Across hurling and football, there are some quality games taking place this weekend.
From the Munster hurling Championship to the Ulster football, there are titanic clashes taking place in GAA grounds all over the country on Saturday and Sunday.
While the increase in the number of hurling games taking place this year due to the new Round-Robin structure is surely a positive in terms of entertainment value, as is often the case with a good thing, something has had to give as a result.
It’s meant that some games won’t make it to terrestrial television due to clashes, as well as the sobering fact that RTÉ and the GAA decided against renegotiating their broadcast deal, even after these championship restructures were put in place.
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Last weekend, RTÉ showed a belter of a hurling game between Kilkenny and Dublin in Leinster, and a drab Connacht football clash between Mayo and Galway. We missed some exciting games, such as Laois-Wexford and Offaly-Wicklow, and The Sunday Game highlights show didn’t really bring these experiences to life.
This Sunday, RTÉ will show two live games, both from the Munster Senior Hurling Championship. Meanwhile, you can watch Fermanagh-Armagh live via the BBC i player. It means there will be no option to watch two massive games – the Leinster SHC clash of Wexford and Dublin and the Ulster meeting of Tyrone – Monaghan.
So it could indeed be argued that we’ll be missing more important games that we’ll be watching.
While there is no doubting the competitiveness of the Munster championship round-robin games, there is more at stake in Wexford-Dublin – now a do-or-die clash for Dublin, and equally as important for Wexford. A team can lose in Munster and they won’t be dead and buried.
Meanwhile, Tyrone and Monaghan in Ulster is knockout, and the losers could face a qualifier clash with Mayo.
Games live on RTÉ this weekend
- Limerick V Tipperary, Munster SHC, Gaelic Grounds, Sunday at 2.00.
- Cork V Clare, Munster SHC, Páirc Uí Chaoímh, Sunday at 4.00.
Games live on BBC this weekend
- Fermanagh v Armagh, Brewster Park, Saturday at 7pm – can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer.
Deferred coverage
- Tyrone v Monaghan, Healy Park, 4pm, GAA Go (You’ll have to pay a tenner)
This means that we will have no option to view the following games live.
Leinster SHC
Kilkenny v Offaly, Nowlan Park, 3pm, Sunday.
Wexford v Dublin, Innovate Wexford Park, 3pm, Sunday.
Munster SFC quarter-finals
Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm, Saturday.
Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 7pm, Saturday.
The pressure will be on The Sunday Game.
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