Our writers look ahead to the major talking points ahead of the weekend's Allianz League action.

GAA director general Tom Ryan has warned the increasing level of spending on the preparation of inter-county teams is unsustainable as the 2019 total teetered on the €30m mark.

While Kerry found life difficult in the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League, captain Bryan Murphy believes that experience can stand to them as they commence their Allianz HL Division 2A campaign.

What is the grist for the mill among the 10 Liam MacCarthy Cup teams in 2020? From Tipperary looking to roll back the years to the 1960s to Cork hoping to avoid the county’s joint-longest stretch without the Liam MacCarthy Cup, there is plenty to go around, writes John Fogarty.

GPA chief executive Paul Flynn on the importance of maintaining amateurism in the GAA, the importance of the club player, and challenging the misconceptions surrounding the work of his association.

Tipperary selector Darragh Egan has said it will be even more difficult for the Premier County to emerge from the Munster round-robin in 2020 as Clare, Cork, and Waterford will each get “a bounce” from their new manager.

Michael Duignan has said he will continue working for RTÉ if elected chairman of Offaly County Board.

New Galway hurling manager Shane O’Neill will meet the players for the first time this evening and says everyone will be starting with a clean slate.

TG4 will broadcast county finals from the homes of the Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups this weekend.

At this stage, it’s well known that the GAA are intent on changing the scheduling of the Super 8 in 2020.

75.5% of delegates backed the Central Council motion

Two-time All-Ireland winning Clare selector Tony Considine believes the Banner County would be well served by mirroring Cork’s progressive approach and filling their various management teams with the men who twice delivered Liam MacCarthy glory in the mid-’90s.

Patrick Horgan has been shortlisted for 2019 PwC Hurler of the Year award, along with Tipperary and Kilkenny captains Séamus Callanan and TJ Reid.

The Premier captain constructed a display cabinet in 2006 - which was kept by his old teacher and presented to him at St. Joesph's College in Borrisoleigh yesterday.

His time in blue and gold may only be in its infancy, but Jake Morris is pretty certain there’ll never be a week to top the one just finished.

Four goals in the opening eight minutes powered Tipperary to All-Ireland U20 hurling glory, completing the perfect week for the Premier County.

Tipperary U20 captain Craig Morgan says teammate Jake Morris is a hurler who “has everything”.

Liam Cahill has revealed he spoke to the Tipperary County Board about the vacant senior post following last year’s All-Ireland U21 win but withdrew from the race once Liam Sheedy entered the equation.

Not for the first and hopefully not for the last time, Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett once again flew in the face of the mainstream.

Tens of thousands of Tipperary supporters turned out at Semple Stadium tonight, to welcome home the Tipperary Senior Hurling team who won the All-Ireland Championship yesterday, after defeating Kilkenny in the decider at Croke Park.

More than 900,000 people watched the closing stages Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final between Tipperary and Kilkenny on RTÉ.

A minute into stoppage time at Croke Park, the three in a row long since secured, Galway found themselves pinned down deep in their defence.

Comparisons of teams and players across generations need to be conditional, mindful of changes in a sport and in the science of sport.

Limerick manager John Kiely said he knew straight away that Darragh O’Donovan’s late sideline had taken a deflection off Cillian Buckley’s hurl, but did not criticise the match officials for failing to award a ‘65.

'So many houses in Ireland hadn’t water or sewerage and you were watching man do something you could hardly imagine'

Diarmuid O'Sullivan has defended Cork against accusations of flakiness but criticised John Meyler's side for lacking commitment, hunger, or a plan B.

Next year’s junior cycle well-being course will include a unit of learning titled ‘Is Everybody Going Well’.

Imagine what must have been going through the minds of folk in the hurling communities of North Kerry or the Glens of Antrim last Sunday as word filtered through that Laois had gone and blown the bloody doors off the championship with that explosive performance against Dublin.

GAA president John Horan insists that a Cork double-bill in Croke Park was not feasible this weekend.

Laois selector Niall Corcoran insists that Dublin’s conquerors will have no problem returning to terra firma after yesterday’s shock win as they look to regroup for next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Tipperary.

Limerick have been among the great underachievers of camogie in recent years and no-one has been more frustrated than the players themselves.

Whether you are a hurler, hurling fan, hurling coach, hurling administrator, whatever aspect of the hurling world you exist in, you tend to be in a minority.

There is no saving to be made by county boards from one of their flagship teams exiting the All-Ireland championship as early as mid-June, Galway treasurer Mike Burke has claimed.

Relegation to the Christy Ring Cup would be a “catastrophe” for either Kerry or Offaly according to Laois boss, Eddie Brennan.

Interim Offaly manager Joachim Kelly met with the county’s embattled hurlers for the first time yesterday evening.

THE KIERAN SHANNON INTERVIEW: An hour after Declan Hannon lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup last August, Éamonn Cregan phoned another Adare man whose leadership wasn’t so visible. ‘Congratulations. That’s what you started.’ Shane Fitzgibbon may have been a frustrated if well-heralded player, but that would inform him in becoming a brilliant, if unsung coach

When RTÉ began a GAA highlights programme 40 years ago, the title for it was as obvious as its choice of theme tune was inspired

Micheál Donoghue knows how Galway’s February draw with Carlow was framed in some quarters.

For any premier level county, let alone the Premier county, 11 months seems an inordinate length of time to go between Championship games.

It’s coming home, it’s coming home, hurling’s finally coming home. Or at least it’s giving Waterford a game where they can call home.

In his 21 seasons as Kilkenny manager, Brian Cody is not sure if there has ever been a more even and finely balanced hurling championship.

Tom Morrissey doesn’t blanch at the question.

Kerry hurling manager Fintan O’Connor has urged GAA chiefs to introduce live streaming of Joe McDonagh Cup games so as to improve the competition’s profile.

Although very much aware that time is not on his side, Richie McCarthy has not given up hope of playing some part — any part — in Limerick’s Liam MacCarthy defence.