Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald reckons that the GAA have a responsibility to promote hurling to the best of their abilities amid the rising tide of big football games.
The Association recently voted at their Annual Congress to ditch the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals in favour of two four-team round robin groups, meaning eight extra Championship games in high summer from next year.
Fitzgerald has no problem with more big ball matches, but insists that Croke Park have to look after hurling properly too.
“It’s hard to me to comment on the football, because I wouldn’t be 100 per cent familiar with the structures,” the Yellow Bellies boss told RTÉ Sport after he saw his team maintain their unbeaten start to the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B campaign with a routine win over Kerry.
“To me hurling is an incredible game, played with skill and pace – there are very few field games like hurling. We have to make sure, the GAA has to make sure, that it promotes hurling to the very top.
“They don’t take it as seriously as they should – hurling is a massive game and we need to protect and mind it. Even with the Leagues – there aren’t enough top level games that we could be play and I really believe they need to look at that.
“It’s important when we are doing things to think it out – it’s not whether it makes the most money, or whether it suits some people.“It’s about what’s best for hurling and how can we keep as many counties as possible playing at the very top level and that it’s not dominated by one or two or three teams.”
Wexford appear to be making real strides this season under Fitzgerald, though he continues to preach caution and urge fans not to get carried away.
The Model County welcomed Jack Guiney back into their team as a second-half substitute for the first time in nearly two years as they overcame the Kingdom.
Fitzgerald was happy to make it three wins from three to keep their promotion push on track, though he is already focused on the next game against Offaly next Sunday.
“It’s my job to make sure that we’re not casual,” he said.
“This was a potential banana skin against Kerry and we have two massive games coming. Offaly are next and they were very unlucky against Limerick on Saturday and they come all guns blazing and it’s going to be a hell of a game in Tullamore.”
