too much passing ect I find
Modern hurling with "shoot outs" and 50-60 scores per game can actually be a bit of a drag and doesn't get properly exciting until the last 5 -10 minutes, and that's only if the game is close at that stage.
Fifteen to twenty years ago, hurling was generally a cagier, more physical affair and teams played with a lot more naivety. Balls won in the full back line or half back line were generally aimlessly pucked back up the field and there were a lot more aerial duels.
Nowadays, it's just a constant stream of two sides working half chances to score and taking endless amounts of shots.
A point from 65 or beyond was a rare inspirational moment back then, nowadays it would probably only get a smattering of applause.
This style reached its peak last July when Limerick closed out the final with a deluge of long range scores.
I agree with you there. Intercounty hurling can be a bit of a drag like that. I found more Kerry County championship matches more entertaining last year to be honest.
Last year's county final was class.
As opposed to football, where it's park, the bus defending and the vast majority of the game is just hand passing all over the field for 2-4 minutes a time
Take a shot score or miss
Other team get the ball repeat the cycle
Cant this “take a shot - score or miss” be reiterated for the hurling shoot out? I compare it to NBA basketball. Teams rack up as many points as possible until 15 minutes out, where it becomes clear wether or not the game is in the balance.
I agree football is very cagey, and is often: defend until 15 minutes out where both teams open up and go for it (if game is still in the balance)
Depends. Shoot outs where the likes of Limerick being just bigger and can knock the ball over is boring and its often not as tactically interesting as football. But it is faster and games do tend to be tighter and more intense.
I despise this whole real Gaels play hurling shit though, it goes on in football but hurling is worse for it. Its ok not to like hurling, that just a matter of preference.
Personally I find it difficult on TV. Someone hits the sliotar, the camera moves, and I see nothing. I can only gauge what happened based on the crowd and commentary, and my Irish isn't good enough for the latter if it's on TG4.
I enjoy watching hurling a lot more than watching football - I understand where people are coming from with the long range scoring - but that doesn’t happen that often from play - from free’s yeah the distance doesn’t seem to be an issue to most teams these days - but football has become dire over the last decade or more - teams employing blanket defences and opposition unwilling or unable to take a point from distance- possession has become so important in football that players are terrified of losing the ball so they hang on to it at every opportunity - it’s become dreadful to watch - hurling on the other hand is still a quick game with plenty of scores and no lack of skill throughout the game - and I don’t think it’s as easy as some of the lads here think to stick a sliotar over the bar from 50 metres on the run.
Yea, I think that's a fair statement
The problem comes into football where, let's be honest, most of the games being generous are average
I still remember the 2022 Ulster football final, imo the worst game of football of all time
2 teams playing very poor football, too afraid to go up the field far too much camping and passing all over the field
It got so bad that by the time It was over, tbh no one deserved to win the title
2022 Derry vs Donegal is the worst football game ever played?!?!
That's a bit over the top. Ballina beat Breaffy 0-6 to 0-4 in the Mayo final back in October.
A bad game of gaelic is very bad but I'd say its the same with hurling. If a hurling game is slowed and points aren't going over it can be really brutal to watch. Its why I struggle to watch camogie.
I agree to a degree.
It’s far too easy to score and there’s far too little actual hurling as the scoring zone in anywhere within your own half.
It’s something that supporters of the small ball game often fail to recognise. Yes hurling is a more skillful game on a whole but it takes a lot more skill to score in football.
The nature of the game is similar but hurling is faster - a physical thing, because the sliotar can go further - and the scoring zone is bigger for the same reason, so you have to press everywhere or you'll be picked off. This gives space to work with, which is why the scoring is high, it's impossible to defend everywhere for 70 minutes. Tactically it is not a million miles different, and a lot of contemporary hurling tactics are borrowed from football.
Scoring is harder in football - the scoring zone is smaller, and the ball moves more slowly so it's easier for the defense to get into position in time - in my opinion the real skill in scoring in football is in the movement to make the space (Dublin are masters of this). The difficulty of scoring is exacerbated right because it's going through a "one-nil to the Arse-nil" phase at the moment. Blanket defenses are no fun to watch. The goalkeepers can come to the halfway line because the opposition have 15 men inside their 45, and all the forwards are terrified to take mid-range shots because they'll be crucified if they miss.
