A great article here by Conor Neville of RTÉ about the history and current standing of the two hurling championships - Munster and Leinster. A good few counties, in Munster anyway (and Ger Loughnane, quelle surprise 
), were initially against it but credit where credit's due, it has been a masterstroke by the GAA to use that league system in the hurling championship.
The only issue I would have is the Mc Donagh finalists getting a place in the knock-out stages but I understand why it's done.
Despite occasional predictions to the contrary, at the end of the fifth edition of the provincial league format in the hurling championship, there's no sign of staleness creeping in.
It's a mark of the wild success of the round-robin that the primary complaint is not enough of the games are on telly.
This is in contrast with the football championship where a sizable portion of the community are still waiting for it to start.
Fielding queries from casual followers on the football format is one of the banes of our modern existence here. At this stage, there is surely call for an 'are they out now, or what?' helpline that non-internet savvy folk can ring up where they can receive an answer yay or nay. (Can be an automated 'nay' response until the final round of the group phase).
It's hard to credit now that the current hurling structure was hastily voted through as a panicked measure in response to the introduction of the Super 8 format in Gaelic football.
It's even harder to credit that a majority of First World hurling counties were staunchly opposed to its introduction and it only passed the 60% threshold on the strength of the votes from wholly uninterested football counties, who were blasé enough to be leant on by Central Council.
On the day of the vote in September 2017, Ger Loughnane speculated that the provincial league system had been devised by someone intent on "destroying hurling completely" and echoed the common refrain that the association should rename itself the GFA.
Eight months later, Ger, seemingly much taken by the fact that Offaly were about to get relegated, performed a dramatic volte face, declaring the system the best that had ever been put in place for hurling.
It should be better remembered that the format which has launched the Munster hurling championship, in particular, into a new stratosphere in terms of hype and public interest was rejected out of hand by all of the competing counties, bar Limerick (Waterford labelled the format "crazy"). The ultimate testament to hurling's love affair with the status quo at any and all times.
The 2024 campaign may have been the most democratic yet. Rarely have we entered the final round of games with so much still uncertain.
Last Sunday brought more blood and thunder and scenes of wild anarchy, in Ennis at least, and teed things up for the final weekend beautifully.
Clare snatched a vital win over an impressively resilient Waterford thanks to a contested last-gasp '65, which triggered the usual crowd scene around the ref at the final whistle.
In a new departure in the field of referee criticism, aggrieved Waterford fans largely accepted the call was the correct one but objected to the methodology used.
A tedious tack to take, for sure, but also a rather sophisticated one. They reacted to the umpire's raised arm the way a sceptical Maths teacher might to a lad who had just written down the right answer to a complex equation without showing any evidence of his workings. No, no, no. Not good enough. Do it properly.
As usual, the officials' correctness proved a flimsy defence against the angry mob. While Davy Fitz bawled out the unfortunate referee Liam Gordon at full-time, one Déise backroom team member was anxious that all post-match interactions take place out of the public glare, and slapped away the RTÉ lens as if it were a TMZ camera phone confronting a Hollywood actress leaving a restaurant.
Despite the unpleasantness after the game last weekend, it's been a positive campaign for the Waterford hurlers, who've finally come to the party in the Munster SHC round-robin. In the end, they may have cause to regret their failure to bury a poor Tipp side in Round 2, though a result of any sort will likely sneak them into the top-three for the first time. A win could even do the unthinkable and dump the five-in-a-row chasers out of the championship before they get sight of Croke Park.
Tipperary, shockinngly, have taken Waterford's previously allotted role as competition whipping boys. It's all looking a bit late '70s/ early '80s for Tipp these days. They are at such a low ebb currently that they allowed the always voluble Cork hurling fraternity stage a private party in their own stadium last Sunday.
Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Cork could yet be helpless to prevent their own elimination should Limerick and Waterford wind up in a draw this afternoon, and the game in Thurles goes to form. Should it come to pass, the allegations of a stitch-up will reverberate for a while and on Leeside, they'll presumably forever affix an asterisk on this year's All-Ireland.
Engineering a draw in so free-scoring a game as hurling is a bit of a stretch and absurdly risky at that, though Davy is nothing if not an innovator. Limerick will not want to be next nigh or near that scenario coming down the stretch. And if Waterford are in possession and the scores are level in the dying seconds, they'll hardly be able to resist the temptation to take Limerick out of the reckoning - not to mention propel themselves into a Munster final - by having a pot from halfway.
