Size matters: GAA pitch dimensions irk beyond measure

As was apparent in the latest RTÉ GAA podcast, Cork fans are getting it from all directions this summer. 2022, so far, is turning into a kind of anti-1990.

Neither hurling nor football are providing any joy for Rebel supporters. The hurlers have flopped on the canvas in the Munster round robin and they never held any hope for the footballers to begin with.

But they weren't about to let Sean Cavanagh's comments on The Sunday Game slide.

The Tyrone great had little time for the upbeat moral victory talk coming out of Cork and was quick to remind them of the grim bottom line.

"I don't really buy in to this morale-boosting, they put in an effort," he said. "Look, they lost by 12 points to their bitter rival."

The slightly peevish verdict on a patched-up, inexperienced Cork side giving the All-Ireland favourites their full of it for 50 minutes was bad enough.

But it was the follow-up that really riled them.

"They made a big hullaballoo about bringing the match to Páirc Uí Rinn in the first place because they knew they'd get destroyed in a wide-open Killarney."

"Maybe for a young team, a Tailteann Cup would be a better place to develop. I wouldn't give them massive hope going in the back door." - Seán Cavanagh does not subscribe to the theory that Cork can take confidence from their display against Kerry. #GAA pic.twitter.com/oMAR3ce6GM

Cavanagh left himself wide-open with this one.

The inference was clear and offence was taken. 'Tight pitches' are the domain of spoilers and mullockers. The small dimensions better facilitating their favoured tactic of wrapping the speedy, skill-men on the other team in a clammy bear-hug for 70 minutes plus injury-time (of which, there'll be plenty if they're doing their job right).

We know that coaches