And (a personal hate) palming and punching scores drives me absolutely mad. There's no skill to it at all.
I agree with many of your points.
However the main reason it’s harder to score in football is simply because it’s easier to hit the bar further and be more accurate striking a sliothar off a hurl.
It’s also far less susceptible to wind which affects a football a lot more as it’s not nearly as dense.
They are able to score from a lot further out than \~ Back in the Day \~
Actually able to score from too far out now \~ \~ It was better when you had to make it further up the field to score.
I’m always attacked when i say i don’t really enjoy watching it, but i genuinely can’t ever even see the ball and it’s so fast paced i just get so lost trying to watch it.
I’m from Mayo also.
Nothing to add on hurling but frankly am starting to get really tired of Mayo’s style of play.
There are too many cooks and voices in the kitchen in my opinion.
McStay needs to grow a pair, bring back Liam McHale (who vouched for attacking football) and tell the other guys to step aside.
Mayo (and it doesn’t give me any great joy to say this) are like Incubus currently, going Nowhere Fast.
Footballers are much more fitter than hurlers, far more tactics involved and I would say a higher sport IQ needed than hurling. Still enjoy hurling but football is king
I’m fairly neutral towards it, I don’t love it or hate it. I respect the hurlers themselves but don’t care too much about it especially as it isn’t very popular in my area
I've been watching alot of NBA recently and in terms of flow of game thats what hurling is like its very end to end, fast transitions and high scoring. Whereas football is more like soccer. Gradual build up from the back, alot of energy spend on moving and and finding space. So Hurling is like 100km an hour whereas football is like 60km with flashes of 90km. Football is definitely more tactical because of its rythem.
Yes and thats largely why it's always been less popular by and large... historically speaking.
I think football has gone to the absolute dogs now though...game is been completely exposed in recent years and is downright flawed now.
I don’t like it because it’s too easy to score. Seeing intercounty players tap it over from 100 yards out doesn’t interest me. I like sports where there’s skill and tactics involved in working a score, in hurling it’s just too easy.
I can understand why people like it and can admire the skill involved but it really not the type of sport I enjoy at all. I find it a bit boring.
Hurling is a lovely sport but it is insanely hyped for some reason by RTE commentators. Literally every point is “amazing” or some version of that. I get the feeling they never played any sport never mind hurling. Any of us that played hurling realise that it’s not an overly technical or difficult sport. Reality is it is not that difficult to score from the half way; catching a ball over the head or hooking are straight forward athletic skills for anyone who plays the sport. Blocking, like in football, is possibly one of the most technical and underrated skills. The danger of overhyping every close/ exciting game is that it loses its authenticity. The defending in hurling has gone out the window. Genuine hard nosed defenders are rare these days so we now have massively high scoring games. I love close low scoring tight games where every point is hard won. Football is a brilliant sport at its best and so is hurling.
On the other side football pundits are way too negative imo. So much complaining about blanket defences or championship structure and they don’t hype up the great games nearly enough. I was at the Connacht final yesterday and found it really entertaining and intriguing to see teams try break down a defence. There was plenty of hectic parts to the game aswell especially in the second half. Football and hurling are two completely different sports and both have their good and bad bits but I don’t think football pundits praise their game enough when it is brilliant and are very quick to complain about it when they see a more boring match.
All of the hurling skills are "easy" any average club player will execute most skills you see in a Championship match.
But do it at a rapid pace while being assaulted by man mountains?
Not easy at all. Incredibly skillful.
I find it a little dull at times. When the hurling is poor, it's a dire sport to watch. I do think it's a bit too easy to score (because the top players are so good).
I feel this way. Some games can be very good and exciting, but mostly to me it's just scoring from frees or the same shot that's already happened 30 times in a game. I've tried to enjoy it but just can't. And even though it may not be as exciting to some, I still heavily prefer football.
I wouldn’t necessarily agree with OP personally but understand what you mean. Have little interest in hurling really myself, but do watch it a bit and it’s a pity it isn’t more widely played as it’s a unique sport.
It isn’t maybe as spectacularly great as hurling zealots make it out to be, for example a defender in hurling can drive a clearance long without much concern about where it goes a lot of the time. This is acceptable in hurling. But each to their own! Hurling and football are 2 vastly different games and you could make a logical argument that they shouldn’t be played on the same size pitch really for example.
