For all the talk about Cork’s edge, there will be a sharpness about Tipp too, for more reasons than wanting to prove they’re better than Cork.

Cork will also have had a satisfying journey home from Galway.

The wind is definitely some form of an equaliser for the Cork-Galway game.

Cork’s electric league opener thrilled Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but sterner tests will define Ben O’Connor’s early progress

Ben O’Connor will have tried to assess every detail of how Cork managed 2025.

Loughrea were nowhere near the levels required to take down a team of Ballygunner's quality.

A personal lesson in discipline frames a sharp-eyed look at Loughrea’s challenge against an imperious Ballygunner side

We didn’t get the semis we hoped for though the first half of the Ballygunner-St Martin’s game was riveting if a bit over tactical.

St Martin’s were outstanding in the Leinster final but they’ll have to be even better again to win against Ballygunner. 

Dessie Hutchinson's comments post-match underlined how they were clearly only looking for an angle when the bookies were more or less telling everybody that the Gunners only had to show up.