“I think I miss Ger Loughnane on the Sunday Game”.

These are words I never thought I would say but not long into the Championship season I am coming to that conclusion. For those of you who don’t know Loughnane retired from his role as a hurling pundit on RTE having been a regular since 2001. At the same time the imperious presenter Michael Lyster also retired and for me their absence is keenly felt.

Don’t get me wrong much of what Loughnane said I disagreed with, indeed I sometimes found him to be annoying, frustrating, arrogant and often cantankerous but you could never deny his entertainment value. To his credit he was honest and was never afraid to speak his mind often against popular opinion but alongside Cyril Farrell and the Lyster I thought they produced some excellent analysis.

There is no doubt that like the game itself the role of the pundit is changing with increasingly detailed analysis, technology and science coming to the fore over pure opinion. Loughnane could of course be considered a bit “old school” in his views but he had a great hurling mind which for me science and data can never fully replace. He was often Dunphy-like in how he came across, provoking controversy with his forthright comments.

In doing so he annoyed players, including his own former players who served him faithfully in securing two All-Ireland titles as Clare manager, upset county managers and provided plenty of topics for debate amongst supporters. Like him or loathe him it was very hard to ignore him.

The introduction of Sky to the GAA has started to change how the game is presented and analysed. The analysis is much more detailed and utilises technology to break down tactics and show how teams are set up in their approach. That’s not a bad thing but analysis should always allow space for well formed opinions that will get people talking. In other words, for every Derek McGrath, who I think is excellent, you need a Loughnane or Farrell. Just like on Sky’s soccer coverage, for every Gary Neville you need a Roy Keane. Who can forget their classic encounter following Man United’s exit from the Champions League to Barcelona. Keane was clearly frustrated by Neville’s over analysis of the game and I think the likes of Loughnane would help to keep a similar balance in our own game.

Whilst on the subject of analysis and coverage of the game I am totally mystified by the lack of any sort of coverage in relation to the keenly-contested Joe McDonagh. After two rounds of games we are no wiser as to who may progress such is the ability of teams to beat each other. RTE on a couple of occasions haven’t even provided scores of games let alone provided any actual footage. I have no idea what the contractual arrangements with the GAA and RTE are but surely they could impose some terms within the contract to provide something in relation to the lower tier competitions. Either that or open them up to TG4 who provide such excellent coverage of the club championship and the National League.

I can totally get why football counties are fearful of tiered competitions if the publicity and coverage afforded to the hurling counties is anything to go by. John Horan, the President has again this week reiterated his commitment to tiered championships in football but to make it attractive they would need to sort out its exposure and ensure counties and players don’t feel on the periphery in terms of profile.

We all know television is driven by audience figures and of course the top tier competitions will always get the most coverage but at the moment RTE as the National Broadcaster is not even paying lip service to the McDonagh, Ring, Rackard and Meagher competitions. That’s not good for promotion of the game in those counties who need it even more than the top tier counties who will always attract young players to the game. No one is asking for parity but a round up of the games would be a start.

It also mystifies me how RTE can hold competitions during their coverage that excludes viewers in the North. During the Wexford, Galway game at the weekend there was a competition for All-Ireland tickets that excluded the Northern audience. That is hard to believe and makes no sense in the digital age. Surely the GAA as a National organisation can influence the National broadcaster on how their games are presented and ensure it is inclusive of all viewers in everything that it does.

The game of course needs the publicity and the money that broadcaster rights generate but in selling those rights the GAA needs to do better in ensuring wider coverage of all competitions for the benefit of all its members, many who follow and support lower tier teams.

I should finish by stating that generally the coverage is very good, but I do miss Lyster and Loughnane.