All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2026 (Munster & Leinster Championships, Liam McCarthy Cup)

There's no doubt that it hasnt been a vintage championship so far. Theres been 29 matches played, and I would say 8 of them have been very good matches.

Youll get years like that though. Regardless of the format.

Have a feeling that the semi final weekend might be different.

Ive been where they are many times so no not really great. You go through some flat qualifiers just to get reality handed to you by the first good tram you meet. It's only fooling yourself really.

I reckon a match between Waterford and Dublin/Wexford would be close and don't forget KK had an off year this year.

Tipp qualified though. They didn't come last.

We are literally talking about ruining Munster so that a team who won 0 games can fell good about themselves by beating another also ran.

It's not the same as Tipp or Cork in 2024 at all.

I agree that he got a bit carried away but you've actually made the same point Neil McManus was making, whether intentionally or not.

Saying hurling can't be the best game in the world because it's only played seriously in a relatively small number of counties doesn't really address the argument. Popularity and quality aren't the same thing. Plenty of people would argue that hurling is one of the most skilful and exciting field sports there is, regardless of how many people play it.

More importantly, the whole point McManus was making was that hurling remains a minority sport in many counties because not enough is being done to grow and develop it. The fact that more counties aren't playing it at a high level isn't evidence against his argument — it's the reason he was making the argument in the first place.

I also didn't read his comments as a hurling-versus-football debate…( apart from his annoyance that the RTE coverage stayed with the extra time in the football)…..He wasn't saying football is inferior. He was saying that if the GAA believes hurling is a great game, then it should be investing more effort and resources into spreading and developing it in counties where it currently struggles which I thought was fair enough imo.

I was born in the mid 80's and i have faint memories of the double in 1990. We started to struggle badly in both mens senior codes when the training and preparation of senior intercounty teams started to become more structured and professional in the mid 90's. It started with Clare under Ger Loughane and Limerick under Tom Ryan, and later in the early 2000's with Tyrone and Armagh in the football.

Hurling's problems will not be fixed by any one change.

At the moment, the Munster counties are driving each other to such heights that they are all rising. Leinster is behind at every level - schools, colleges, minor, u20, senior. Leinster counties always do well at Arrabawn, Tony Forristal etc but when they ante is upped at the more senior levels they just don't seem to be able to match it.

It seems the Munster counties are just doing things better and its up to the Leinster counties to get their house in order. The fact that at Minor and U20 only 1-2 counties in Leinster gets to play the Munster counties is not helping the Leinster counties get a true picture of where they are at.

I support the provincial structure, but I think they should be knock-out and then round robin structures at minor/U20/senior. Nearly every fixture that happens today would happen in a revised structure so its not the death-knell many think it would be. But I think hurling is too full of "protectionists" for the bigger picture to be seen by hurling counties.

Fair play to Offaly they beat Wexford (who were down a load of bodies this year) and drew with Kilkenny (with the most dubious 65 ever awarded) but Dublin and Galway both beat them, so if ever there was a year to get out of Leinster this was it. I doubt they'll get out next year with away trips to Nowlan Park and Wexford Park assuming Wexford get the players who wouldn't commit back. My point is, they got a bit lucky but you need that bit of luck. I believe they were always lambs to the slaughter today.

But the reality is, football is now completely destroying hurling because the games are exciting, close and not just free-ridden bores like most hurling matches are. A few years ago everybody in my office would be talking about hurling matches on Monday, now I never hear hurling mentioned until All-Ireland semi final and hurling final.

I believe the semi finals might be one-sided affairs because I think Cork and Limerick are just a mile ahead of everyone. I'll be very very surprised if either Galway or Clare are close to either.

Clare played equally as bad against Limerick aswell as Cork though.

The big problem hurling has this year is the football championship has been brilliant.. another epic weekend this weekend in the football with another epic weekend coming up..

is that 3 or 4 weekends in a row of brilliant football while in that time hurling gets 2 rubbish games..

the GAA got rid of the preliminary quarter final.. tbh they could axe the quarter finals as well...

Hidings And one sided games are nothing new in hurling..

I dont think the hurling has been any worse this year than any other year it's just that the football especially these past couple weekends has been exceptional.. at a level we haven't seen before...

Hopefully we will get 3 great games to finish the hurling championship.. I had a fancy for Galway but after watching Cork today I think Galway could struggle..

Cavan are way out in front of everyone else in regards to winning Ulster titles, yet they've only won two of them since 1969.

Exactly. One can have a good season and the other not or both can have great or bad seasons which has happened too.

They have nothing to do with each other but I fear the moaners will get their way and there will be pressure to make major changes to hurling because football got some.