None of which is to say the game won't end as a draw regardless of either team's intentions. It promises to be a nervy afternoon for Cork. GAA fans haven't always been quickest on the uptake regarding permutations but Cork fans were fully apprised of the significance of last weekend's game in Ennis and there were relieved cheers reported in the bars around Thurles when Rodgers' 65 split the posts.
Davy Fitz has been here before... Back in 2019, the Galway backroom team clustered around a mobile phone in the dugout after their final day loss at Parnell Park to watch the final minutes of the simultaneous Wexford-Kilkenny game. Top of the table at throw-in, only a draw in Wexford could have eliminated them. It duly happened.
The 2019 finale, and even last year's unexpectedly entertaining final day, belies the notion that Leinster has always been a procession. Ahead of the 2024 edition, the Leinster league phase was billed as an elongated warm-up before Kilkenny and Galway met in another final, with Wexford and Dublin again scrapping it out for third place.
It may still fall that way but it is far from a certainty, with Galway, insipid in Wexford Park, likely requiring a win against Dublin to ensure their progression in the championship. Wexford are going for three wins on the spin against Kilkenny, though the worst that can befall the latter is missing out on the provincial final.
In the heady days of 2018, it was warned that the new format could become a chore if one or two teams pull dramatically away from the rest. Or if a couple of others on the fringes of the elite fell off the pace badly.
The fear was that the latter was occurring in Leinster already. The 2024 campaign, more unpredictable than anyone had foreseen, has been a happy rebuke to that idea.
It's worth reflecting on the 2017 campaign, the last played under the old back-door format, sans crowd restrictions.
When the fateful vote came up that autumn, Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan said that county board delegates were "dismayed" that changes were being made to the format, "especially after having the most successful championship ever".
While one might be inclined to think that Ryan's opinion/ assertion was conditioned by the fact that Waterford made the final, it was in reality a strong year for the game, attendance wise.
That summer saw four Munster SHC matches played, all staged in Thurles, with a combined attendance of 127,992. This was considerably up on the previous year when the final was played at the Gaelic Grounds, with 100,868 across the four games.
The eight games played across various venues in 2024 have attracted 219,875 supporters, and we still have three games left, including the Munster decider.
When it comes to the hurling championship, the conclusion is that more is more.
), were initially against it but credit where credit's due, it has been a masterstroke by the GAA to use that league system in the hurling championship.The only issue I would have is the Mc Donagh finalists getting a place in the knock-out stages but I understand why it's done.
Despite occasional predictions to the contrary, at the end of the fifth edition of the provincial league format in the hurling championship, there's no sign of staleness creeping in.
It's a mark of the wild success of the round-robin that the primary complaint is not enough of the games are on telly.
This is in contrast with the football championship where a sizable portion of the community are still waiting for it to start.
Fielding queries from casual followers on the football format is one of the banes of our modern existence here. At this stage, there is surely call for an 'are they out now, or what?' helpline that non-internet savvy folk can ring up where they can receive an answer yay or nay. (Can be an automated 'nay' response until the final round of the group phase).
It's hard to credit now that the current hurling structure was hastily voted through as a panicked measure in response to the introduction of the Super 8 format in Gaelic football.
It's even harder to credit that a majority of First World hurling counties were staunchly opposed to its introduction and it only passed the 60% threshold on the strength of the votes from wholly uninterested football counties, who were blasé enough to be leant on by Central Council.
On the day of the vote in September 2017, Ger Loughnane speculated that the provincial league system had been devised by someone intent on "destroying hurling completely" and echoed the common refrain that the association should rename itself the GFA.
Eight months later, Ger, seemingly much taken by the fact that Offaly were about to get relegated, performed a dramatic volte face, declaring the system the best that had ever been put in place for hurling.
It should be better remembered that the format which has launched the Munster hurling championship, in particular, into a new stratosphere in terms of hype and public interest was rejected out of hand by all of the competing counties, bar Limerick (Waterford labelled the format "crazy"). The ultimate testament to hurling's love affair with the status quo at any and all times.
The 2024 campaign may have been the most democratic yet. Rarely have we entered the final round of games with so much still uncertain.
Last Sunday brought more blood and thunder and scenes of wild anarchy, in Ennis at least, and teed things up for the final weekend beautifully.
Clare snatched a vital win over an impressively resilient Waterford thanks to a contested last-gasp '65, which triggered the usual crowd scene around the ref at the final whistle.
