Sir, – Rory O'Callaghan (Letters, February 28th) wonders why players on county hurling teams wear different coloured helmets. Many players wear helmets in the colours of their club. This display of loyalty, on a national stage, to the club and people who nurtured them as players is a great source of pride to many people and an important reminder of the community-based ethos of the GAA. Many other players continue to wear the same helmet they acquired as a young player.
The variety of coloured headgear can be an important aid to identification for spectators and players alike. In one of the world’s fastest games, where split-second decisions can have an important bearing on the outcome of games, being able to pick out the target of your intended pass, or the player you are supposed to be marking, by their helmet colour is an advantage.
As for the boots, well, I once coached a county final winning schools Gaelic football team, whose two outstanding players were identical twins. The only way I could tell them apart on the pitch was by the colour of their boots. Both boys went on to play underage soccer for Ireland, but at the time, they used to cover so much ground on the GAA pitch that an opposing coach during one game reckoned they were quadruplets. – Is mise,
CONOR MURPHY,
Borris,
Co Carlow.