Limerick are still the top dogs but, in a discreet kind of way, the seven All-Stars they secured also tells you that they’re not the same untouchables that they appeared to be in 2021

Did the Rockies think it was just going to happen for them in the second half? I’d say there may have been hints of that attitude.

I’ve said it here before that Limerick are a different team without Cian, and the news over the last few days of his ankle injury does alter the dynamic again.

Limerick are driving towards history but Brian Cody and his team will be doing everything to stop it in its tracks for more than just trying to win this All-Ireland

The first semi-final is a hard game to call but I think the lads might just take off in Croke Park. We love the place, even though we’ve had a lot of difficult days up there too. It won’t be easy but Clare’s defence is very settled, while our front eight picks itself.

You often hear it that a game is as good as four training sessions but Kilkenny nearly prefer the training sessions, because their manager can get them all together and strengthen their bond even more

I was hoping I might meet Brian Lohan but I ran into a handful of old comrades on the field; Niall Gilligan, Eamonn Taaffe, Stephen McNamara. It felt like the old days again...

Like in anything controversial, there is always a reaction after a reaction. The disciplinary bodies need to get their houses in order but is some player going to pay a heavy price for this mess?

When Dublin lost to Antrim in Croke Park in 2010, I hadn’t the stomach to go home. I drove to Galway, booked into a hotel and spent the night staring at the ceiling

Kilkenny just force you to do things you don’t want to but the more the game progressed, the more Galway reverted to type and old habits of playing as individuals