The Leinster and Munster Councils are in line for a major financial windfall over the summer, arising from the new formats for their senior hurling championships, which begin next month.
Having no home games in the Munster Championship will only be a disadvantage to Waterford hurlers if they allow it, according to former Déise star Fergal Hartley.
Dublin hurler Conal Keaney insists they are on the right road despite an indifferent league that saw them beat Laois and Antrim in Division 1B.
Eoin Cadogan has booked three Mondays off to coincide with the Cork hurlers' involvement in a revamped Munster Hurling Championship in May and June.
Jason Forde's stellar performances in helping Tipperary to a league final make him the form hurler in the top two divisions after a special analysis carried out by the Irish Independent.
Peter Kelly has called time on his Dublin hurling career, proclaiming the decision as "the right choice for the longevity of my club career".
Once the decision had been made, the only surprise was why it took so long. Ten years ago, at GAA Congress in Sligo, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Kilkenny motion seeking to make the wearing of helmets with face guards compulsory for all players. The new measure extended an existing rule that applied to players up to 21, introduced in 2007. It would come into effect from January,...
Dublin hurler Peter Kelly has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling.
Galway hurling manager Micheál Donoghue has warned against the legacy of last year's All-Ireland win being jeopardised by complacency.
Ten days after last year's All-Ireland final, Galway's hurling management team met to begin the planning for that awkward second album.
It's put to Eoghan O'Donnell that Dublin hurling has a 'project' feel to it just now. That it will take a couple of years for Pat Gilroy to get things exactly where he wants them so they can make a major assault on honours.
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín takes his place on the other side of the table and it's instantly clear that time has been good to him.
JUST four members of Cuala’s double All-Ireland winners could be linking up with the Dublin hurlers this summer.
Brian Cody has received a huge boost ahead of the upcoming Leinster SHC with Paul Murphy and Colin Fennelly returning from their tour of duty in Lebanon and set to rejoin the Kilkenny fold early next week.
If confirmation were needed that this year's All-Ireland hurling championships have more genuine contenders than for a very long time, it was delivered most emphatically in the Allianz League.
Lee Chin was browsing through Facebook last week when he came across a video promotion of the weekend's Allianz Hurling League final between Kilkenny and Tipperary.
Galway star Padraic Mannion insists Lukasz Kirszenstein and Johnny Glynn will be part of the county's set-up as they look to retain the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2018.
There were times during this year's league campaign when TJ Reid almost picked Kilkenny up on his back and refused to accept defeat.
I was the last to leave Nowlan Park on Sunday evening, the last, that is, except Mick O'Neill, who has the keys to the place.
Lee Chin pauses to think about when he last held down what could be considered permanent employment.
During his trophy-laden 19 years in charge of the Kilkenny hurlers, Brian Cody has been involved with some of the most talented players to ever strike a sliotar but has never tolerated egos.
John Mullane has taken a look back on the Hurling National League season and believes that Kilkenny’s triumph under manager Brian Cody was the highlight of the campaign.
A wry smile runs across Eoin Larkin's face when he's asked about his infamous tweet of a little over a year ago.
Cody's most significant success?
Goalkeeper: Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny). Spectacular saves are now his hallmark - against Cork, Waterford and especially from John O'Dwyer on Sunday to usher Kilkenny to an 18th league title. On top of his booming long-range frees and puck-out variety, Murphy is the game's outstanding goalkeeper.
As this hurling league final moved into injury-time, a trio of incidents displayed the game in a microcosm. First, as Tipperary sought a goal, Kilkenny attacker Martin Keoghan, deep in his own defence, flung himself at a pass and diverted it away from the danger zone.
With League action behind us for another year, attention has turned to the All-Ireland Hurling Championship and Waterford legend John Mullane has weighed in by ranking his top five teams heading into the summer.
Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan feels Michael Ryan will have a lot to think about after his side's meek second half display in yesterday's National League final defeat to Kilkenny.
