CORK HURLING icon Diarmuid O’Sullivan has slammed the GAA over the coverage of the Rebels’ thrilling win against Limerick on Saturday.
The match was not broadcast on national television and could only be watched through GAAGO.
O’Sullivan was one of many unhappy fans about the coverage of the clash – especially after it ended up being a stunning affair.
Patrick Horgan’s penalty in additional time earned Cork a 3-28 to 3-26 victory over the All-Ireland champions.
It was a phenomenal comeback by the Rebels but it could not be enjoyed by the usual amount of viewers that the likes of RTE or TG4 would have gotten.
O’Sullivan took to social media to voice his disappointment over the GAA.
He wrote: “Some embarrassment for the GAA waking up this morning in the knowledge that’s thousands of men, women and especially kids were denied the chance to see the titanic battle last between @OfficialCorkGAA and @LimerickCLG.
“Don’t worry, lads, they got to see other sports on TV.”
Fans met the Cork legend with plenty of agreement in his comment section.
One said: “Well said. Publicly funded but allowed make private profits – RTE. Then GAA forget all the people who helped build GAA over the years by creating paywall.”
Another added: “So true. The wealthiest sports body on this island, possibly in all of Europe, managing an amateur sport, places a preeminent match behind a paywall beggars belief.
“I’m not a die-hard GAA fan, Rugby would be my first love, but I love to watch Hurling at its best. Shame on you!”
A third commented: “In a few years they will be looking for grants to invest in promoting the game when all that is needed is to show it on free to air and it promotes itself. If RTÉ don’t want it let Tg4 show it.”
The use of GAAGO has been a big debate in the sport over the last while and Cork vs Limerick being such a thriller only added fuel to the fire.
Pundits on The Saturday Game took on the discussion after the clash which covered both sides of the argument.
Anthony Daly and Neil McManus were joined by Sean Cavanagh and Cora Staunton while Damian Lawlor chaired the big picture debate.
Cavanagh didn’t shy away from the perception around the RTE/GAA co-owned entity that wrangles with so many.
BIG DEBATE
At one point, he surmised: “As long as GAAGO is a profit-making organisation, there’ll always be a suspicion that they’re putting the best games behind that paywall.”
He later added: “I think we’re all in agreement here that big games should not be hidden.
“Cork against Limerick should never have been on GAAGO. It should be flaunted all over the world!”
Staunton also called for a change in how matches are selected for it.
The Mayo great believes scheduling decisions should only be made on the Monday as opposed to months in advance when it’s unknown which will be the most meaningful match-up of that weekend.
McManus stated that he believed this is largely a Government problem rather than a GAA one.
His thinking was based around a lack of connectivity nationwide being the primary blockage encountered by fans as opposed to a steep cost as the season pass of €79 is excellent value for money.
He also rightly noted that the Taoiseach’s predictable input on what’s a complicated matter was ‘a bit of electioneering’.
Daly meanwhile, pointed out that this is arguably the most enthralling portion of the hurling season while the same cannot be said of the football provincials.