What do you reckon, James? I mean, talking to some of the managers in Leinster, they will say that one of the difficulties that they're probably not getting exposure to playing against the Munster teams often enough, and that's an issue in and of itself.

Yeah, I mean, [sighs] like there's certainly issues, Will.

I mean, like just, you know, I, I got a phone call from a, a Waterford hurling supporter, a genuine Waterford man, um, and he said to me in 2017, you know, they were in the All-Ireland final obviously against Galway, and there were Waterford jerseys and, and young fellas carrying hurlies there on the streets of Dungarvan all summer.

He said he didn't see a single Waterford jersey or a young fella carrying a hurley this summer because they were out of the championship once again in, in, in May.

So, you know, there's that thing that if you can't see it, you can't be it.

And, and he was saying, "Listen, May, June, July, and August are the prime conditions for hurling." Um, and, and Waterford boys and girls were getting no opportunity to see their heroes, to see Dezzy Hutchinson or Stephen Bennett or Callum Lyons, um, play.

Um, you know, so that's, that's certainly an issue for, you know, a, a relatively strong hurling county.

And so that's one of the things as well, John, from speaking to Willie Maher, he has about, like 15 different jobs going at the moment whereby-

Yeah.

You know, hindsight is 20-20.

I mean, listen, Galway had been exceptionally good all year at getting other teams to play the game on their terms.

And of the four semi-finalists, I mean, let's be honest about it.

I mean, I thought Galway were the team that appeared to the most energy.

And, you know, Jack O'Connor referenced it on Sunday.

We saw the energy that Mayo brought.

and

Yeah.

When, you know, Galvin wasn't at it, when, you know, maybe Cathal O'Neill wasn't firing on all cylinders.

Peter Casey wasn't really in the game.

Hegarty was still making those runs, telling Nicky, "Put it down on top of me." You know, Diarmuid Burns wanted the responsibility of those, those frees.

That's when you need your leaders to, to stand up, and that's what, that's what would worry me from a Cork perspective.

Where was the leadership? You know, Darragh Fitzgibbon obviously was, was sent off, harsh as it might have been, but we didn't see Mark Cullen, we didn't see Tiarna Mahony, maybe some of those experienced cl- Cork players getting on the ball.

And then instead it was Daithi Burke at the other end surviving on one leg, and Cathal Mannion, Padraig Mannion.

Seamus, uh, All-Ireland final, Limerick against Galway, what are you thinking?

Uh, Jamesy, for those of us who love the GAA, and there are many of us out there, this is just an embarrassment, isn't it?

Absolutely, and I suppose everybody in Clare, um, you know, probably feels that sense of embarrassment, Shane, that, you know, it was within our county and one of our referees.

And at a time in the game when, you know, the games can't proceed every weekend without the people like John giving up their time and volunteering.

Um, and it, it's, it's becoming ever harder to source and, and retain referees, and this certainly doesn't do that cause any good.

So look, but I think there's just everywhere in Clare, you know, is just, I think, disgusted at, at what happened to him.

Um, you can't condone it on, on, on any, in any way, shape, or form.

And, um, I, I'd have pre- pretty good confidence in Kieran Keating, Joe Constant, who's chairman of, of, of Board and O'Pel.

I mean, obviously, this is a particularly serious incident, but do we have a problem when it comes to respect for the referee?

Like, do you think now, and I know you're at your semi-final, but like, could there be anything tactically done for that semi-final? Could they maybe flood back a few players, go with a sweeper system or whatever? Like, based on what you're coming up against now, like...

Yeah, well, you know, even going back to the 24 final, I mean, you know, Cork obviously had got off to a blistering start and robbed Downey's goal and, you know, the head is in real trouble.

And, you know, Tony Kelly, I think, just sat a little bit deeper, just occupied space, you know, and that maybe just allowed us maybe just to staunch the flow and off Cork's course at the time.

And then we were able to play ourselves back into it.

But Limerick... post so many questions for you because, you know, you do one particular thing and they seem to have the answers for it.

And, you know, I mean, look, we know what way Limerick will play.

I mean, there'll be, you know, there'll be a two-man full forward line.

final.

And I just wonder, when you talk about movement, like, were you thinking that way? Is there something that maybe Eamonn O'Shea said that actually would even make the present player think, ooh, right, that kind of stuff did happen then?

Well, I'll just give you one example.

I mean, the 93 Munster final was my first Munster final.

And, you know, we were playing Tipperary.

We had, we shot Limerick in the first round.

They were league champions and everything.

you know, listen, a really good team and probably took us for granted.

So is it not the same? Or do you think there's an extra layer with Hurling?

What did you have the night before the match?

Can't remember, Joe.

Yeah, if you look at, listen, we, like my first one was 93 and John would probably echo this as well.

I mean, you're kind of, I mean, I was, what, I was 20.

Kind of having to pinch myself, Joe, that number one, I was playing for Clare and number two, I was in the same pitch as Pat Fox and John Lahey and these guys that you were, you'd watched on television for the previous four or five years, you know, and you're, you're, you just, you can't believe you're actually there, you know? And I remember, like, we beat Limerick, we shocked Limerick in the park in Ennis.

We're actually, Limerick were league champions and they probably underestimated us and the parade in Ennis that day, they, We broke from the parade and Mike Rayle was just making his way, minding his own business.

And Dalo absolutely buried him with a shoulder, kind of, I suppose, lay down a marker.

What do you think, James? Are Limerick raging hot favourites in your eyes?