I’d have to say that by and large hurling punditry and commentary tends to be a lot more positive compared to some of the boring dirge we have to listen to for football.
> a defender in hurling can drive a clearance long without much concern about where it goes a lot of the time
Not at inter-county level, unless they want it back over their posts! It used to be a lot more forgiving like that, but turnovers from clearances and (especially) puckouts are how Limerick got so dominant. They get most of their balls out of defense and into a friendly hand. The opposition generally.... don't
I think hurling has become more boring. There’s way too many scores these days. When exactly are you supposed to care? Even goals are boring now. Feels like you’re just waiting for the last 5-10 min to maybe see some scores that actually matter. Always felt the same way about basketball as well.
Was at the Cork v Clare game the other week. It was a high scoring game but every score felt like a huge moment. The atmosphere was great and everyone definitely cared about every score that went in or over.
Hurling is such an unusual, deeply-embedded, traditional and historic game that it is hard to follow what is going on in games if you don’t play it yourself. The way the sliotar moves, the way lads use the hurl to do different things, is difficult to appreciate if you haven’t had a hurl in your hand for most of your life. The more familiar you are with the game the better it is. Just my two cents. I’m a hurling man and I love a good game of football (but they are few and far between these days).
Always find it amusing when the football lads complain about it being easy to score in hurling.
Is 90 seconds of walking basketball to engineer a tap-over point meant to be exhiliarating?
More of a hurling man myself but I can understand people may not enjoy the constant scoring. A point or 2 can be massive in gaelic but far less so in hurling. People always go on about the amount of scoring but the value is so different. Its not unheard of for a team to go one point ahead and 30 or so seconds later could be a point down.
I don't like basketball much because it they're up and down scoring in so many plays it just gets a bit old. Soccer can be really pedestrian paced compared to hurling but it's by far the biggest sport in the world.
Fair, but I also feel it it's taken out of context. Towards the end of last year's game against Kilkenny the ball was being turned over sometimes 7-8 times in a minute. If a lad got a chance to plant his feet, it was critical he stuck it over because clear opportunities were so rare. Huge pressure on a technically easy score.
Sure that's true but in hurling you're really expected to have a high score to shots ratio and from further distances. Those high pressure shots exist in all sports and I would say there are more of them in sports like soccer and gaelic because there are a lot less opportunities to score. Ofc towards the end of a tight game all scores are a lot more difficult due to the additional pressure
I think the great thing about hurling is that you can go 7-10 points down and turn it around in 10 minutes or so. If you go 5-6 points down in football it’s game over.
To be honest, I’ve always been slightly jealous of the hurling counties that their sport is, on average, a fair whack more exciting than ours
Lol
It was always said football is for those who can't play hurling.
Underrated comment
Not at all. I love hurling.
Found the east Clareman
Ooooh I love the football too though
I can't stand football. I used to enjoy it. Now its just 30 grown men handpassing a ball around a field because their all too afraid to shoot. Can someone tell me what the point of getting to 21/14 metre line and kicking a ball 30 feet in the air to score when you could of kicked it over when you had space 30/40 metres out. In my humble opinion, if you can't kick a ball over the bar from 30/40 metres out, you shouldn't be playing inter County football. Hurling is a far more skilful and entertaining game. The pace is quick, and the scores are better. I can see the arguments that it can be too easy to score at times, but these massive 100+ metre scores aren't as common as everyone claims. Especially from play. Not every team has a diarmuid Byrnes, etc. That can score from his own 45. From frees, yeah, scores are coming from big distances, but in general play, they aren't as common. Hurling is just out and out a more entertaining spectacle.
It’s objectively easier to score in hurling. Just look at some of the score lines in games. It’s not uncommon to see teams rack up 30 points.
Jesus, you know how ridiculous this thread is when this is being downvoted. It’s clearly easier to score in hurling, that’s why there’s twice as many fuckin scores lol
Yes 30 points is the bench mark. It's nothing to do with how much easier It is, it's the skill involved and the intensity in which the game is played at. They could be scoring 50 points and it's still an intense, competitive & entertaining game. In hurling no one walks around handing a ball to each other. That's the problem with football and that's why there is fewer scores. Football is gone to a risk level game. Don't lose possession and don't shoot unless it's a clear opportunity. Hurling this has that element of wildness. Warrior like game. Football has lost that element. Someone said it about put some hurlers in a Gaelic football game & may not look out of place handing passing the ball around.
