Owing to the precedence taken by various other commitments, cinema trips have become something of a rarity in recent years.
Things fell into place on Easter Monday, though, and an afternoon showing of Project Hail Mary was enjoyed.
It was not what might be considered my archetypal film as, without giving away spoilers, I don’t really go in for those featuring extra-terrestrials.
For instance, I’ve never watched any of the Men in Black series, but of course I am aware of that device that they would flash in people’s faces, emitting a white light to wipe their memories.
I mention this because it feels like something that is regularly used on sports fans, with annual debates repeated despite all evidence that has gone before.
For instance, Manchester City began the 2024-25 Premier League season as champions and won their first four matches, prompting talk of a coronation, but they did not maintain their form and Liverpool won the league.
Having spent record sums on attacking players, the Reds then won their first five games in the current campaign and were similarly anointed as unbeatable. We felt on firmer ground giving a spoiler here than with the film: Liverpool will in fact cede their crown in May.
Closer to home, Tipperary were well beaten by Cork in the Allianz Hurling League final and then took just a point in their opening Munster SHC games against Limerick and the Rebels last year.
You scarcely need reminding that Tipp ended 2025 with the Liam MacCarthy Cup back in their possession: proof that the league does not need to be taken as gospel in terms of what follows and also that poor results in the opening rounds of the championship need not be fatal.
It would be nice to think that those events gave pause to everyone but of course not – counties are being written off before a ball is pucked for all manner of reasons.
We’ll distill it all down and tell you why each one will not be All-Ireland champions. Tipp never go back-to-back, Cork are scarred by last year, Limerick have too many miles on the clock, Clare were in Division 1B of the league and Waterford have struggled with the round-robin format.
Munster senior hurlers, from left, David Reidy of Clare, Cian Lynch of Limerick, Ronan Maher of Tipperary, Robert Downey of Cork and Mark Fitzgerald of Waterford in attendance for the Munster GAA Senior Hurling and Football Championship launch 2026 at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles. /David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Key men missing
In Leinster, Kilkenny are missing key men, Galway need another year, Dublin needed to beat Clare in the Division 1B final, Wexford haven’t the squad depth, Offaly need their youngsters to mature and Kildare will find it hard to avoid relegation.
Ten of those 11 aphorisms will be proven right; you could make the claim that it’s an OK hit-rate, but of course one will be very wrong.
Not since 1964 and 1965 have Tipp retained the trophy – the cruel jibe from their dear neighbours is that they win ‘one-in-a-rows’.
Overturning that record is obviously the aim for Liam Cahill’s side, but being one of the three teams that gets out of the Munster bearpit is the necessary first step in that regard.
To that end, Sunday’s opener at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles – a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final against Cork – is huge for both counties. For Tipp captain Ronan Maher, being the side wearing the crown brings new challenges but the key objectives remain the same.
“There are always new pressures,” he said at the launch of the Munster Championship.
“Everybody is looking at you as All-Ireland champions. You always have that speculation outside of the group, you just try and block it out and focus on ourselves.
“You cannot look too far ahead of the Munster Championship. You have to set out your motivational factors for the championship and see what you want to achieve and go after them as best you can; try our best to get out of Munster.
“It is really tough, we are lucky to be in Munster but also unlucky in some ways but it is an unbelievable championship, just the intensity of the whole thing.
“If you go out the first day, you might win a game or draw a game, you have to be ready to go again for seven days’ time.”
That’s the cerebral side of it but the genius of three teams progressing from five in Munster is that the knockout feel remains.
And when it’s the ‘old firm’ pairing of Cork and Tipp, the emotions are bound to heightened. “It’s huge excitement as a player,” Maher says.
“You’re asked what do we love about the Munster Championship and it’s the packed-out stadiums, being stuck in the middle of it, the chaos the Munster Championship brings to you,- as you have to be able to adapt on the field quickly to what is going on.
“It is just pandemonium when you are out on the field, you can’t hear a thing, it’s just where you want to be as a player.
“When you are going through the hard slog in the winter and doing all those sessions, you are picturing that and where you want to be, and put yourself in the best physical condition that you can possibly in that moment to pull through and we have put in a tough pre-season and we hope we’ll be in a good place going into the championship.
“Especially, here in Thurles, Tipp and Cork is going to be unbelievable and the crowds around it. As a player, and especially as a Tipp player, you want to be part of it.
“It is difficult when you’re leading up to it, you can be very excited but you also want to be in the best mind-frame going into a game. It’s tough and intense, week on week, but it’s only when you look back after you realise what it was.
“Everybody gets so excited about the Munster Championship, as players it’s the best position to be in,” the Tipp captain concludes.
