Just like that, it starts all over again.
The return of the Allianz Hurling League marks the beginning of competitive action and for the next 25 weeks or so we will have a steady run of top-quality games.
For both players and supporters, the return of full crowds is a welcome relief after the last two Covid-19 impacted campaigns.
At times over the last two years, I felt I was something of a fraud and out of place when I was able to get to a few games, while families and loved ones had to watch on TV and listen to radio coverage.
No matter what players will tell you, it wasn't the same; you can’t beat championship hurling with 40,000 looking down on you and making plenty of noise.
The appetite to attend games is higher than ever. Limerick played Clare in the Co-op Superstores League final last month and the 5,000 allocated tickets were sold out in less than an hour, with eventually 8,000 people being left in.
Pre-Covid, you’d hardly get 500 people through the turnstiles for an early season fixture. It’s great to see and I for one can’t wait for the atmosphere and the year ahead.
I’m still trying to grapple with the new scheduling. I remember seven or eight years ago, you'd return in October and slog it out for three months before you would ever see sight nor sound of a game.
Management would be mixing and matching to find new players, and as a result, game time could be sparse. At the end of the league, depending on how far you went, you could have a six to eight-week break before the first round of the championship.
They were to all intents and purposes two separate seasons and the key was knowing when to peak.
Now teams may only be back six to seven weeks before the first round of the league, and the gap between league and championship has been greatly reduced.
The time to experiment with fresh faces has become harder, and management teams will want to get enough game time into their regular players, as the time at the other end is all but gone.
It’s all about looking for that balance, and this is where the clever management teams will gain an advantage.
It is fine for the likes of Limerick who have had plenty of success, the same management team and a very good structure, but what about for the likes of Galway and Wexford where Henry Shefflin and Darragh Egan have stepped into the respective hotseats?
Counties with a settled group of players and management team have an advantage, but that’s what makes it all interesting.
And there are some intriguing clashes to get the ball rolling this weekend for the start of the league.
Wexford, fresh from a Walsh Cup hiding from Dublin, welcome the All-Ireland champions to town. I think the Yellowbellies have the personnel to push on this year, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they go under new management.
While little can be read into early season form, Limerick have begun 2022 like they mean business, so you’d have to favour an away win.
I really like the job Liam Cahill and Mikey Bevans have done in Waterford, and I believe they are the best equipped team to topple Limerick. That said, they meet a Dublin side on form, who similar to Wexford, need to show something this year.
Mattie Kenny should know them inside out by now, and the time for excuses is over.
Clare were disappointing in their recent nine-point defeat to Limerick. They played well the week before against Waterford, but again, trying to make judgements from early January hurling is difficult in the extreme.
They travel to Leeside to take on a Cork side probably still smarting from their crushing All-Ireland defeat. After a sun holiday, I can’t imagine they have enough hurling work done just yet, but the time for peaking certainly isn’t this time of the year.
Kilkenny should have enough for Antrim, although we thought the same last year when the Saffrons turned over Clare on the opening day of the league.
The meeting of Galway and Offaly will be as intriguing for matters on the sideline as on the pitch when two Ballyhale legends lock horns.
Mick Fennelly has done a great job to date with the Faithful County, but you would imagine Henry Shefflin will want to get the ball rolling in his new role.
The final game in Division 1 is the meeting of Tipperary and Laois. I would be concerned for the Premier County this year. A big rebuild phase has already begun and a lot of the younger lads have to prove themselves at this level.
Speaking of Tipperary, I think it is only right that Paudie Maher gets the final mention.
What he has done for Tipperary hurling is incredible. The Thurles Sarsfields man (above) was the driving force of that team for over a decade, always a dependable man in the rearguard.
I have marked him on many occasions, and if you were at anything less then 100% you had no business being there. He was as strong as they come, as honest as the day is long, and most important of all, a sound man.
Enjoy the retirement, Paudie.