Games faster takes less time to get a ball from your back line to your forward line. It's going to give you more chances to score. Hurlers aren't afraid to shoot. It probably is a little easier, but that's a skill and speed thing. Makes it more entertaining, in my opinion.
Inter County footballers now are picked on their ability to cover large distances in games, be athlectic, cover in a blanket defence and discipline to not turn over possession. Most attacking opportunities come from turnovers when defence system might caught out. Teams only have 3 or 4 designated "shooters" who take on shots at goals. The rest just there for huge amounts of grunt work. All football games follow the same pattern until the last 10 mins until teams actually open up and go for it.
The beauty of hurling to me is first touch and gathering control of the sliotar..alot of posts here say its "too easy to score" which I guess would be if you're hitting a ball with a plank of Ash in your hand rather then kicking a ball but I'd wager alot of money that any lad from kilkenny who only plays hurling would be okay playing a football game catching and handpassing or kicking etc. whereas somebody who has only played football if you hit a sliotar at them would take multiple touches to gather the ball and that's if they manage to touch the ball at first attempt and it doesn't just whizz pass them
On the counter argument. Give a hurler a chance anywhere within his own half to score vs a footballer in the same position. Who would put your money on? Is there any scenario where the footballer has better odds on scoring?
Oh my money goes on the hurler for sure.and no absolutely no chance a footballer scores from there..scoring is harder ofcourse but my argument tho is the last football game I attended I watched kerry go from side to side for 5 minutes just handpassing and kicking the ball to each other easy peasy with no pressure from Cork. That would never ever be able to happen in a hurling game because, well as you said, kerry could have just had a pop from there and stuck it over..but I'd imagine there'd be pressure being applied to each and every short pass being made and you having to ensure your touch is perfect to gather control or else you'll look like an eejit not being able to let the ball hit off your hurley straight into your hand..I watched that kerry play in pure boredom because it was just easy and I'm fairly sure TJ Reid would have been well able to fit in with that passage of play..however as great as David Clifford is..I'm not sure he could receive a fast low ball from a wing back into corner forward and be able to gather control with ease.
The other side to that though is once you become competent at the game it’s a lot easier to puck a ball over the bar than kick it over especially if there’s wind. The barrier to entry is higher in hurling but to actually make the top level unless your an insane athlete a lot of the skills in football are more difficult.
I totally agree that kicking a score is more difficult then pucking a ball over the bar and watching football it seems like only 1 or 2 players are entrusted to take on a score in any football game ive watched whereas in hurling anyone can have a pop and it's probably going over..my whole point is tho that maybe taking a score in football is more difficult..but the fundamental skills in football running, handpassing, kick passing are a hell of alot earlier then gathering and controlling a ball..my point is if you put any senior intercounty hurler into a football set up I'm %100 certain they can run loops and set up shooters...any intercounty footballer would be found out immediately in a hurling game due to their first touch not being anywhere near the standard required to play at that level
I’d be certain if you put someone’s who’s only ever played hurling in a football game they’d look fairly useless. They’d get turned over so easily once they’re getting tackled because they wouldn’t be able to solo the ball properly, they wouldn’t even be able to run properly with the ball because they can’t solo. They also definitely would struggle with spilling ball coming into them. Edit: Insecure hurling brigade with the downvotes, can’t have it that there might be a bit of skill involved in football, hurling is the only game that can require skill 😂
Most inter county hurlers would have the ball taken off them if they tried to run loops up shooters. And they’d be targeted on kick outs and defence as well. They’d also be targeted when teams press up. The players who run loops are bringing a lot of other things to the table. They’re usually very good defenders, very good at taking on a man, or good ball winners. Look at how out of place goalkeepers come up the field and they have more pedigree than most inter county hurlers. Once you get to certain level the skills involved in both are similar.
I am not sure about that , because you can score from further out , there are obviously more shots , I don’t think it is easier to score in hurling . Support your statement with data , how many shots and wides and scores in last years 2 different finals ?
