Emmet Moloney writes for the 'Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Most hurling folk will be talking about the sending off during last Sunday’s League clash between Kilkenny and Waterford. But it looked much worse than it was, writes Emmet Moloney...

Dirty strokes are part and parcel of the game of hurling. Put 30 fit young men on a field of play with sticks, in front of thousands of supporters, and there will always be the odd strike, whether clumsy or deliberate.

As long as hurling has been played, dirty strokes have been with us. And they won’t leave the game soon – hurlers are human, and they will react in this way on occasion.
Last Sunday, we all saw the unedifying pictures of Declan Prendergast striking Eddie Brennan on the helmet with his hurley. We didn’t see what happened to prompt the incident, but we most definitely saw the strike. Prendergast will probably get three months for striking, and few can argue with that.

The public outcry always ensures a decent suspension. Getting caught on camera also guarantees a suspension, and a reputation which takes some time to live down. Tommy Walsh gave a harmless enough tap on the unprotected elbow of Eoin Kelly. It led to a mini schmozzle, and two yellow cards.

Kelly’s elbow was unprotected and Walsh could make the valid argument that it was unintentional, and it was Kelly’s speed that resulted in the tap. Others will think they know better, and Walsh is an expert in this kind of “harassment”.

Myself? I think Walsh is the best back playing the game, and in any era he would have stood out. Physically smaller than most of the men he marks, he somehow manages to best them all. Defenders need tricks to get by and Walsh has them all, along with a hurling brain and style to match.

Outside of Kilkenny, Walsh gets some stick for an assumed “edge”, yet there isn’t a hurling supporter in the country that wouldn’t want him on their team.

It was a while after the Walsh/Kelly brouhaha that the Waterford full back and Cats dangerman Brennan went at it. Funnily enough, I don’t think Declan Prendergast would have hit Brennan in this way if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet. We’ll never know for sure, but being honest, we would all think that way. So call off the witch hunt.

In 30-odd years of watching hurling, I have only seen one clear-cut, vicious strike on a bare head. Eddie Keher was the victim, and Clare were the transgressors. That was over 30 years ago now, but I can still clearly recall the flow of blood as Keher walked past me on his way off the field. As a young fella, it made me sick to the stomach.

Plenty of players have suffered head injuries, and plenty of them were inflicted deliberately with the stick. Smart and sneaky hurlers were always able to hit opposing players on the ball, but hardly any have deliberately hit the unprotected head off the ball. That would be a cowardly and unmanly act.

In reality, there have been very few examples of this in championship hurling. What makes players strike other players? One definite reason is the shout from the sideline that follows an incident when a player perhaps didn’t retaliate or took a blow on the ball. He hears it from the crowd, and feels honour-bound to react.

The worst insult I hear from the stands is supporters calling a player cowardly: “He’s afraid. He doesn’t have the bottle,” etc. When I hear that, I immediately consign that so-called supporter to the “don’t know what they are talking about” bin.

No one walks onto the championship field afraid of the physical side of hurling. They would have been found out many years ago if they were scared. Calling anyone who dons the county jersey a coward is a low blow. When the insult comes from a fellow countyman, it is even lower. So cut that out, lads, and don’t be shy about pulling someone up if they stray down that road.

People will get hit in hurling. It’s the way of the game. Players know this walking onto a field; they are prepared for it. It’s a game for men, not thugs. The beauty of the game and, in fairness, much of the attraction of hurling is the physical contact areas.
Great teams live on the edge of the law. Think of Tipperary’s Hells Kitchen, Clare’s ferocity of the ’90s and the current Kilkenny side. Winning teams need to have that aggression in their play. Played the proper way, these are great teams to watch. They tend to get on with it, and hard but fair hurling has no match in sport.

Now and again, we see something that looks worse than it was. Prendergast’s stroke is a case in point. The reaction will far outweigh the action itself. We’ll move on, and unless we want hurling to go the way of soccer and become a non-contact sport, we’ll leave well enough alone. Declan Prendergast was way out of order, and he knows that. He’ll take his three months, and the rest of us should call off the dogs.

Elsewhere, the Waterford win was important. A clean-shaven Dan showed signs of his old self, and the home team toughed it out. Beyond the usual bad taste of losing, the Cats won’t be too bothered. The League isn’t as important to them this year – not with Galway providing a proper test in Leinster.

Tipperary keep shaping up well. They were impressive in Thurles on Sunday, though they played the match in third gear. They won the League last year, and it didn’t hurt them unduly. They will be keen to win it again. Remember, they are out first in Munster this year, but God only knows who they will be playing.

Cork go to Cusack Park to play Clare next, and that Clare team badly needs the win. Expect another beating, and probably the biggest of their campaign to date. What a mess – it’s easily the biggest blight on the GAA landscape right now. At least they’re not talking about the recession in Cork!

The highlights of Dublin and Limerick were thin enough on the ground. Both teams missed far too much and scored far too little, but both are on the upward curve. One of them will be the early story of the championship.

It’s Cheltenham next week. The evenings are getting longer, and the grounds are getting better. Ballyhale, Portumna and De La Salle will shortly be rejoing their county ranks, and it will soon be time for serious stuff.
To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...