Cork were superb but were they much better than they showed against Clare? I wouldn’t say so. They gave away a couple of soft goals from turnovers but they also conceded softish goals against Clare. They only scored four points more on Saturday than what they scored against Clare, but they conceded the exact same total in both matches. Their discipline was better but was that down more to the referee?

Seán Stack did a brilliant job, facilitating a great contest. I always thought he was a very good ref but I felt Seán went to another level on Saturday, which is what hurling needs. He let the game go but he was authoritative and decisive when he needed to be. It was a brave call to give the penalty at the end for Kyle Hayes’ challenge on Shane Kingston but it was the right call.

It was just a mad evening all round. I know Eoin Downey was on a yellow card and Pat Ryan said afterwards that they didn’t want to risk another red card in the full-back line but I felt it was a harsh call at the time. It nearly cost Cork for a finish because Seamie Flanagan had hardly pucked a ball off Downey and then he ended with 3-02.

Cork just kept at it, never giving up, but it was also a breakthrough evening for Shane Barrett, Brian Hayes and Ethan Twomey. Those three came of age. The big question now though, is can Cork build on that performance? How will Hayes do next Sunday when he’s faced with Cathal Barrett?

In fairness to Pat, I was delighted with his interview afterwards. He was thrilled with the performance but Pat was still fully focussed on Tipperary. Pat knows that one win won’t do. The way this Munster championship is going, two wins might still not even be enough for Cork.

Limerick were just typical Limerick, incessant and relentless, but cracks are appearing. Three or four of their key players looked very leggy. I’ve been saying it since the Clare game that teams have to try and attack Diarmaid Byrne’s wing which is what Cork clearly did.

You don’t go down Kyle Hayes’ side because he is so good but there is a much clearer pathway now on the other wing. I’ve been saying it since February that you’d nearly need to be a blind man not to see the amount of scores that are coming off that left flank.

Cork went to town down Byrnes’ side, especially in the first half. Diarmaid has been one of the modern game’s greatest defenders but he has been under pressure. I think that is down to raw hunger to drag that top-level performance out of yourself, day-in, day-out.

Gearóid Hegarty is really showing that desire. He was incredible in the second half because Hego clearly wants to be the man for Limerick this season. The question for Byrnes now and a handful of his team-mates is can he and they rediscover that edge that Hego is showing to cut teams apart, which he did against Cork and Clare (would you doubt them?). Declan Hannon also looked a shell of himself when coming off but Declan is another incredible player that just needs to somehow find the mental energy to work through this, to rediscover that raw savagery.

I always felt that this was going to be Limerick’s biggest challenge this summer. Every day they play, Limerick are going to face those monumental questions, where teams are just emptying themselves to try and beat them. Tipp didn’t but I think once Aaron Gillane’s goal went in that afternoon, Tipp just switched their focus to Waterford in Walsh Park six days later. But that isn’t going to happen again this summer because every game from now on is effectively a knockout match.

DROP CAP 

It’s the same in Leinster, where it is also impossible to predict who is going to end up in top three or the provincial final. If Cork and Limerick hadn’t played out such a classic, this weekend would have been all about Carlow, who drew with Kilkenny.

I was thrilled for Carlow, who have really shown throughout this championship how much they have improved from last year’s Joe McDonagh Cup, with Saturday evening providing the clearest proof yet. Kilkenny were exposed given the amount of players they were missing or lost, before or during the game, while the sending off of Killian Doyle in the first half gave Carlow that extra bit of belief that this was a glorious opportunity.

It’s hard to believe the level Carlow are operating at with their resources; 15 of their panel of 26 on Saturday were from two clubs; St Mullins and Mount Leinster Rangers.

Carlow were brilliant but Kilkenny were so un-typical Kilkenny in their casualness; they only had a 51% conversion rate, with just 48% from play. They hit 17 wides but most of those weren’t mad shots, they were from central enough positions.

Carlow did get a break at the end with the late free but fair play to referee Chris Mooney for making the decision as it was unsporting behaviour for Tom Phelan to throw the ball out over the line. In fairness to Marty Kavanagh, he had the guts to slot the free and secure the point for Carlow.

Dublin were impressive winners against Antrim in Parnell Park. The Dubs are purring nicely; Donal Burke got 1-11, Conor Burke got four points from play, Eoghan O’Donnell was restored to his best position at full-back and was outstanding. It was a collapse from Antrim but the Dubs are getting better with each game.

They’re facing a wounded Kilkenny now next weekend but they have already done a lot of the heavy lifting in this group, even with Galway to play in their last game. Dublin will be looking to pick up points in those games but, even if they don’t, the huge margin of Saturday evening’s win could yet be massive if it comes down to scoring difference between themselves and Wexford.

It was another brilliant weekend in a hurling championship that keeps on giving, but it was also overshadowed by the controversy with GAAGO. Saturday night’s epic fired a tanker-full of petrol on an open fire that has now turned into an inferno of anger and criticism.

There are a hundred strands to this debate but, for me, there is only one basic question that needs to be addressed – are the GAA promoting their best product? That’s a clear no.

We can get into all different kinds of arguments and debates on this topic. Some will say that hurling doesn’t need to showcase what it has because the game is so magical that it will last forever. But will it? Can we be that flippant about that assumption unless real care is given to the game’s promotion? Because we don’t know what way people will consume their sport in the future. I don’t want us to be looking back in 10-15 years and say that enough wasn’t done for the game now.

I don’t expect the GAA to show every game but there has to be smarter planning here. It doesn’t make any sense that one county – Cork – has their first three games behind a paywall, along with their biggest football game. To me, that’s just not fair on that county’s supporters, especially those that are in internet blackspots.

Why can’t there be more flexibility? Why do these matches have to be selected so early in the season? Do we have to show all the provincial football finals? Outside of Dublin supporters, and even for many of that Dublin support base, how many people actually tuned in to watch the Leinster final yesterday?

Let’s sit down and trash this out better. Because who doesn’t want to see more of that magic that enthralled and entertained every single person who saw it on Saturday night?