Refereeing controversies and other talking points after the weekend's hurling semi-finals
The officiating
While we had two dramatic All-Ireland semi-finals that went down to the wire, unfortunately, the standard of refereeing will come under scrutiny.
On Saturday, Alan Kelly got the biggest call wrong in failing to give what TV replays show was a clear '65 to Limerick.
While he was let down by his linesman and umpires, Kelly - and Limerick - will be disappointed with the decision.
Were Limerick denied a late equalising chance? Cillian Buckley got a touch to Darragh O'Donovan's last minute sideline cut pic.twitter.com/Ce2WAQxAoj
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 27, 2019
On Sunday, there was plenty of controversy after Sean Cleere's performance in the clash of Tipp v Wexford.
Like on Saturday, the wider team of officials didn't provide much help as the delay in awarding a point for Lee Chin's long-range free was hardly the Kilkenny whistler's fault.
The ref's home county
Sticking with the men in the middle, Ursula Jacob on the Sunday Game's live broadcast questioned having a Kilkenny man reffing a game with the Cats waiting in the final.
While it was perhaps an unfair talking point - there was never any reason to doubt Cleere's capability going into the game - the man in the middle was put in a position where he was under more pressure than usual.
Writing in his column this morning, former All-Ireland final referee Brian Gavin said:
Seán didn’t look comfortable or confident enough to be the man in the middle and Kilkenny beating Limerick did him no favours, really.
"You certainly couldn’t question Seán’s integrity but he shouldn’t have been put in this position in the first place," Gavin added.
Hurling is in a good place
Now that we only have one more match to look forward to, hurling fans will be happy when they reflect on the last few seasons.
The round robin structure in the Munster and Leinster Championships have been a success. While the Super 8s in football have been met with a mixed reaction, the new hurling structure has been a positive for the sport.
With the final meeting of Tipperary and Kilkenny, five teams will have played on hurling's biggest day in the last three seasons.
Add to the mix a Cork team who are threatening a breakthrough, Wexford who were so close yesterday and a Clare side full of potential and the hurling championship is as open as it has been in a long time.
The more things change...
That said we have two of the traditional 'big three' in the All-Ireland final once again.
Talks of '96 will be parked for another year as Limerick and Wexford have to wait another year as Kilkenny and Tipperary will renew their rivalry on August 18.
While the Kilkenny team has seen a lot of change over the last few seasons, the one constant - Brian Cody - will be looking to mastermind another All-Ireland success next month.
Is winning the provincial championship worth it?
Defeats for Limerick and Wexford over the weekend will once again raise the questions about the value of winning the provincial championship.
There is a lot of talk about the gap between the provincial finals, which were played on June 30, and the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Laois' win over Dublin will mean the preliminary quarter-final will almost certainly stay in place in 2020 and beyond so the four-week gap between a Munster or Leinster final and the winners' next outing will probably be a feature of future championships.
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