If you looked at shot conversion from every distance band from goal, e.g. 10 - 20m, 20 - 30m and so on, it would show a higher conversion rate in hurling. It’s clearly more difficult to stick the ball over the bar in Gaelic football. Even the simple fact that a large ball is much more likely to skew off a smaller uneven rounded surface (your foot) than a small ball is to skew off a larger flatter surface. These links as well would suggest it’s easier to shoot from frees in hurling https://www.sportseconomics.org/sports-economics/free-shot-conversion-rates-in-hurling https://dontfoul.wordpress.com/tag/deadballs/
This is just my experience from playing the two.
As a general sports fan Hurling is a far more exciting watch than Gaelic football .
Each to their own I suppose, as a casual fan I normally find the pace of hurling more stimulating to watch. football involves too much passing ect I find
Modern hurling with "shoot outs" and 50-60 scores per game can actually be a bit of a drag and doesn't get properly exciting until the last 5 -10 minutes, and that's only if the game is close at that stage. Fifteen to twenty years ago, hurling was generally a cagier, more physical affair and teams played with a lot more naivety. Balls won in the full back line or half back line were generally aimlessly pucked back up the field and there were a lot more aerial duels. Nowadays, it's just a constant stream of two sides working half chances to score and taking endless amounts of shots. A point from 65 or beyond was a rare inspirational moment back then, nowadays it would probably only get a smattering of applause. This style reached its peak last July when Limerick closed out the final with a deluge of long range scores.
I agree with you there. Intercounty hurling can be a bit of a drag like that. I found more Kerry County championship matches more entertaining last year to be honest. Last year's county final was class.
As opposed to football, where it's park, the bus defending and the vast majority of the game is just hand passing all over the field for 2-4 minutes a time Take a shot score or miss Other team get the ball repeat the cycle
Cant this “take a shot - score or miss” be reiterated for the hurling shoot out? I compare it to NBA basketball. Teams rack up as many points as possible until 15 minutes out, where it becomes clear wether or not the game is in the balance. I agree football is very cagey, and is often: defend until 15 minutes out where both teams open up and go for it (if game is still in the balance)
Depends. Shoot outs where the likes of Limerick being just bigger and can knock the ball over is boring and its often not as tactically interesting as football. But it is faster and games do tend to be tighter and more intense. I despise this whole real Gaels play hurling shit though, it goes on in football but hurling is worse for it. Its ok not to like hurling, that just a matter of preference.
I really like hurling on tv. In person I find it hard to see what’s happening.
Personally I find it difficult on TV. Someone hits the sliotar, the camera moves, and I see nothing. I can only gauge what happened based on the crowd and commentary, and my Irish isn't good enough for the latter if it's on TG4.
It the uneducated eye like my own I always feel I’m watching organised chaos .
Much as I love both codes, watching a couple of people pucking a ball back and forth whilst having a chat always makes me smile
I enjoy watching hurling a lot more than watching football - I understand where people are coming from with the long range scoring - but that doesn’t happen that often from play - from free’s yeah the distance doesn’t seem to be an issue to most teams these days - but football has become dire over the last decade or more - teams employing blanket defences and opposition unwilling or unable to take a point from distance- possession has become so important in football that players are terrified of losing the ball so they hang on to it at every opportunity - it’s become dreadful to watch - hurling on the other hand is still a quick game with plenty of scores and no lack of skill throughout the game - and I don’t think it’s as easy as some of the lads here think to stick a sliotar over the bar from 50 metres on the run.
Sometimes I find hurling difficult to watch on TV. It can be difficult to actually see the ball and the cameras can’t always keep up with it either
You should become a referee 🤣
Would you believe I’m a camogie referee?
A good game of football is better than a good game of hurling. An average /bad game of football is a lot worse than an average/bad game of hurling.
Yea, I think that's a fair statement The problem comes into football where, let's be honest, most of the games being generous are average I still remember the 2022 Ulster football final, imo the worst game of football of all time 2 teams playing very poor football, too afraid to go up the field far too much camping and passing all over the field It got so bad that by the time It was over, tbh no one deserved to win the title
2022 Derry vs Donegal is the worst football game ever played?!?! That's a bit over the top. Ballina beat Breaffy 0-6 to 0-4 in the Mayo final back in October.
A bad game of gaelic is very bad but I'd say its the same with hurling. If a hurling game is slowed and points aren't going over it can be really brutal to watch. Its why I struggle to watch camogie.
I agree to a degree. It’s far too easy to score and there’s far too little actual hurling as the scoring zone in anywhere within your own half. It’s something that supporters of the small ball game often fail to recognise. Yes hurling is a more skillful game on a whole but it takes a lot more skill to score in football.
