Weekend That Was

Our weekly analysis of the weekend that was in the GAA Championships, published every Monday

Wicklow gave full media access and nearly shocked Kildare - more teams should follow suit

Allowing The Irish Times access to preparations last week did not do McConville’s side any harm and engagement shows huge hunger by GAA public for insight

It’s up to Meath to breathe some life back into a dead derby

A famed rivalry once existed between Dublin and Meath but former Royal legend Colm O’Rourke’s new-look side are again rank outsiders at Croke Park next weekend

It is hard to see how a gruelling Ulster campaign fits into Derry’s grand plan

Mickey Harte needs to protect his precious resources for the business end of the season

Anticlimactic final weekend comes at a bad time for football league

Tightness of scheduling and its associated distraction, the imminence of championship, have caused complaints

Cork’s Alan Connolly is a rare and precious creature in the modern game - a goal scorer

After his three goals against Wexford on Saturday Connolly has now scored a staggering 15 goals in 21 league and championship appearances

Limerick’s imposing form doesn’t mean there’s nothing for rivals in the league

The Weekend That Was: Limerick may determine the hurling league’s championship relevance but other counties have witnessed progress

Teams get to decide how important games are - but home comforts still apply

Mayo are the only top flight team with a 100% winning record at home, while Donegal and Armagh have similar records in Division Two

Black cards have improved Gaelic football, but we should not forget their original purpose

The weekend that was: Recent black cards punished honest mistakes instead of truly cynical acts, a deviation from the point of the card

Signs of hopeful green shoots manifest in Offaly hurling

Cork continue to find it difficult to master their traditional old hurling rivals Kilkenny

Monaghan’s new wave underlines Dublin’s need for a refresh

The GAA weekend that was: It’s slightly surprising that Dessie Farrell hasn’t tried to introduce more young blood to the Dublin team

Clare’s early excess of caution was rooted in the trauma of last year’s Kilkenny hammering

The Weekend that Was: The GAA’s peculiar relationship with time means last year survives like plastic

Mayo people will put up with a lot but they won’t accept meek surrender

The Weekend That Was: Kevin McStay was probably correct that it hadn’t been a bad season, but the assertion was a little tin-eared given the ritual slaughter that had just taken place

How All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals influence the battle of the provinces

The ‘relativities’ of Munster and Leinster have evolved with changing championship formats

Gaelic football has been made duller not better by needless inside mark

Absurd rule only slows down the game, sucks energy out of the contest and makes it more pedestrian and structured

Clare can find solace in defeat, as the numbers don’t add up for Limerick

The All-Ireland champions eked out another win and will enjoy the four weeks off - but they may not fancy meeting the Banner again

‘You do what you have to do to win’: Gaelic games and the necessary art of cynicism

When it comes to cynical play, every team and every player makes a judgement about what is an affordable price to pay. Sometimes it pays off, writes Denis Walsh

Home discomforts start to emerge in both hurling and football championships

Jubilant home supporters were to the fore on Sunday but emerging evidence contradicts received wisdom on venue advantage

Standing on the precipice, a leap of faith awaits Wexford hurling

Despite defeat to Westmeath, Wexford can still salvage their season. Against Kilkenny, the most siginicant test of their character awaits

Try telling anyone that was at the Ulster final that the provincial championships are an outdated relic

All involved still want to win Ulster - but for how much longer can that continue?

GAAGO: Hurling suffers when RTÉ and GAA put the best matches behind a paywall

It is RTÉ's duty to deliver the most attractive, most popular, most newsworthy sports events to its viewers as often as it can

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