Time to trial four points for a goal in hurling - Jackie Tyrrell

Jackie Tyrrell believes that awarding four points for a goal should be trialled in next year's Allianz Hurling League.

Over the the last 30 years the average number of goals scored per game in championship hurling has declined, from 4.3 in the 80s to 2.8 over the last five years. In the same time periods, the average number of points posted has gone up from 37 to 52.

Rory O'Neill of RTÉ Sport worked out that the sliotar was only in play for less than 30 minutes of the recent Limerick Waterford clash as constant frees, shots and restarts helped to chew up the clock.

"They are staggering stats," said nine-time All-Ireland winner Tyrell on the RTÉ GAA podcast, suggesting that raising the reward for a green flag could help to make matches more exciting and less of a middle-third slog/long-range shooting competition.

"Teams have become so obsessed with points and keeping the ball," he said.

"Kilkenny were utterly dominant against Westmeath [last weekend], didn't score a goal and didn’t really threaten it.

"Cork didn’t score a goal [against Waterford] and we saw how dominant they were.

"Four points for a goal, there are indirect consequences that will have the ball in play more.

"What you see [now] is that at half-back or the middle of the field they go across. But they might be a bit more flaithulach with the ball if there's an incentive of a four-pointer.

"I think it would also help with what I was on about on The Sunday Game: continuous use of the handpass. Possession is so key now that people are afraid to give it away.

"I definitely think it’s worth looking strongly at. It kind of goes with the whole 'give two points for a sideline' conversation.

"The league is kind of a dead duck nowadays. Trial it, what’s the worst it can be? If