Raw TV deal for hurling minnows

IT IS not even midsummer and the Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups are over for another year. Hard to escape the sense that some in Croke Park would rather if the cups, and the teams that compete for them, weren’t around. The finals were played out in HQ yesterday, and apart from a day out there, the one thing the six teams could count on was live TG4 coverage. However, that didn’t happen. TG4 only broadcast the three finals online because RTÉ2 was showing the Munster SFC semi-final between Cork and Tipp at 5pm and the GAA broadcasting rights deal does not allow any overlap between broadcast partners or championship matches.

COMPILED BY MARK GALLAGHER AND PHILIP LANIGAN