By:
Conor Martin
Kilkenny hurling legend Noel Skehan has called for a full ban on the hand-pass, warning that the game is losing its identity to overused and often “illegal” passes.
The nine-time All-Ireland winner argues that restricting all passing to the hurley is the only way to protect hurling’s skill, pace, and tradition. Skehan first reached this conclusion last year, but watching the opening round of the National Hurling League this past weekend only confirmed his fears.
To him, the game is increasingly dominated by thrown hand-passes rather than precise stick work, and the result is a watered-down version of a sport built on striking, control, and technique.
Noel Skehan hurling should go back to its roots when it comes to hand-pass rule
Skehan believes that enforcing hurley-only passes would raise standards across the board, forcing players to think, strike, and control the sliotar with greater accuracy.
It’s a call to return to the roots of hurling, where technical excellence and tactical awareness define the match, rather than convenience or speed. He said: “They’re very good at shortening the hurl. There’s a lot of it in already.
“It would be a whole sight better than what we’ve been seeing. It’s a cleaner, purer way of playing the game.
“Now you see these fantastic runs of play and what you think are great scores coming off them, but when you look back there are illegal hand-passes involved.”
The former Kilkenny goalkeeper’s stance has already sparked debate. Supporters of the hand-pass argue it keeps the game fast and fluid, while Skehan insists the “easy option” is damaging hurling’s core. To him, the modern game is drifting too far from its traditional brilliance, and the hand-pass has become a scourge that undermines skill.
Hurling great believes illegal passes are dominating matches
The All-Ireland winnerr and seven-time All-Star’s comments were made in a interview with the Irish Examiner and continued : “Once upon a time with the hand pass, a player would throw up the ball out of his hand before passing it and you would clearly see the disconnection there.
“Nowadays, it’s different. You can’t see the disconnection, which is tied to the rule that there must be a clear striking of the sliotar from the hand.
“I was looking at matches last weekend, and in each one I counted six or seven bad passes, illegal passes from the hand. You can fiddle all you like around with the hand-pass, change it from one hand to the other hand, all this stuff, it won’t work. The only way to do it is to get rid of it.”
Whether the GAA will act remains uncertain, but Skehan is resolute: if hurling is to survive as a showcase of elite skill, the days of the hand-pass must end and showcase the message of let the hurleys do the work and reclaim the game from lazy passing.
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