Loughlin welcomes helmet rule

2010 will be a year of major adjustment for the few remaining hurling players in Westmeath who do not wear a helmet, after the GAA recently ruled that helmets will become compulsory from this year onwards.Since January 1, senior players are required to follow regulations already in place at minor and Under 21 level, which will see hurlers of all ages wearing helmets with faceguards, both in training and at matches.The decision has been welcomed by a number of quarters, including Clonkill hurler, Sean Loughlin.Sean is among a number of prominent hurlers in the county who have never worn a helmet, although he intends to embrace the new ruling."I generally don't like anything around my head, not even a hat, so I never was inclined towards wearing a helmet," he said."But I think the ruling is a good thing. To lose an eye or a tooth brings an awful financial loss for a player and a club."It's going to be hard to get used to it. But when you look at the likes of Eoin Price or Brendan Murtagh here, or Henry Shefflin, they've always worn a helmet, and it doesn't stop them from being the best players in the county or the country."Some of Sean's Clonkill team-mates made the transition to full-time helmet wearing last year, even during training."My brother Enda never wore a helmet, and he'll have to get used to it before I do when he plays for the county," Sean continued, adding that his young sons always wear them while playing underage hurling.The Clonkill star, who also plays football for The Downs, intends to wear a helmet in training to get used to it ahead of the league and championship campaigns."I've never had a serious without a helmet. But in the Leinster club final I had to come off twice with cuts on the face, and you never know when you'll end up with a more serious injury."So I'll embrace it, no matter how difficult it is to get used to it."ImpactAidan Davitt, Vice-Chairman of Westmeath Hurling Board, lent his support to the new ruling, but understands the impact it could have on hurlers used to playing without helmets."Now that compulsory helmet wearing has been enforced by Headquarters, it will have to be respected, and players will have to adjust, so it's as simple as that," Aidan told the Westmeath Examiner."It has been introduced in the underage ranks over the past few years, and without many exceptions the young lads coming through have all got into the habit of wearing their helmets and faceguards."Of course you have one or two senior guys who don't wear it, and they'll have a hard time getting used to it."I feel sorry for goalkeepers too, because of some of them feel a helmet and faceguard will impede their vision."The GAA's decision has been welcomed by Advanced Brain Injury Ireland."Hurling is a fantastic sport but its fast pace can make it extremely dangerous for players not wearing protective headgear," said Barbara O'Connell, CEO of ABI Ireland this week, welcoming the GAA's decision."While training or playing competitively, hurlers playing without a helmet are at danger of suffering head trauma, concussion as well as fractures or injuries to the face."Under the new ruling, a referee is entitled to bar a player from taking part in a hurling match at any grade, if he lines out without a helmet and faceguard.