KILLINAN END - Being Honest over GAAGO
Jarlath Burns’ defence of GAA Go while predictable and probably obligatory was oddly paranoid. His reference to the possibility of elections looming if politicians are talking about GAAGO is missing the point. Politicians do derive oxygen from public opinion, so it is hardly surprising that they represent it but to be fair they often genuinely reflect public opinion too. They are elected representatives, and as such they represent those who elect them. It is most undoubtedly true that many avid GAA followers did not see the Limerick-Cork game and not necessarily because they chose not to see it either. No harm in a politician reflecting that, election or no election.
However, what was new in Burns’ comments was the emphasis on money. In the past this joint RTÉ/GAA venture was justified on the basis that it provided a lifeline for Irish exiles in foreign lands. They could not be in Ireland for these beloved occasions so those two great twin Irish institutions, the GAA and RTÉ, would combine to connect the diaspora to the native games. This is all very laudable as far as it goes but it is now no longer the kernel of the argument in favour of GAAGO. The mask has slipped and now it is indeed all about money. According to an t-Uachtarán it is about raising money to fund infrastructural works around the country. So, there it is, GAAGO is not going anywhere. At least now we know.
Quite what was achieved by keeping Limerick-Cork off the radar of many rural people with no or very poor internet access, other than making money, is not obvious. Same happened with Tipperary-Cork last year which also was one of the best games in the round-robin. There is certainly a generational aspect to the discussion. In the past 25 years the notion that televised sport is a paid-for experience has become accepted. Soccer matches from all over the world are available should you be inclined to pay. Then there’s the Indian Premier League cricket, tennis from all over the world, and the great cycling classics.
Likewise, you can watch rugby from New Zealand or Australia with less hassle than travelling to Thomond Park to see it in the flesh. For those with the time and inclination the choice is endless. Many who have become used to this will see nothing worthy of discussion about paid-for TV sport in principle. The question might be if the GAA should use the same business model as sports which are professional.
But curiously enough professional sports themselves have a more mixed model than we normally consider. Matches like Leinster-Northampton which filled Croke Park, rugby’s Six Nations, and its World Cup, remain free-to-air. What is it that the rugby fraternity – which after all has to pay players and keep infrastructural concerns going too – sees in free-to-air? How is it that soccer’s Champions League, which exists in its current form only because of money, remains free to air? Maybe there is something in this notion of a promotional value above and beyond fumbling with money?
The latest instalment of Limerick-Cork which goes back to the 1940s at the very least as a leading and compelling rivalry was, by all accounts, an enthralling affair. It would not be an outrageous proposition to suggest they will do it again in Croke Park later in the year. Maybe on that day Limerick will not dig themselves into such a hole and that will test Cork’s mettle. Such a rematch is contingent on Cork winning in Thurles at the weekend. On the basis of their showing last weekend, they will be considered warm favourites against a Tipp team that has much left to prove.
Yet, coming in fresh against Cork will be no harm. There also are learnings to be taken from Cork’s approach in relation to the value of hurling with abandon and absolute intensity. We were putrid against Limerick but raised the bar significantly against Waterford. The outcomes have done great damage with a strong points deficit after Limerick and a point dropped against Waterford. Consequently, it is difficult to envisage a scenario where Tipp can qualify without winning both remaining games. Stranger things have happened, but it is a big ask. The match in Ennis will be watched with interest but will change nothing for Tipp either way.
As things stand now Leinster is just as finely poised as Munster in theory at least. For all Dublin’s stroke of luck in getting a draw in Wexford Park they have prospered since and avoided the province’s banana skins. Next weekend they face the task they always seem to fail when they host Kilkenny. Dublin are a bit light up-front to go very deep into the championship, but they will rarely have met a Kilkenny team as vulnerable. The result against Carlow has been coming a fair while – Kilkenny have been experts at winning the ‘easy’ games while Wexford trip up. You would not be bullish in predicting the outcome of Carlow-Wexford or Antrim-Galway either. It is indeed a great place for the championship to be, but we will be infinitely wiser on Sunday night.