Hurling A 'Nuisance' To Some County Boards - McManus

Two problems McManus says hurling has to fix

Former Antrim hurler Neil McManus believes some county boards regard hurling as a “nuisance”, and that counties which ignore the game should be penalised when it comes to grants from Croke Park.

Speaking on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1, McManus said the sport’s problems run far deeper than one flat championship.

The 2026 championship was widely viewed as an unsatisfying affair, with an unusually high number of lop-sided games in Munster and a drab All-Ireland final.

That was thrown into sharper relief by a newly invigorated football championship, where changes to the playing rules and the competition format produced one of the most exciting seasons in living memory.

Some observers argue the commentariat are over-reacting to a single campaign. McManus does not agree.

“We have two real significant problems in hurling. Number one is the participation levels," says McManus.

"We have such a low participation level in our national sport here that it’s embarrassing.
"Second to that, we need to increase that top tier pool.
"We need to look at the Joe McDonagh counties and ascertain exactly how we can support them finally, logistically and technically to ensure that they climb up and challenge the teams that are competing in the Munster and Leinster championships.”

McManus said the game keeps “looking to the same teams to produce the big moments on the big days”, and warned that without a deeper top tier “we are going to see what we saw this year again and again."

It is a long way from the highest-scoring hurling match ever, and the fix, in his view, starts with how county boards are funded.

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Hurling is treated as a ‘nuisance’ by some county boards, says Neil McManus

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Two problems McManus says hurling has to fix

Hurling is treated as a ‘nuisance’ by some county boards, says Neil McManus

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Two problems McManus says hurling has to fix

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