A bit of divil could bring back the excitement

BEFORE we get into any details, I want to address something here in general terms, namely the lack of buzz around the championship this year.

I’m training a team in Tipperary, Burgess, and there’s very little talk down there this week about the upcoming Tipperary/Clare Munster semi-final — the same situation applies in Clare. What’s happened? Is the appetite gone? Is the hurling not good enough anymore? Tipperary and Clare was a match-up that in recent years used to really fire the imagination of hurling supporters in Munster — what has changed?

I’m told the same applies in almost every other county, no great buzz this year. Is it the economy? Is it the standard of hurling this year? And we only have to go back six days to know what I’m talking about there, the drawn game between Limerick and Waterford. I wonder what the ticket sales will be in Limerick tomorrow, in Thurles this afternoon?