Last week, we brought you the management life and times of Brian Cody and Kilkenny in the words of Bruce Springsteen.

Refereeing Kilkenny-Tipperary Championship games this decade were like walking on a cliff edge.

And then there were two — but how many of the Kilkenny and Tipperary teams are in the driving seat for All-Stars? John Fogarty makes his shouts

Dónal Óg Cusack had already begun changing the game with short puckouts in 2003 and 2004 but Damien Fitzhenry’s puckout masterclass against Kilkenny in the 2004 Leinster semi-final was still a keynote moment in hurling’s expanding tactical revolution.

When Henry Shefflin talked up Limerick’s All-Ireland credentials earlier this week, he kept referencing the spine of their team.

Seamus Harnedy hopes the GAA’s Central Appeals Committee (CAC) in Croke Park this evening clear him to play against Tipperary on May 12.

The successful Kilkenny U21 team of 1999 that won the All-Ireland spawned a generation of iconic hurlers, from Michael Kavanagh to Eddie Brennan to Henry Shefflin.

JJ Delaney has challenged Kilkenny to step up against Wexford tomorrow and led the county to a Leinster final.

Maurice Shanahan is available to Waterford for Sunday’s Munster SHC clash with Clare despite being sent off in the county’s last competitive game.

Brendan Maher may have handed over the Tipperary captaincy to Pádraic Maher last year but if the 2016 All-Ireland winning skipper gives the pre-match speech on Sunday it won’t come as any surprise.

Mild-mannered. Genuine. Diligent. Workaholic. As Páraic Duffy prepares to wave goodbye as GAA director general this Saturday, there has been similarities in the tributes paid to him. Rightly too: He is all of the above but we can add steeliness to it.

Picking the comparative, up-to-that-stage Hurling XV of the Noughties this time a decade ago was an exercise competed in 30 seconds, if even that.

The sweeper is arguably the most misunderstood and maligned concept in hurling. 

It’s rare in the modern annals of Kilkenny’s and Wexford’s mutual affairs that the onus should fall on the Cats to make the statement.

Kieran Kingston mentioned on these pages last week the Cork management wanted a performance that would make them proud. After 20 minutes in Semple Stadium on Sunday, that had been achieved.

Myths, mishaps, and misconceptions. Inconvenient truths are plentiful in the GAA — here are 10 of the most high profile, writes John Fogarty.

Listening to JJ Delaney, Tommy Walsh and Aidan Fogarty on Off The Ball last weekend, it was striking if there was one thing they loved more than winning it was simply playing and if there was one thing they hated more than losing it was not playing at all, writes Kieran Shannon. 

Michael Carey and Tommy Ronan play for St Kieran’s College against Our Lady’s Secondary School, Templemore in the Croke Cup final this afternoon. Their fathers, DJ and Adrian, won the competition with Kieran’s in 1988 and plenty more besides. Two great hurlers met to reminisce and fill in that generation gap, writes PM O’Sullivan.

Jackie Cahill looks at five ways in which Michael Ryan’s Tipperary are emulating Brian Cody’s Cats.

The 11-time All-Ireland winning manager returns for a 19th campaign at the helm in Kilkenny. A few question remain...

There but for the grace of God go I — the inevitable thought that crossed Conor Phelan’s mind when he learned of Anthony Foley’s sudden death last weekend.

The Wednesday or Thursday after the 2014 All-Ireland final replay an old stalwart from near Urlingford decided to go for a spin on the far side of the border. Eternal vigilance and all of that, dontcha know.

These three contests could decide the destination of the Liam MacCarthy Cup...

An All-Ireland hurling final... scratch that, a Kilkenny- Tipperary All-Ireland final not selling out?

Experience is everything. When Michael Fennelly pulled up in the All-Ireland semi-final replay with Waterford, it looked a serious injury, and so it proved: the Kilkenny midfielder was out for the rest of the season with an achilles tendon problem. Scratch one big name for this weekend.

Stomachs are lined, wallets are bulging, and it’s going to rain for the week. It can only mean one thing — the Galway Races have arrived.

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

It’s a good time to be a sports fan in Ireland. It seems every week we have another sporting occasion to turn our attention to, from the Euros to international rugby — both senior and U20 — to the GAA championships that have picked up speed in the last few weeks with some shocks big enough to silence the debate on structures for the time being.

It’s not often you hear a hurler admit he’s not exactly suited to a position. Don’t get Shane O’Donnell wrong, he absolutely loves being the only inside forward, but he wouldn’t say his is the ideal body size for the role.

“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs

For Kilkenny newcomer Joe Lyng, his AC joint injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. The NHL throws in this weekend and the Rower-Inistioge clubman will be looking on from the sidelines.