Wexford legend Larry Murphy slams GAA calendar as county stars vanish by May
WEXFORD legend Larry Murphy fears for the future of hurling in counties such as his own if they continue to suffer early Championship exits.
For the second time in three years,
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Wexford, Waterford and Clare have all been eliminated from this year's Championship
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Wexford legend Larry Murphy says the flaws of the schedule have been exposed
Having been unable to master the round-robin in Munster again, neighbours Waterford have also played their final game of 2025. Even Clare's defence of their
Under the split-season model, the flaws of such a condensed calendar are exposed by the flagship teams in some of hurling's leading counties now facing a wait of eight months to play another competitive fixture.
Murphy told SunSport: 'In Wexford's case, we start every year with the hope of at least getting to a Leinster final and then seeing where that might take you.
'To go out of the Championship in May is basically a disaster for the promotion of the game within the county.
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'When you look at the counties whose seasons are already over now, it's not good for the game and it has to be addressed at a higher level. There's a broader picture that the GAA has to look at.
'I know somebody has to go out and there has to be some kind of system in place, but I don't think it promotes any game to have your All-Ireland champions gone in May.
"There's a real concern within Wexford, and I know it's in Waterford too because I work down there, over where the game will be in five years' time if you continuously don't make your season a bit longer.'
A third-place finish in Leinster last year saw Wexford advance to an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final, where they eased past Joe McDonagh Cup runners-up Laois.
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Their campaign eventually came to a halt with a quarter-final loss to Clare in Thurles on June 22.
Murphy, one of Wexford's All-Ireland heroes of 1996, added: 'There's no perfect system and there are no simple answers.
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'But when the kids are not even on their school holidays and your county team is already finished for the year, it does leave that gap and that void within the social aspect of Wexford culture for the whole summer.
'It's disappointing and it certainly has to be looked at for the betterment of the game as a whole, not just in Wexford.'
While Tony Kelly, Stephen Bennett and Lee Chin must now shift their focus to club commitments, Murphy agrees that such protracted absences from the biggest stage for some of hurling's top talents is a valid concern.
After his side crashed out at the hands of Cork on Sunday, Waterford gaffer Peter Queally also noted that the prospect of not being able to hurl in the peak summer months deterred players from committing to the panel.
Former All-Star forward Murphy, who retired in 2004, said: 'Whenever somebody of my era gives a comment on this stuff, it's all, 'You're just too old school' — but it's not that. I'm pure hurling and GAA to the core and I love to see the game.
'And we have to remember that we're competing now against highly promoted sports like rugby.
'They're all going for that viewership and they're all looking for their chunk of exposure. Hurling needs that as well.
'There are bigger issues in the likes of Wexford and Waterford, which we have to address internally.
'But you do want to see your big stars playing into the summer.
'The clubs are hugely important, there's nobody questioning that. But everybody walks a bit taller when your county is doing well and still in the Championship.
'Croke Park need to see can we extend the season or get that balance a bit better."
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