Playing to your strengths and minimising your weaknesses is at the heart of every sporting success but the lines have become blurred in Tipperary.
On this week's episode of The Throw-In, Will Slattery is joined by Irish Independent GAA correspondent Michael Verney and Waterford legend John Mullane to discuss Kilkenny's win over Tipperary in the National Hurling League final.
If that's how Kilkenny perform while in transition, what will they be like when the work-in-progress reaches the next level?
They gathered beneath the presentation platform on Nowlan Park's Walsh Stand, numbers swelling quickly to a point where it was comfortably in the small thousands.
Kilkenny's version of a hurling famine is over with Brian Cody's new look side securing their first silverware after overpowering Tipperary in the second half of this afternoon's league final at Nowlan Park.
KILKENNY were made to sweat in the closing stages by a never-say-die Cork but they just held out to claim their third Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 title in a row at a packed Nowlan Park.
'Since this is a placed ball, and the player is free to make the best possible use of it, he should approach it with complete confidence, abandoning all fears of mis-hitting.' - Christy Ring on taking a sideline cut
Trivia question: of the 30 Tipperary and Kilkenny players who paraded before the 2016 All-Ireland hurling final, just 19 months ago, how many started in the league semi-finals last weekend? Fewer than you might think. 20? 15? Guess again. Less than half - a mere 13 of the same personnel lined out from the throw-in - 43 per cent to be precise.
Silvermines is not a traditional hunting ground for Tipperary senior hurlers. Noel Sheehy had 11 years with the county between 1986 and 1997, winning two All-Irelands, but the next player to make any kind of sustained impression is the one being talked of most in...
I remember back in 2013, wondering what it would feel like for Tipperary if they managed to win a National League title against Kilkenny, in the old enemy's backyard.
Given that Brian Cody has overseen so many All-Ireland successes, it might seems strange to suggest that if Kilkenny win the League title tomorrow, it will be right up there among his finest achievements. Actually, it will.
Michael Ryan makes just one change to his Tipperary side for tomorrow's eagerly-anticipated Allianz HL final with Kilkenny in Nowlan Park (3.0) keeping faith with the new faces which have thrived throughout the campaign.
It still ranks as one of the biggest upsets in underage hurling history, the evening Westmeath beat Kilkenny in the Leinster U-21 championship.
It seems a long time ago now since Clare led Kilkenny by 11 points after 20 minutes in Nowlan Park, having blitzed the home side as if they were juniors wearing senior jerseys.
There is little motivation needed for Sunday's Allianz HL Division 1 final in Nowlan Park given the storied Tipperary-Kilkenny rivalry, but if any extra incentive was required then both sides have it with the winning team also set to jet off to Australia later this year.
It is one of the game's great rivalries but also one that - and this won't be lost on Tipperary as they ramp up preparations for Sunday's Allianz HL final clash with Kilkenny - has leaned significantly in favour of the Cats.
They had a lunch appointment later in the day but Danny Sutcliffe wasn't expecting an immediate answer from Mark Schutte as to whether he would become a Dublin hurler again after spending a year away with the footballers in 2017.
For Brendan Maher, life is all about finding a balance that works. While many in the GAA world bemoan the commitment and dedication which an inter-county career demands, the 2016 All-Ireland SHC-winning captain has learned the benefits of "switching off" and relaxing when outside the white lines of battle.
TJ Reid missed the first 43 minutes of Kilkenny's opening Allianz League clash with Cork in January and all of the next game against Clare. They lost both by three points.
Relegation from the league's top tier looked a distinct possibility when Kilkenny's hurlers lost their opening two fixtures but Cillian Buckley insists calm remained around the banks of the Nore despite claims of their demise.
Limerick have confirmed their championship panel ahead of the start of their Munster SHC campaign next month.
If confirmation were needed that this year's All-Ireland hurling...
Lee Chin was browsing through Facebook last week when he came...
Cody's most significant success?
As this hurling...