In a new departure in the field of referee criticism, aggrieved Waterford fans largely accepted the call was the correct one but objected to the methodology used.
A tedious tack to take, for sure, but also a rather sophisticated one. They reacted to the umpire's raised arm the way a sceptical Maths teacher might to a lad who had just written down the right answer to a complex equation without showing any evidence of his workings. No, no, no. Not good enough. Do it properly.
As usual, the officials' correctness proved a flimsy defence against the angry mob. While Davy Fitz bawled out the unfortunate referee Liam Gordon at full-time, one Déise backroom team member was anxious that all post-match interactions take place out of the public glare, and slapped away the RTÉ lens as if it were a TMZ camera phone confronting a Hollywood actress leaving a restaurant.
Despite the unpleasantness after the game last weekend, it's been a positive campaign for the Waterford hurlers, who've finally come to the party in the Munster SHC round-robin. In the end, they may have cause to regret their failure to bury a poor Tipp side in Round 2, though a result of any sort will likely sneak them into the top-three for the first time. A win could even do the unthinkable and dump the five-in-a-row chasers out of the championship before they get sight of Croke Park.
Tipperary, shockinngly, have taken Waterford's previously allotted role as competition whipping boys. It's all looking a bit late '70s/ early '80s for Tipp these days. They are at such a low ebb currently that they allowed the always voluble Cork hurling fraternity stage a private party in their own stadium last Sunday.
Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Cork could yet be helpless to prevent their own elimination should Limerick and Waterford wind up in a draw this afternoon, and the game in Thurles goes to form. Should it come to pass, the allegations of a stitch-up will reverberate for a while and on Leeside, they'll presumably forever affix an asterisk on this year's All-Ireland.
Engineering a draw in so free-scoring a game as hurling is a bit of a stretch and absurdly risky at that, though Davy is nothing if not an innovator. Limerick will not want to be next nigh or near that scenario coming down the stretch. And if Waterford are in possession and the scores are level in the dying seconds, they'll hardly be able to resist the temptation to take Limerick out of the reckoning - not to mention propel themselves into a Munster final - by having a pot from halfway.
None of which is to say the game won't end as a draw regardless of either team's intentions. It promises to be a nervy afternoon for Cork. GAA fans haven't always been quickest on the uptake regarding permutations but Cork fans were fully apprised of the significance of last weekend's game in Ennis and there were relieved cheers reported in the bars around Thurles when Rodgers' 65 split the posts.
Davy Fitz has been here before... Back in 2019, the Galway backroom team clustered around a mobile phone in the dugout after their final day loss at Parnell Park to watch the final minutes of the simultaneous Wexford-Kilkenny game. Top of the table at throw-in, only a draw in Wexford could have eliminated them. It duly happened.
The 2019 finale, and even last year's unexpectedly entertaining final day, belies the notion that Leinster has always been a procession. Ahead of the 2024 edition, the Leinster league phase was billed as an elongated warm-up before Kilkenny and Galway met in another final, with Wexford and Dublin again scrapping it out for third place.
It may still fall that way but it is far from a certainty, with Galway, insipid in Wexford Park, likely requiring a win against Dublin to ensure their progression in the championship. Wexford are going for three wins on the spin against Kilkenny, though the worst that can befall the latter is missing out on the provincial final.
In the heady days of 2018, it was warned that the new format could become a chore if one or two teams pull dramatically away from the rest. Or if a couple of others on the fringes of the elite fell off the pace badly.
The fear was that the latter was occurring in Leinster already. The 2024 campaign, more unpredictable than anyone had foreseen, has been a happy rebuke to that idea.
It's worth reflecting on the 2017 campaign, the last played under the old back-door format, sans crowd restrictions.
When the fateful vote came up that autumn, Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan said that county board delegates were "dismayed" that changes were being made to the format, "especially after having the most successful championship ever".
While one might be inclined to think that Ryan's opinion/ assertion was conditioned by the fact that Waterford made the final, it was in reality a strong year for the game, attendance wise.
That summer saw four Munster SHC matches played, all staged in Thurles, with a combined attendance of 127,992. This was considerably up on the previous year when the final was played at the Gaelic Grounds, with 100,868 across the four games.
The eight games played across various venues in 2024 have attracted 219,875 supporters, and we still have three games left, including the Munster decider.
When it comes to the hurling championship, the conclusion is that more is more.
