We’ve been waiting all year to see what all the hype was about, and now that we are on the eve of the inaugural Super 8s stage of the All-Ireland series, it’s hard not to get bloody excited about the prospect of seeing the best teams in the country go head to head. Slugging it out.

The sense of injustice felt in Kildare at present isn’t exclusive to the county’s footballers.

Here are the main talking points in the GAA world over the weekend.

Kerry hurler Pádraig Boyle is hoping the favourite’s tag will weigh heavily on Carlow’s shoulders when they meet in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh Cup at Dr Cullen Park on Sunday.

Hurling will join Gaelic football in moving from an U21 All-Ireland championship to an U20 competition in the near future.

Carlow 5-23 - Antrim 4-15: Carlow boss Colm Bonnar admitted his players forgot about the title at stake, and the place in the All-Ireland qualifiers, and simply focused on finally beating Antrim.

Simon McCrory is the captain of the Antrim hurling team, favourites to claim a 16th Ulster title in a row tomorrow against Armagh. McCrory works for the county board as a Hurling Development Officer in Belfast.

When 23-year-old Ballyduff man Pat Joe Connolly is asked to reflect on where his hurling career is about to take him, he momentarily pauses to search for the appropriate words.

Meath 4-21 Antrim 5-17: Victorious Meath manager Martin Ennis finished up Saturday evening’s post-match media briefing with a wry smile. “I hope to God none of ye lot are ringing me tomorrow!”

Meath hurling chairman TJ Reilly believes it would be impossible to stage a replay of the Christy Ring Cup final.

The Banner continue to raise the standard, but others are falling adrift...

Offaly manager Eamonn Kelly, who led Kerry to a Christy Ring Cup title last year, says reaching a Leinster quarter-final will be easier via the second tier competition than the province’s qualifying group from 2017.

Cork’s junior football and intermediate hurling managers have criticised plans to abolish the championships from next year.

Justin McCarthy has rekindled his love affair with Antrim hurling and will be part of new manager PJ O’Mullan’s backroom team next for the next two years.

Hurling’s managerial carousel had already picked up considerable pace by the time Kilkenny returned up the steps of the Hogan Stand in early September, several high-profile figures opting off the merry-go-round.

Down 3-16 Derry 1-17

THURLES, but not as we know it.

That was, without doubt, the worst weekend of hurling in a very, very long time.

He just had to be involved, didn’t he? 

Hard as you can for as long as you can — the words printed on a giant Kerry flag tacked to the dressing-room wall in Newbridge last weekend as the players exited for action.

Dublin manager Ger Cunningham has confirmed that former Kerry star Darragh O’Connell is in contention for a Leinster SHC debut against Galway on Sunday week, May 31.

In the build-up to Kerry’s Allianz Hurling League promotion/relegation play-off with Antrim, Eamonn Kelly set aside a five-hour block to review DVD footage of the Ulster outfit.

Sean Kelly thinks it would be "a disaster" for the GAA to run off all its fixtures in the one calendar year.

Kerry manager Eamonn Kelly insisted the Christy Ring Cup was still the county’s number one priority for the summer, despite his side earning a shot at Division 1B hurling.

Down star Paul Braniff has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling and says the Hurling 2020 committee’s proposal to take the Christy Ring Cup final out of Croke Park does nothing for the game’s promotion.

What are the chances of success of the various proposals? Irish Examiner writers consider the options.

Former All-Ireland-winning manager Liam Griffin has blasted the key recommendations of the Hurling 2020 report, believing an automatic substitution for a second yellow card amounts to a "halfway house".

Eoin Cadogan will take his first steps into coaching when he links up with the Armagh hurlers next season — despite yesterday committing to Cork’s footballers in 2015.

Those who know him best will tell you it takes a lot to fell Mickey Burke.

ALL-IRELAND SHC ROUND 1:

You could hardly call the face-off between Westmeath and Kildare the £100 million game like they tend to call the English Championship play-off final in Wembley, but it’s actually hurling’s equivalent.

Kerry hurling selector Brian Horgan has called for a later start to the Christy Ring Cup, claiming it is unfair to force counties back inside the whitewash just three weeks after the league’s conclusion.

Carlow 0-14 Westmeath 1-09

John Egan leads the Kerry hurling team by example and the captain is one of their best and most experienced players.

“There is no real thought given to the development of hurling in weaker counties.” So says Kerry hurling trainer Tom Howard.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice believes the Championship is in urgent need of rescheduling and has given his support to former GAA president Sean Kelly’s proposal to restructure the competition.

Down 3-20 Armagh 1-11

CHRISTY RING FINAL: