The recent 'spat' over the varying size of sliothars used in championship matches revived memories of a similar controversy a few years ago, that involved the great Kilkenny maestro himself, writes An Fear Rua ...

It blew up shortly afer the great DJ hasd turned out for the Kilkenny senior footballers in an O'Byrne Cup game against Wexford in a little place called Horeswood. Now, it might be that the shock of discovering that Kilkenny occasionally .... very ... occasionally field football teams affected him in some way. Or, perhaps, he shipped some kind of nasty injury to the head.

At any rate, the great man complained bitterly to a certain Sunday newspaper about the variations in the size, weight and shape of the sliotars or balls used in hurling and the detrimental effect this has on a player's ability to strike a ball properly or to score from a placed ball.

DJ was joined in these comments by Brian Corcoran and Ger Cunningham of Cork, Brian Whelahan of Offaly and Gary Kirby, the recently retired Limerick star. Brian Corcoran complained that no two balls are the same, even in an All Ireland hurling final. He added that the rims were 'too thick and pronounced'. DJ Carey said: 'There should be a definite weight and size. In a Leinster Championship match you could play with three or four different balls'.

Apparently, preferences vary from county to county. An Fear Rua's investigations reveal that in Kilkenny they prefer Hennessy balls, (are these by any chance balls that have been marinated in Hennessy brandy for some time, wonders An Fear Rua) but they are less fastidious when they move outside the county. D J Carey again: 'For example, a Cork or a Clare ball would be totally different to a Kilkenny ball. Maybe not in terms of quality, but certainly in its makeup. Some will have big, soft rims, others small hard rims'. But sure, man dear, any camogie player worth her salt could have told that to the great DJ. Camogie players have long been used to handling balls from a variety of counties and they are very familiar with the wide variations in the shape and 'heft' of them - even from places as far away as Leitrim or Donegal!

However, former Cork All Star goalkeeper, Ger Cunningham, also seems to have become something of an expert in the county variations: 'The variations were incredible when you went up the country for matches, especially with the rims. The thickness of the rims would burn the hand off you if the ball was hit hard... Other balls react differently to wet conditions, some lose their shape quickly. But most players will tell you it's the thick rims they object to most...'. Sentiments every experienced camogie player will also heartily endorse, An Fear Rua has no doubt.

Back to the great DJ: 'Having different balls does play on the mind', he said and not even An Fear Rua himself could disagree with that. Brian Whelehan spoke about how Offaly noticed wild variations in ball performance before the 1995 final against Clare. An Fear Rua presumes this is something Michael 'Brostaigí' Bond successfully took in hand before the '98 final. Whelehan comments: 'If you put two fellas side by side under no pressure and handed them the two types of ball, the difference mightn't be that obvious. But when you are under pressure clearing a ball and you want distance, it's then that you notice it most... For me, the biggest difference is the weight between one and the next'.

Limerick stalwart, Gary Kirby, wisely chips in: 'Some balls absorb the wet more than others. Playing Cork, you would notice a big difference in the balls being used. I know that standing over a free you would feel more confident with certain balls'. Pat Daly, of the Hurling Development Committee, commented that: 'This is not a science by any stretch of the imagination' and that decent man never spoke a truer word, AFR avers.

Perhaps the variation in the size of balls is something DJ's pals in the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) could take up. An Fear Rua is aware that DJ likes the odd the game of golf. So, maybe tis' a little golf tee he should have with him when he's taking those all those difficult frees or one of those little plastic stands the rugby fellas used to use up to a few years ago, or even have a fella to hold his ball steady, like they also used to do in rugby?

Interestingly, the GAA rulebook sets out d'Association's requirements for balls. They must weigh between 110 and 130 grammes, with a circumference of 23-25 centimetres. The thickness of the leather will have to conform to the British quality standard, BS270. In ainm Dé, asks An Fear Rua, is there no IRISH standard that could be applied? Or is this the standard the British apply to their cricket balls? Is there not a role here for all the good hurlers and camogie players employed by Forfás to come up with an Irish standard for sliotars?

Even an absolutely standard ball will always perform differently - depending on the conditions. Part of the innate skill of hurling is the ability to master the ball, no matter what the variations in conditions. We never heard the likes of Ring, Mackey, Keane or the Rackards or Doyles complaining about discrepancies in their balls in their heyday. Hurleys vary in weight, length, size and shape from county to county and from player to player. Styles of lifting the ball also vary from county to county. There are other regional variations in approaches to aspects of the game.

An Fear Rua is not convinced that this Gadarene rush towards the standardisation of balls and everything else in hurling is such a good thing. Diversity is part of the warp and weave that makes up the rich tapestry of our priceless hurling and camogie heritage.