The minor grade has changed a fair bit — and for the better — since a young Diarmuid Mullins won back-to-back All-Ireland football medals with Laois in the mid-90s.

Tommy Walsh has likened the new championship format to Game of Thrones. Brendan Cummins described it “rats-in-a-barrel” stuff. One episode in and already the worst is being feared. Taking Walsh’s analogy, Tipperary and Clare are, spoiler alert, Ned Starks in the making.

There was an air of unreality about the whole day. Maybe it was the lack of complaint. There’s nothing normal or natural about it, hearing thousands of people amble about admiring things, especially in Cork.

Before the 1995 National League final against Kilkenny, my back was in bits. I wanted to play. I convinced management I was fit to play. I thought we would win. I wanted to lift the cup. 

I would like to take issue with some of the points Tony Considine made in his article ( ‘Ruthless Kilkenny’s monopoly is hurting hurling’, September 8).

While I always enjoyed the hurling column of Tony Considine over the years I have to say that he went way over the top in his analysis of last Sundays hurling All-Ireland between Kilkenny and Galway (Irish Examiner September 8)

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

Steve Neville believes it is time for a change to the GAA Championship structure.

A Spanish visitor using the toilets at a fast-food outlet in Cork City had the cubicle door kicked in; A 15-year-old Killarney student has no place to live and yesterday went in to her Junior Cert geography exam knowing her family had no money for food; Nineteen people injured as a pick-up truck smashed into a cafe in Australia. Just some of the latest and most read stories on irishexaminer.com.

The day of a big championship game, a fair few of the Clare lads used to think I was on another planet, that I didn’t know what nerves were, that I was so relaxed I was nearly horizontal.

Anthony Daly wrote in these pages yesterday about how the emblems on their chests can be all that separates Clare and Limerick, but there are an increasing number of occasions when even their jerseys are spun from the same wool.

It’ll be the wrecking ball for Cork soon enough as the bulldozers move into Páirc Uí Chaoimh. But it was county secretary Frank Murphy who was constructive, namely hitting the nail on the head when he spoke against plans to end the St Patrick’s Day All-Ireland Club senior finals.

Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny) v Kilmallock (Limerick)

Tony Considine looks at the questions that needanswering in the Allianz Hurling League.

Kilmallock boss Ger O’Loughlin said the Munster Club had been his aim with the Limerick side all year.

Jody O’Connor was the first speaker on stage at last January’s GAA Games Development Conference.

Tony Considine, holds his hands up. He predicted a Cork victory and a classic. On both counts he was way off the mark.

The late American journalist Heywood Broun once said that sport doesn’t build character - it reveals it.

The only bit of entertainment I got out of the two games this weekend was meeting the renowned Effin’ Eddie from YouTube fame in the middle of the field at Semple Stadium, writes Tony Considine.

Offaly’s Niall McNamee has spoken of his embarrassment at seeing Tyrone’s state-of-the-art centre of excellence in Garvaghey and claimed more could be done by his own county board to facilitate their county teams.

Galway SHC: Galway hurlers have suffered a huge blow with experienced attacker Niall Healy set to miss all of the Leinster championship campaign with a serious knee injury.

Tony Considine gives his view on the players to watch out for in the Hurling Championship campaign.

What is going on in Liam O’Neill’s head?

AIB MUNSTER CLUB SFC FINAL:

Having won this year’s All-Ireland senior and U21 hurling double, and with Sixmilebridge in Sunday’s Munster Club final, Clare hurling is on the crest of a wave.

I was in Cork last Sunday at their county final, Midleton beating holders Sarsfields; I was in Ennis then yesterday as Sixmilebridge took the title from Newmarket-on-Fergus in the Clare final. In both games the teams did their absolute best, but I have to say I’m really annoyed.

John Brudair is set to become the new manager of the Limerick senior footballers after receiving the backing of club delegates at last night's Limerick Football Committee meeting in Adare.

It hasn’t been a notable year for Kerry sports, but the county claimed a big winner at Listowel Races yesterday.

League finalists Kilkenny and Tipperary were the favourites to contest this year’s All-Ireland final, even if the statistics over the past 20 years were against league final opponents staying the pace to September.

Some of the Clare players who soldiered after the ‘97 All-Ireland final victory recall the ‘famine years’.

At 2pm local time on Monday last, 52 hours after entering the water and after four previous failed attempts over the previous 35 years, 64-year-old Diana Nyad emerged from the ocean in Florida Keys and thus became the first person to swim the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

Pádraig Chaplin is fine-tuning the wiring in Setrights tavern.

Jonathan Clancy is 27, established in his professional life as a fully qualified accountant working with Eamon Keane & Co in Ennis and a hurler of note since he joined the Clare senior panel since 2005.

Kilmallock 0-18 Knockainey 0-03

On the school bus, the bullies at the back once threw his shoes, shirt and jumper out the window outside his house.

Tony Considine - My sportsperson of 2012

De La Salle manager Derek McGrath was diplomatic about the first-half sending off which swung this game away from the Waterford champions.

Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-12 Kilmallock (Limerick) 0-15

Munster SHC: Kilmallock (Limerick) 0-15 Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-12

Every hurling county has its renowned clubs. Tullaroan, Mooncoin, Mount Sion, Toomevara, Thurles Sars, Cork’s big trio of Glen Rovers, Blackrock and St. Finbarr’s, all roll off the tongue.

Last week, in these pages, Irish Examiner columnist and Kilmallock senior hurling manager, Tony Considine, called for an open draw to be introduced to the AIB All-Ireland Club Championships.

Give club players a break, have an open draw and play off the entire All-Ireland Club championship before Christmas — so says Kilmallock manager Tony Considine as he prepares his side for their first round Munster championship game against Tipperary champions Thurles Sars or Drom-and-Inch on October 28.

A dog-fight was what Kilmallock manager Tony Considine expected, a dog-fight was what he got.