"I would hate to see something like VAR brought into hurling"
August 07, 2026
Limerick's Gearoid Hegarty with Padraic Mannion of Galway as his hurl breaks in half ©INPHO/Evan Treacy
Limerick ace Gearoid Hegarty says he would hate to see VAR or something similar being brought into hurling.
Last month saw Hegarty winning his sixth All-Ireland senior hurling championship title with the Treaty County, as John Kiely’s side proved to strong for Galway in the Liam MacCarthy Cup decider at Croke Park.
Speaking to RTE Sport, the PWC GAA/GPA Player of the Month winner for July was asked about his thoughts on the Video Assistant Referee system used in soccer and said he’s not a fan of the technology.
"I would hate to see something like VAR brought into hurling," Hegarty said. "I find soccer nearly unwatchable these days - and I used to love watching it - but VAR has ruined it.
"If you compare even how we use HawkEye. You have one or two small stoppages - but imagine 15 or 20 of them in a game. It would ruin the flow of hurling."
On the possibility of new rule changes being introduced into hurling, Hegarty added: "I don't know how we fix the issue of helping smaller counties compete, that's something that's above my pay grade. But we had a super Leinster championship this year, it's nearly as competitive as the Munster championship these days.
"Hurling is great. There are things that could be better, yes. The new rules in football have been brilliant - and I love the football, always have - but I wouldn't like to see a large number of new rules brought into hurling. I don't think it's needed."
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