# The Running Performance Decrement in Elite Hurling
## 1 Introduction  
Hurling is one of the national sports played in Ireland. This stick and ball field-sport (playing area: 140 m \(\times\) 90 m) is contested by two teams of 15 players (1 goalkeeper and 14 outfield players) over a duration of 70 min. Players' technical and tactical roles differ between the five unique playing positions (full backs, half backs, midfielders, half forwards, and full forwards) [1; 2]. The game is physically demanding with periods of high-intensity efforts, which are common in other team sports [2; 3; 4; 5; 6]. The main physical aspects of the game require players to change speed frequently. Although hurling games attract large attendances of over 80,000 people at the finals in Croke Park with several million people watching on television worldwide [7], the scientific literature has only recently described the match-play performances of competition [8; 9; 10; 11] and training [12; 13; 14]. Players were reported to display using global positioning systems (GPS) technology, the total distance, relative distance, high-speed running (HSR), sprint distance, and high-metabolic-load distance (HMLD) were recorded in youth, sub-elite, and elite hurlers [1; 8; 9; 15; 16]. Quantifying the game demands is critical for the design and implementation of training practices so players can be optimally prepared for the match-play demands of competition [17].  
Although the total accumulated distances can give a global indication of the match-play demands, an analysis of how these metrics change during the game could indicate the most demanding periods of play [8]. It has been shown that between-half temporal decrements in running performances exist within hurling, with total distance, high-speed running (HSR), sprint distance, and the number of sprints all shown to decrease in the second half [8]. This drop-off has been suggested to be relatedto the transient fatigue experienced throughout the game [18]. To further examine the fluctuations of running performance during the game, several team sports have further analysed the match-play running performances by smaller segments [19; 20; 21; 22]. Dividing the match into quarters allowed coaches to identify where the temporal decrements exist [19; 20; 21; 22]. In senior hurling, only HSR distance has been reported per quarter [2]. The results showed that HSR reduced from quarter 1 (Q1) to Q2 and from Q3 to Q4. In Gaelic football [19] and Australian football (AFL) [5], there were temporal decrements in total- and HSR-distance covered in Q2, Q3, and Q4 when compared to Q1. Unlike the unlimited substitutions permitted in AFL, only five substitutions are allowed in hurling. Knowledge of the temporal decrements per position in hurling may inform coaches of a substitution strategy, where players in the most demanding positions could be replaced. Furthermore, positional differences in the running performance between quarters have yet to be established.  
Between-position running performance were recorded in hurling at U17 [23], U21 [1], and senior [8; 9; 10]. Results showed that running performance within positions decreased in the second half in hurling [1; 2; 9], similar to other team sports [24; 25; 26]. Currently, there are no data available that describe the total distance, HMLD, sprint distance, and the number of sprints between quarters in senior hurling. These data would help inform coaches about the fluctuations in the running performance during the game and help identify the most intense periods of the game [22]. In addition, due to COVID-19 restrictions, hurling games are now played over four quarters. Therefore, the aims of the current study were to describe the differences in running performance between quarters of match-play and within playing positions in elite senior hurling. It was hypothesized that position-specific decrements in running performances between quarters would occur as the match progresses.