AHEAD of the start of the National Hurling League this weekend, Tipperary legend Shane McGrath has labelled the competition as “a bit pointless.”
“The league hasn’t changed itself, rather it has been transformed by the championship and Limerick,” McGrath stated in his column on the RTÉ website.
Limerick’s campaign begins with an away trip to Cork on Saturday night.
McGrath explained: “The problem is the league has become a bit pointless really since the introduction of the round robin hurling championship in 2018, which was followed in 2020 by a league restructure that removed all jeopardy for the top teams.
“These switches coincided with the arrival of the juggernaut that is this Limerick team, which has dominated pretty much every competition they have put their mind to.
“They went all out to win the league and did so with ease in 2019 and 2020 – 2021 not so much so, even less so in 2022, and still timed it to perfection with their championship prep.”
Added the two-time All-Star: “It’s in no way a dig at Limerick, but rather their dominance means teams now approach the league purely as a means to be ready for championship, rather than trying t win the league itself. Crazy, maybe, but Limerick have won four of the last five All-Irelands and they are the bar now.
“Teams now are trying more players in the hope of unearthing someone for championship, resting the bigger guns to have them fighting fresh come the heat of weekly championship in April, and as viewers we’re just not happy anymore with the league.”
