Curiosity in Sky will fill the pubs

THERE it was in bold red capitals. Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Quarter Final. Nowlan Park 19:00. Cill Chainnigh v Uíbh Fhailí. SKY SPORTS3.

The weekly fixtures email from Croke Park informed us as to where we need to go if we want to watch the Cats and the Faithful clashing the ash next Saturday. Two choices, people. Go to Nowlan Park or go to SKY Sports 3.

Assuming that everyone who didn’t have a SKY TV subscription two months ago, before the GAA announced their deal with the subscription broadcaster, hasn’t signed up to said broadcaster in the meantime, for some €70 and change per month, that means you either head to the match itself or you head to the pub (or a SKY subscribed neighbour’s house) to see how the newbie packages and presents their first GAA Championship match.

And mark our words, the pubs will be pretty damn busy next Saturday evening as curiosity gets the better of people to see what fist Rachel Wyse ( pictured), Nicky English and Jamesie O’Connor make of their first ‘Super Saturday’ of hurling. It’s fairly certain the presentation will be slick and brash and different and in HD, but SKY’s money and expertise won’t be able to influence what happens out on Nowlan Park when Kilkenny and Offaly go at it.

The match could be a cracker and it could be a dog’s dinner and SKY, like RTE, TV3, TG4 and Setanta, will just have to beam out what’s put before them and talk it up as best they can.

A bad match is a bad match no matter where you’re watching it or who is broadcasting it. Best of luck to ‘em, though.