DIVING needs to be addressed as soon as possible, according to Limerick hurling ace Darragh O’Donovan.
The five-time All-Ireland winner told the Irish Independent: “The amount of diving and play-acting going on is insane. That’s something that should be addressed, like fellas trying to get other lads sent off. We can’t leave that in the game, that simulation.”
He added: “This is a game played by warriors going back hundreds of years. That should be something that we should be fixing before we go looking at hand-passing or short puck-outs.”
“And the referees then have to go and enforce those rules when they are under enough pressure as it is. They don’t need to be introduced to all these new rules and then get stick from the sideline. They’re under enough pressure as it is.”
On the back of a stay with his friend and Limerick’s strength and conditioning coach Cairbre Ó Cairealláin in Belfast, he hoped that the GAA would “think outside the box” and stage a major hurling fixture at Casement Park.
Said O’Donovan: “They’re deprived of seeing the big teams, the GAA should be bringing more games up there. I’d love to go up and play a match up there.”
“It would be great for the game to bring up a match up to Belfast, a Munster Championship game or a league final.”