Owing to the precedence taken by various other commitments, cinema trips have become something of a rarity in recent years.
Things fell into place on Easter Monday, though, and an afternoon showing of Project Hail Mary was enjoyed.
It was not what might be considered my archetypal film as, without giving away spoilers, I don’t really go in for those featuring extra-terrestrials.
For instance, I’ve never watched any of the Men in Black series, but of course I am aware of that device that they would flash in people’s faces, emitting a white light to wipe their memories.
I mention this because it feels like something that is regularly used on sports fans, with annual debates repeated despite all evidence that has gone before.
For instance, Manchester City began the 2024-25 Premier League season as champions and won their first four matches, prompting talk of a coronation, but they did not maintain their form and Liverpool won the league.
Having spent record sums on attacking players, the Reds then won their first five games in the current campaign and were similarly anointed as unbeatable. We felt on firmer ground giving a spoiler here than with the film: Liverpool will in fact cede their crown in May.
Closer to home, Tipperary were well beaten by Cork in the Allianz Hurling League final and then took just a point in their opening Munster SHC games against Limerick and the Rebels last year.
You scarcely need reminding that Tipp ended 2025 with the Liam MacCarthy Cup back in their possession: proof that the league does not need to be taken as gospel in terms of what follows and also that poor results in the opening rounds of the championship need not be fatal.
It would be nice to think that those events gave pause to everyone but of course not – counties are being written off before a ball is pucked for all manner of reasons.
We’ll distill it all down and tell you why each one will not be All-Ireland champions. Tipp never go back-to-back, Cork are scarred by last year, Limerick have too many miles on the clock, Clare were in Division 1B of the league and Waterford have struggled with the round-robin format.
Munster senior hurlers, from left, David Reidy of Clare, Cian Lynch of Limerick, Ronan Maher of Tipperary, Robert Downey of Cork and Mark Fitzgerald of Waterford in attendance for the Munster GAA Senior Hurling and Football Championship launch 2026 at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles. /David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Key men missing
In Leinster, Kilkenny are missing key men, Galway need another year, Dublin needed to beat Clare in the Division 1B final, Wexford haven’t the squad depth, Offaly need their youngsters to mature and Kildare will find it hard to avoid relegation.
Ten of those 11 aphorisms will be proven right; you could make the claim that it’s an OK hit-rate, but of course one will be very wrong.
Not since 1964 and 1965 have Tipp retained the trophy – the cruel jibe from their dear neighbours is that they win ‘one-in-a-rows’.
Overturning that record is obviously the aim for Liam Cahill’s side, but being one of the three teams that gets out of the Munster bearpit is the necessary first step in that regard.
To that end, Sunday’s opener at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles – a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final against Cork – is huge for both counties. For Tipp captain Ronan Maher, being the side wearing the crown brings new challenges but the key objectives remain the same.
“There are always new pressures,” he said at the launch of the Munster Championship.
“Everybody is looking at you as All-Ireland champions. You always have that speculation outside of the group, you just try and block it out and focus on ourselves.
“You cannot look too far ahead of the Munster Championship. You have to set out your motivational factors for the championship and see what you want to achieve and go after them as best you can; try our best to get out of Munster.
“It is really tough, we are lucky to be in Munster but also unlucky in some ways but it is an unbelievable championship, just the intensity of the whole thing.
“If you go out the first day, you might win a game or draw a game, you have to be ready to go again for seven days’ time.”
That’s the cerebral side of it but the genius of three teams progressing from five in Munster is that the knockout feel remains.
And when it’s the ‘old firm’ pairing of Cork and Tipp, the emotions are bound to heightened. “It’s huge excitement as a player,” Maher says.
“You’re asked what do we love about the Munster Championship and it’s the packed-out stadiums, being stuck in the middle of it, the chaos the Munster Championship brings to you,- as you have to be able to adapt on the field quickly to what is going on.
“It is just pandemonium when you are out on the field, you can’t hear a thing, it’s just where you want to be as a player.
“When you are going through the hard slog in the winter and doing all those sessions, you are picturing that and where you want to be, and put yourself in the best physical condition that you can possibly in that moment to pull through and we have put in a tough pre-season and we hope we’ll be in a good place going into the championship.
“Especially, here in Thurles, Tipp and Cork is going to be unbelievable and the crowds around it. As a player, and especially as a Tipp player, you want to be part of it.
“It is difficult when you’re leading up to it, you can be very excited but you also want to be in the best mind-frame going into a game. It’s tough and intense, week on week, but it’s only when you look back after you realise what it was.
“Everybody gets so excited about the Munster Championship, as players it’s the best position to be in,” the Tipp captain concludes.
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