Hurling Skills
July 5, 1996
Hurling’s enduring attraction is a composite of many things: the speed of the game, the frequency of scoring, the manliness of the exchanges, the excitement it generates, the ability to control and use possession profitably which it exhibits. Above any other of its characteristics it is the 125 (roughly) individual skills of the game which set it apart from all other field games. It is extremely unlikely that any present day player in the country has even half of them. No hurler does and it would be virtually impossible to find time to practise them. Far better to give adequate attention to say, eight or ten skills which must be used in every game and master them. But even that takes up a big proportion of training time so it is only those hurlers who practise outside of the regular team sessions who achieve a high standard.
What promoted those reflections was the All Ireland Skills competition of Féile na nGael. It is just possible that some counties (though they would need to be removed from the mainstream of civilisation) don’t know about it even though it has been an integral part of every Feile for 26 years. Every county in Ireland was contacted will in advance of Feile and issued with all relevant literature. It seems that 13 counties care little about skills since only 19 counties were represented at the finals. Can it be possible after all the years of promotional work nationwide and the setting up of coaching structures within all counties that hurling skills have such little or no appeal for the boys in Cavan, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary and Tyrone? I have been in most of these counties at one time or another and know only too well that their hurlers, their young hurlers especially, have as much love of and interest in the game as those of the other nineteen. In fact there is no county in Ireland, even the weakest, where a handful of skilled performers can’t be found.
I know Patsy Murphy of Dundalk, as fluent a striker of the ball as I’ve seen. Playing with Louth he could pick off points from a variety of ranges and positions and would shine in any company. Joe Henry was a brilliant forward with Mayo who showed in a League match in Dungarvan some years ago why he was such a celebrated hurler. Peter Stevenson of Derry won an All Star award at football before falling in love with hurling and distinguishing himself in the hurling teams of Derry and Ulster. No, it is an indictment of over 40% of our County Boards or Bord na nOg that lads were denied the chance to compete against their peers in a test of hurling skills. It was the Board’s responsibility to encourage and promote the primacy of skill and to allow some by the significant honour of representing his county on a national stage, an honour which any young lad would treasure.
Isn’t it incredible that Cork and Tipperary for all their record number of Munster and All Ireland titles in minor, under 21, junior and senior hurling, for all of the generous sponsorship which they enjoy, for all of that huge investment which they have made in coaching and for all of their high profile nationally couldn’t ensure that one boy was in Waterford on one afternoon in June to uphold the honour of his county? Surely this must constitute a serious dereliction of duty or are they so insensitive to a boy’s love of skills and the enjoyment he derives from exercising it.
“My Father: A Hurling Revolutionary, the life and times of Ned Power” is out on paperback at the end of November 2009. Click here for further information, pre-order and excerpt.