Sean Finn opts for 'position-specific' hurleys in game of inches

Shorter hurleys are becoming more common in the senior intercounty game, as players look to fine-tune their performance levels.

Limerick star and four-time All Star Seán Finn is bucking that trend, however. The Bruff man instead opts for a 36-inch stick, and even used a '37' during the 2019 season.

It is a case of horses for courses for the corner-back.

"I used a 37 in 2019, but I've taken an inch off that and went down to a 36," he explained.

"So I've used a 36 for a number of years now. But to be honest, it's position-specific. If I was playing out the field, I might use that bit smaller of a hurley.

"But it's considering where I'm playing, just the role that I've to do, I just find the longer hurley has been hugely valuable to me over the last couple of years.

"Blocking in particular. I've always thought that I was always too short by an inch when I block a player. You don't have to strike the ball too much when you play corner-back, so a lot of it is stopping a player hurling.

"I just found it position-specific really. It was a decision I made a number of years ago, and it's done me well.

"I play out at number six with the club, and I use a 33 inch, so there's a big difference."

He is fully aware that forwards in particular prefer the opposite, with his county colleague Aaron Gillane among those who use a noticeably short camán.

"I can see there's an argument for that as well, because it is much harder to get a block in or a hook in when the game is so tight," he said.

"I don't think a 36-inch hurley would do you any good playing corner-forward. I don't know. I saw an article about that recently alright. I don't think you'll see a corner-forward using a 37-inch hurley!"

Split season success

Meanwhile, the four-time All-Ireland winner has backed the split season model.

The new calendar format has been criticised in some quarters, but is backed by a large majority of players.

"I have really enjoyed it. It feels like as if the All-Ireland was a while ago now," he reflected.

"We're still training away, training nearly 11 months of the year, but I've really enjoyed the break from the mental demands of the inter-county season.

"The intensity of the club commitment wouldn't be as high as inter-county so I've really enjoyed the last couple of months training with the club.

"Overall, as a player I couldn't speak highly enough of it. Maybe for the game it's quite different."

He did acknowledge however that perhaps a balance may be needed, as the GAA juggles competing interests.

"As a player, it's fantastic but it's all about balance. Some people would be in agreement that it should finish in July and some people maybe [think] in August or September," he noted.

"The balance between the league finishing and where the championship starts is maybe one place we can improve on. I think there's maybe 13-14 days between the last league fixture and the first round of championship. That's something that could be considered.

"But, as a whole, it's fantastic for a player. It gives them the opportunity to get away if they can with their partner or their friends. But also to commit fully to a club that they have got a lot from, and they can give a lot to.

"For the game, maybe it's just finding that balance. It does seem that the All-Ireland finals were so long ago now. What that balance is, I'm not that sure."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Meanwhile, Finn said that Limerick GAA "got it wrong" with the controversial pricing of a training top last month.

The Treaty were forced to row back, after their initial asking price of €150 per top was widely criticised.

"To be honest, it is not something I was involved in thankfully, but I think admittedly they got it wrong at the time," he said.

"They brought it down to a monetary amount that is reasonable for the jerseys they are getting and the name. I wasn't involved in it, but I think they did get it wrong at the time."