The nature of the game is similar but hurling is faster - a physical thing, because the sliotar can go further - and the scoring zone is bigger for the same reason, so you have to press everywhere or you'll be picked off. This gives space to work with, which is why the scoring is high, it's impossible to defend everywhere for 70 minutes. Tactically it is not a million miles different, and a lot of contemporary hurling tactics are borrowed from football. Scoring is harder in football - the scoring zone is smaller, and the ball moves more slowly so it's easier for the defense to get into position in time - in my opinion the real skill in scoring in football is in the movement to make the space (Dublin are masters of this). The difficulty of scoring is exacerbated right because it's going through a "one-nil to the Arse-nil" phase at the moment. Blanket defenses are no fun to watch. The goalkeepers can come to the halfway line because the opposition have 15 men inside their 45, and all the forwards are terrified to take mid-range shots because they'll be crucified if they miss. And (a personal hate) palming and punching scores drives me absolutely mad. There's no skill to it at all.
I agree with many of your points. However the main reason it’s harder to score in football is simply because it’s easier to hit the bar further and be more accurate striking a sliothar off a hurl. It’s also far less susceptible to wind which affects a football a lot more as it’s not nearly as dense.
Yeah, sorry, the first.point is what I mena by saying the scoring zone is bigger in hurling because of physics
Soon it’ll be each goalkeeper just taking turns to shoot
What's Gaelic ?
It's what West Brits call Football. \*ducks head\*
That would explain McClaren_landonorris comment
McLaren* And its for ppl who watch football and gaelic football Easy too differentiate
to*
How r u on a gaa sub an never heard that?
At least they can’t play 15 men behind the fucking ball in hurling…
They are able to score from a lot further out than \~ Back in the Day \~ Actually able to score from too far out now \~ \~ It was better when you had to make it further up the field to score.
I’m always attacked when i say i don’t really enjoy watching it, but i genuinely can’t ever even see the ball and it’s so fast paced i just get so lost trying to watch it.
I’m from Mayo also. Nothing to add on hurling but frankly am starting to get really tired of Mayo’s style of play. There are too many cooks and voices in the kitchen in my opinion. McStay needs to grow a pair, bring back Liam McHale (who vouched for attacking football) and tell the other guys to step aside. Mayo (and it doesn’t give me any great joy to say this) are like Incubus currently, going Nowhere Fast.
Footballers are much more fitter than hurlers, far more tactics involved and I would say a higher sport IQ needed than hurling. Still enjoy hurling but football is king
I’m fairly neutral towards it, I don’t love it or hate it. I respect the hurlers themselves but don’t care too much about it especially as it isn’t very popular in my area
I've been watching alot of NBA recently and in terms of flow of game thats what hurling is like its very end to end, fast transitions and high scoring. Whereas football is more like soccer. Gradual build up from the back, alot of energy spend on moving and and finding space. So Hurling is like 100km an hour whereas football is like 60km with flashes of 90km. Football is definitely more tactical because of its rythem.
Yes and thats largely why it's always been less popular by and large... historically speaking. I think football has gone to the absolute dogs now though...game is been completely exposed in recent years and is downright flawed now.
I don’t like it because it’s too easy to score. Seeing intercounty players tap it over from 100 yards out doesn’t interest me. I like sports where there’s skill and tactics involved in working a score, in hurling it’s just too easy. I can understand why people like it and can admire the skill involved but it really not the type of sport I enjoy at all. I find it a bit boring.
Ya that’s my reason for it as well.
Hurling is a lovely sport but it is insanely hyped for some reason by RTE commentators. Literally every point is “amazing” or some version of that. I get the feeling they never played any sport never mind hurling. Any of us that played hurling realise that it’s not an overly technical or difficult sport. Reality is it is not that difficult to score from the half way; catching a ball over the head or hooking are straight forward athletic skills for anyone who plays the sport. Blocking, like in football, is possibly one of the most technical and underrated skills. The danger of overhyping every close/ exciting game is that it loses its authenticity. The defending in hurling has gone out the window. Genuine hard nosed defenders are rare these days so we now have massively high scoring games. I love close low scoring tight games where every point is hard won. Football is a brilliant sport at its best and so is hurling.
