STYLE IS HURTING CROWDS

TIPPERARY senior football manager Liam Kearns believes negative tactics are hitting attendances.

The GAA’S Financial Report for 2018 published earlier this week showed a €3.7m drop in gate receipts for All-ireland football series games, a fall of 23 per cent.

Kearns’ side was involved in a turgid affair with Fermanagh in Division Two last Sunday, a game that finished level at 2-5 apiece.

“I suppose a manager sets his team up to get a result,” said Kearns (above). “He got a result against Cork and he got a result off us in Thurles.

“I have to say in Thurles, I wouldn’t set my team up that way, but as I say a manager has to set up his team the best way to get a result. It is a results business, and Rory [Gallagher, right] would say, ‘If I keep Fermanagh in Division Two…’”

He continued: “The defensive mode and attitude of teams is definitely affecting attendances, because the quality players are not being given a chance to play and I’d like to see it go back to the quality players getting the opportunity to play.

“I think it will evolve itself and, I do think it’s going back [to more attacking formations] but there will be teams that will hang on to that style and play that way if they think it’s the best way for them, they’ll stick with it.”

The three-handpass limit was abandoned a week before the League got underway and Kearns added: “I had no problem with it, whatever rules they were bringing in, fine. But to make the decision seven days before the competition started, that’s not good enough.”