Ulster secretary Brian McAvoy’s innovative suggestion last month didn’t receive a fraction of the attention it deserved, writes John Fogarty.

Referees are losing touch with modern hurling, warns former Limerick player and manager TJ Ryan.

O’Sullivan could face up to a 12-week ban, which would prevent him from being available for Cork’s Munster SHC opener against Limerick at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on May 10.

A scoreline that wouldn’t be out of place when these two face off at this Páirc Uí Chaoimh venue in less than 11 weeks’ time but that’s where the parallels end.

I’M not exactly revealing any home truths when I say that hurling people, especially myself, can be snobby, particularly when it comes to football. We don’t believe that we have a discipline problem in our game, unlike our cousins with the big ball.

Our writers chat through the main talking points from the weekend’s Allianz League action.

Phoney War or Cold War? A bit of both, really.

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

Cold shoulders will be the order of the day in Chadwicks Wexford Park next Sunday as former friends Davy Fitzgerald and Brian Lohan face off for the first time since the latter took over Clare.

I can’t tell you how much of a buzz it would have been for David Gough to have taken charge of Saturday’s game in Castlebar.

Kelly said Tipperary's refusal to resort to hitting long balls and chasing goals, as Kilkenny did in their Leinster final loss to Wexford, was the key as they confronted disappointing refereeing decisions, being reduced to 14 men, and Wexford's best efforts.

The GAA’s newly-appointed national match officials manager is open to the idea of more technology being used to assist referees, but has questioned just how far it can go.

Championship conversations with Michael Moynihan.

A baptism of fire is de rigueur in becoming the GAA’s national match officials manager. Nine years ago, Pat Doherty stepped into the role the day after Martin Sludden awarded Joe Sheridan that goal in the Leinster final.

The winners had three goals disallowed but finished strongly to secure a final berth against Kilkenny - the county that Cleere hails from.

While we had two dramatic All-Ireland semi-finals that went down to the wire, unfortunately, the standard of refereeing will come under scrutiny.

When the GAA redrew and reshaped the fixtures calendar last year, I was raging with the plan because I felt it would strangle hurling’s profile. The early part of the season was a boom but it still felt like an early season tournament to clear the runway for a football take-off.

Twenty minutes to go, five points and a man down after John McGrath’s silly sending off and you could almost hear the sounds of the knives being sharpened for Tipperary and this generation of players.

There’s no value in told-you-so’s and there’s no satisfaction in them either but what happened yesterday was in the offing.

Liam Sheedy believes his Tipperary side silenced their many critics by squeezing past Wexford in Sunday afternoon's epic All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park.

A powerful final 25 minutes by 14-men Tipperary sent them into next month’s All-Ireland final against Kilkenny.

It’s not often golf takes precedence over Gaelic games for me but this was an exception — and oh what an exception.

It now seems with every week that the GAA are being given more reason to cut down on the numbers populating the sidelines.

Head high tackles are what the GAA have been keen to crack down on this summer but the application of the rule regarding them over the weekend left a lot to be desired.

Former Cork player and selector Diarmuid O’Sullivan says he wouldn’t last 10 minutes in today’s game with the prevailing approach of referees.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan believes the work-rate of the Cork attack has to improve significantly if they are to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat to Tipperary.

Our writers discuss the major issues from the opening weekend of the hurling championship.

No prizes for guessing where most of this column’s focus is on after this weekend. Nowlan Park was the stage for one of the most unusual moments I’ve seen in a game and it’s no surprise it has most of the country talking.

Cork captain Seamus Harnedy will come face to face with the referee who has sent him off twice in the last 15 months in Sunday week’s Munster SHC Round 1 game against Tipperary.

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

Waterford manager Páraic Fanning has said the fixtures pile-up caused by yesterday’s Division 1A and 1B postponements strengthens his belief that Croke Park bosses have to change the GAA calendar.

Limerick 2-26 Waterford 1-16

I came in for a bit of criticism during the week about Offaly football matters, which I’ll come back to shortly, but I’m never going to shy away from calling it like I see it. At referees seminars, I would have been known for speaking my mind, whether I was right or wrong, and it’s an attitude I’ll be sticking to here, writes Brian Gavin.

Galway football captain Damien Comer has credited Paddy Tally with bringing greater directness to the county’s attacking play.

Cork manager, John Meyler, is facing up to the prospect of being without Conor Lehane, as well as Seamus Harnedy, for Sunday’s crunch clash against Tipperary, in Semple Stadium.

Cork must beat Tipperary in Thurles next Sunday to have a chance of avoiding a relegation play-off after this third consecutive defeat.

Offaly’s devastating performance against Dublin at Croke Park in the first round of the Allianz Hurling League was a distant memory yesterday as they were swatted aside by Limerick at Bórd na Móna O’Connor Park.

Somewhat ironic isn’t it that the county’s most impressive minor final victory of recent times will pass largely under the radar because of what transpired in the main event.

Westmeath 2-22 Offaly 1-11: Offaly manager Eamonn Kelly shouldered the blame for “one of the low points” of his time in hurling as Westmeath romped to a deserved 14-point Leinster championship win over his side at Cusack Park in Mullingar.

Ireland had to dig deep, as late scores from Kerry’s Shane Nolan and Eoin Price of Westmeath helped them to a two-point win over Scotland in Saturday’s Shinty-Hurling International at Croke Park (2-10 to 2-8).

Derry 3-11 Westmeath 0-08

Clara 1-15 Carrickshock 2-10

Offaly 1-12 Carlow 1-10

Kilkenny last night refused to comment on the appointment of Westmeath’s James McGrath for Sunday week’s All-Ireland SHC final against Galway.