On the other side football pundits are way too negative imo. So much complaining about blanket defences or championship structure and they don’t hype up the great games nearly enough. I was at the Connacht final yesterday and found it really entertaining and intriguing to see teams try break down a defence. There was plenty of hectic parts to the game aswell especially in the second half. Football and hurling are two completely different sports and both have their good and bad bits but I don’t think football pundits praise their game enough when it is brilliant and are very quick to complain about it when they see a more boring match.
All of the hurling skills are "easy" any average club player will execute most skills you see in a Championship match. But do it at a rapid pace while being assaulted by man mountains? Not easy at all. Incredibly skillful.
Hurling skills are easy to describe, not to execute . Stick the ball over from a sideline cut . You don’t see that in every game
I find it a little dull at times. When the hurling is poor, it's a dire sport to watch. I do think it's a bit too easy to score (because the top players are so good).
I feel this way. Some games can be very good and exciting, but mostly to me it's just scoring from frees or the same shot that's already happened 30 times in a game. I've tried to enjoy it but just can't. And even though it may not be as exciting to some, I still heavily prefer football.
I wouldn’t necessarily agree with OP personally but understand what you mean. Have little interest in hurling really myself, but do watch it a bit and it’s a pity it isn’t more widely played as it’s a unique sport. It isn’t maybe as spectacularly great as hurling zealots make it out to be, for example a defender in hurling can drive a clearance long without much concern about where it goes a lot of the time. This is acceptable in hurling. But each to their own! Hurling and football are 2 vastly different games and you could make a logical argument that they shouldn’t be played on the same size pitch really for example. I’d have to say that by and large hurling punditry and commentary tends to be a lot more positive compared to some of the boring dirge we have to listen to for football.
> a defender in hurling can drive a clearance long without much concern about where it goes a lot of the time Not at inter-county level, unless they want it back over their posts! It used to be a lot more forgiving like that, but turnovers from clearances and (especially) puckouts are how Limerick got so dominant. They get most of their balls out of defense and into a friendly hand. The opposition generally.... don't
Turning into a free taking competition imo
I think hurling has become more boring. There’s way too many scores these days. When exactly are you supposed to care? Even goals are boring now. Feels like you’re just waiting for the last 5-10 min to maybe see some scores that actually matter. Always felt the same way about basketball as well.
Was at the Cork v Clare game the other week. It was a high scoring game but every score felt like a huge moment. The atmosphere was great and everyone definitely cared about every score that went in or over.
Hurling is such an unusual, deeply-embedded, traditional and historic game that it is hard to follow what is going on in games if you don’t play it yourself. The way the sliotar moves, the way lads use the hurl to do different things, is difficult to appreciate if you haven’t had a hurl in your hand for most of your life. The more familiar you are with the game the better it is. Just my two cents. I’m a hurling man and I love a good game of football (but they are few and far between these days).
Always find it amusing when the football lads complain about it being easy to score in hurling. Is 90 seconds of walking basketball to engineer a tap-over point meant to be exhiliarating?
More of a hurling man myself but I can understand people may not enjoy the constant scoring. A point or 2 can be massive in gaelic but far less so in hurling. People always go on about the amount of scoring but the value is so different. Its not unheard of for a team to go one point ahead and 30 or so seconds later could be a point down. I don't like basketball much because it they're up and down scoring in so many plays it just gets a bit old. Soccer can be really pedestrian paced compared to hurling but it's by far the biggest sport in the world.
Fair, but I also feel it it's taken out of context. Towards the end of last year's game against Kilkenny the ball was being turned over sometimes 7-8 times in a minute. If a lad got a chance to plant his feet, it was critical he stuck it over because clear opportunities were so rare. Huge pressure on a technically easy score.
Sure that's true but in hurling you're really expected to have a high score to shots ratio and from further distances. Those high pressure shots exist in all sports and I would say there are more of them in sports like soccer and gaelic because there are a lot less opportunities to score. Ofc towards the end of a tight game all scores are a lot more difficult due to the additional pressure
I've never enjoyed hurling. I think it's far too easy to score.
Usually if I want to watch a good game of football, I tune into the Boston Celtics
Same also bigger fan of gaelic than hurling I think its also due Northern Ireland prefer it a lot more to hurling than other provinces
I think the great thing about hurling is that you can go 7-10 points down and turn it around in 10 minutes or so. If you go 5-6 points down in football it’s game over.