Anthony Daly Feels Leinster Hurling Final Will Be 'Lost' Until Overdue Change Is Made

The days of a Leinster hurling final in Croke Park look to be numbered after another disappointing turnout for the provincial final as Kilkenny completed six-in-a-row.

Only 37,503 attended the doubleheader, which also saw Kildare claim the Joe McDonagh Cup. New head of hurling Willie Maher had announced that 20,000 free tickets for under-14s would be provided for the game, but the crowd was well below par.

The issue of low attendances at the Leinster hurling final is nothing new, with it long being suggested that the occasion would be a much better experience for supporters were it to be moved away from GAA HQ.

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Speaking on The Sunday Game, Anthony Daly shared his belief that the Leinster hurling final should be changed to a smaller venue to create a better atmosphere around the games.

It’s not helping that it's on in Croke Park, I think, unfortunately, it’s lost in Croke Park.

I know you want to play your provisional final on your most significant ground. Could that have been a classic in Tullamore, with the crowd involved?

However, you also have the Joe McDonagh, which is a massive game to see who reaches the top level; it should be attracting more.

We would say that Galway and Kilkenny should have a home and away system, similar to Cork and Limerick, which might make sense. Salthill or Nowlan, it would be a scramble for tickets, but would that be better?

Former Wexford star Ursula Jacob added that the Leinster council needs to be open to a change of venue.

There has to be an openness to change, as it's evident that the current approach is not working. Even though they were offering free tickets, attendance still didn’t increase.

Therefore, I think there needs to be an openness to alternative venues.

The Leinster council or the GAA certainly have to do something about the provincial championship, as on one side, you have the glitz and glamour of sellout Munster championship games.

On the other hand, you have a Kilkenny team continuously winning an uncompetitive championship.