Fellow citizens of Hurling Nation, a question: does anybody out there sense that championship hurling in spring just feels wrong, out of kilter with the universe?
Still, it is what it is, and we must endure watching great amateur athletes forced into a spin cycle of play-recover-play.
For who? For what?
On Saturday evening we have three championship matches starting in the space of an hour.
In Leinster, Dublin, who suffered jet-lag when they drew with Antrim in Belfast last week, come home to Parnell Park and entertain Westmeath.
The manager of Westmeath, Joe Fortune, knows Dublin hurling very well and should be able to put at least a scare into the home side, but that's all. The Dubs are expected to prevail.
Antrim make the long journey to Wexford, a game that also throws in at 6pm. The point they earned last week will encourage Antrim's self belief. Wexford meanwhile still have some wounded warriors unavailable, but we expect them to get by for now.
And so we come to the big one in Munster, the Saturday night special, Limerick v Clare.
Even though it's April, this one has the feel of a high summer showdown to it. Clare were smacked around a bit in their own back yard last weekend when Tipp visited.
After another red card last week [this time for Gearóid Hegarty], John Kiely will be looking to see if his Limerick team can get the task done without falling over the edge.
The Treaty have named former Hurler of the Year, man of the match in las year's All-Ireland final and current All-Star Hegarty on the bench.
This could be electric, and that's only in the stands, but expect Limerick to do the business.
Sunday delivers us two big games.
Henry Shefflin brings his Galway side to Nowlan Park where Brian Cody's iron grip is now just a memory.
Kilkenny impressed during the league until the final when Limerick placed them back in the chasing pack. They could be without the promising Billy Drennan, who has a leg injury.
Galway are already into the rhythm of things and I expect them to take the points.
Lastly, but not least, Cork enter the Munster championship. The league was hot and cold for the Rebels. Waterford will be bruised, literally and every other way, after losing to Limerick last Sunday.
Both sides have known from a long way out that this is a fixture they need two points from and very possibly will need for head-to-head reasons further down the road.
I do worry this is unconscious bias at play... but we'll go with Cork.
Looking at some of the colossal hits, buffalo charges and mad fouls that went down last weekend, we can't help thinking that the GAA leadership ordering referees to clamp down on illegal handpassing this spring is like some comic figure out of Blackadder insisting that all fighting men have a proper crease in their pants before entering the hell of the World War One trenches.
Some young man going out to play hurling is going to get hurt, and it won't be a borderline handpass that does the damage.
Dónal Óg Cusack was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland
Watch Kilkenny v Galway in the Leinster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport and listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Cork v Waterford in the Munster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 3.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport and listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Kilkenny v Galway and Cork v Waterford in the Leinster and Munster Hurling Championships on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport and listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
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