Donal Og Delivers Killer Line After Second Tier Football Is Chosen Over Hurling | Balls.ie

Donal Óg Cusack is not new to defending the rights of hurling and its ongoing battle to promote its games across the country.

The former Cork star is a proud hurling man through and through, so when it was announced that this Sunday’s prime time TV slots would be devoted to the Tailteann Cup, the second tier of the football championship, everyone was expecting a reaction from the RTÉ pundit.

Of course the hurling quarter finals are also taking place this weekend, but those games are set to be broadcasted on Saturday, with football taking priority in the scheduling.

Cusack, who has been critical of The Tailteann Cup in the past, was never going to take that laying down and has came out with his fists swinging and fingers pointed while speaking on Morning Ireland.

The GAA promised a few years ago that it would devote Sunday afternoon slots to the semi-finals and finals of the secondary football competition. We hear it’s blasphemy to speak ill of that secondary football competition.

“For several years, RTÉ have asked for the hurling quarter finals to be moved to Sunday. The GAA leadership has refused.

“It was conceded for the record, for once and for all, that Sunday afternoon is the prime slot for major GAA games. With that in mind, think of this.

“Three of the last five hurling games of the year will be played on Saturdays. Sixteen of the thirty four hurling championship games this year were shunted to Saturdays.”

Sligo will play Antrim in this Sunday’s Tailteann Cup semi-final

READ HERE: Kilkenny Legend Questions Why RTÉ Have Prioritised Euro 2024 Over Hurling

As much as the former inter-county goalkeeper is a straight talker, he is also fond of a metaphor, and this killer line on the state of hurling tells you everything you need to know about his thoughts on the game right now.

If the game of hurling was an old dog, the GAA would be telling us that good old hurling was being taken to live on a lovely farm in the country, while texting the local vet about having hurling put to sleep because hurling has become a bit too whiny.”

On the other side of the argument, if The Tailteann Cup semi-finals weren’t given proper exposure and prime TV slots, then the GAA and RTÉ would be accused of undermining the competition.

It doesn’t help either that the European Championship is on as well, alongside rugby and other sports that are hugely popular in Ireland, so the jungle that is sports broadcasting is a wild and cut-throat wild one.

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