Eimear Ryan: Are referees playing the ball and not the man?

Every ref seemed very attentive to fouls on the ball, but when it came to fouls on the man, they let the game flow.

17 April 2022; Darragh Lyons of Waterford handpasses the ball as referee Johnny Murphy looks on during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 1 match between Waterford and Tipperary at Walsh Park in Waterford. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

This compressed championship is wreaking havoc with the weekly columnist. Where previously we might have had one or two marquee fixtures of a weekend, allowing us to chew the fat and speculate and really savour each round, we now have more action than we know what to do with. There was a time you could rely on the championship to provide you with a slow drip of material for at least five months; now it’s either a feast or a famine. Therefore, forgive me if I seem distracted this week. Instead of one coherent narrative, I present three mini-columns. Columnettes, if you will. I would say that normal service will resume next week, but in this hurling economy, there’s no guarantee.

1. Tipp count their blessings