SkyWatcherDave

#Jupiter, with its moons Ganymede (top left) and Io (lwr right), imaged from my garden in #Ireland, Jan 2. Ganymede’s full disc in this image. 5% of 2564f. Manual 10 inch Dobsonian, Eq plat, ZWOasi224mc⁩, TeleVue (x3), IR-Cut filter, ZWO(adc). #Astrophotography #ThePhotoHour

@Stephen_Long Means nothing, unfortunately for Waterford. Lacking consistency.

Mad thing is Waterford are so close to being All-Ireland contenders. Beat the reigning champs last year Drew with reigning champs this year Toe to toe with Cork last week The better team in Limerick for 60 mins today Makes the constant failure in Munster even harder to take.

@Trevor00088700 @SeanSheehanBA 😂💪🏻🇳🇬

@SeanSheehanBA Our biggest rival is and always will be James Owens

Great battling from Limerick in the last 20 minutes. Out of Munster, never easy! Would love another Munster final against our biggest rivals from Clare!

@thesaturdayman @fotoole13 Waterford just aren’t good enough. Limerick weren’t good enough for years; Cork haven’t won an AI in 20yrs. It’s horrible but that’s life. Waterford just need to keep at it. Today, after their 1st goal, they could have driven on and posssibly won it, but they blew it. Thats sport

@fotoole13 And in the last decade Waterford have contested 2 all Ireland finals? It is what it is, not whinging. But surely bringing teams back for q finals of an all Ireland be a better way?

Fourth time out of seven that Munster round-robin era ends with Cork, Limerick and Clare qualifying as the top three. Limerick (7), Cork (6) and Clare (5) in successful qualifications for All-Ireland series in that time frame.

@AnTarbh86 Plenty frees missed for 🇳🇬 also. 8 officials on the pitch & they miss so much. The fast pace & high standard of Munster champ hurling demands a better standard of refs; linesmen; fourth officials; umpires. All that aside Waterford just aren’t good enough. Best of luck for 2027

I've seen some bad displays of refereeing but James Owens today was the pits. Limerick 1st goal, Michael Kiely dragged down in a ruck leading up to the goal 2md goal - O'Connor drops the hurley when passing. Basic basic stuff missed and Waterford getting the brunt of it again

@CraicOfTheAsh A wet one, but a good one. And we march on to hopefully an 8th Munster Final in a row. 💪🏻💪🏻🇳🇬🇳🇬

They've given us the best days out & continue to do so. Thanks to all who played a part in bringing Limerick hurling to where it is today. Whatever may happen this year I look forward to the show 💚🤍

@SeanSheehanBA Agree O’Neill started great but I thought he quietened thereafter. I’d have given the nod to Bomber, he was on top of mos of it in his end, and as always menacing going forward. 💪🏻🇳🇬

Probably Hegarty's worst game for Limerick and Tommy Walsh gives him MOTM 🤣🤣🤣 Clearly Cathal O'Neill

@sryanbruenphoto Looks like it might be a nice spot for a MW blend …

Carton House on a foggy May morning this day two years ago.

@ShaneSaint No offence Shane, but none of these are worth trialling, imo. The game is great. If it ain’t broke don’t try and fix it. Totally agree with @SeanSheehanBA response

There’s a meeting tomorrow in Thurles on how the game of hurling can be improved, which is to be chaired by John Meyler and Willie Maher. Unfortunately I can’t make it, but sent the following suggestions. Let me know what you think. KEEPER CAN’T TAKE BALL IN HIS HAND FROM A BACK-PASS - if the ball is passed back to the keeper during play, he may not take it into his hands. He can control it, strike it, whatever he likes, but can’t take it in his hands or even do a handpass off the stick. This will make it harder to recycle - meaning pressing high is more likely to cause exciting turnovers. PUCKOUT OPTION TO ENCOURAGE MORE 50-50 CONTESTED HIGH BALLS - ⁠for puckouts, each side must keep three players inside 21 (but outside the penalty box) closest to the keeper when the ball is struck. The puckout must also pass the near ‘45. This will lead the less mass defences, and more 50-50 contested high balls. - ⁠The unintended consequence could be teams bringing out their full-forward and full-back lines at the far end of the pitch. Worth trialling to see, as 50-50 high balls are a brilliant spectacle that we see less of. CYNICAL FOULS ANYWHERE ON THE PITCH ARE PENALTIES - ⁠all cynical tackles are punished by a penalty and a yellow card. Cynical tackles only occur when a team wants to prevent a move where a team wants to create a goal chance, so this is the only true deterrent. Too often, we see rugby tackles out the field late in games, and this would cut that out overnight. You’d expect this rule would rarely have to be used once teams see how (rightly) punitive it is. PENALTY SPOT MARKER 25 YARDS OUT - ⁠Penalties - paint a small line 25 yards out from where the ball must be lifted, and let the player jab and strike his penalty from however far forward he can take it from there. Brings back power penalties. Currently, you can see players more focused on not going past the ‘21 than the strike. NO QUICK PUCKOUTS - Quick restarts after wides have turned the game into ping pong. - ⁠Worth trialling, as I’m not convinced it will be a positive step.

@SeanSheehanBA Totally agree Sean. The sport is unrivalled anywhere in the world for its pace, thrills and spills.

Why does everyone who suggests hurling rule changes act like we have the same issues that football had. We unequivocally do not. We do not have a slow, defensive game with loads of lateral passing. Our game has naturally transformed for the better where instead of hit and hope fire it as far as possible tactics, we now actually pick out players. I HATED watching Limerick half backs DRIVE IT for years. It was significantly worse than a well placed Hayes or Byrnes diagonal ball that Gillane and the corner back challenge for. We also have no issue with high fielding, whether that's in the half or full lines. Gillane, Brian Hayes, Hego, Duggan etc all get long ball in from open play or "the short game (doesn't really exist)", and the likes of Hegarty, Maher, Chin, Kyle Hayes, Rob Downey, are constantly fielding ball directly from long puckouts. I find it gas that people spew these as issues as well as "too much scoring" which is so counterproductive. By definition if those tactics lead to more scoring they have naturally fixed themselves. LEAVE IT AS IS

@ShaneSaint @GaelicStatsApp More chaos? 🙄 Seriously lad, row it in a bit would ya.

@GaelicStatsApp Introduce more chaos, less controlling of the ball and incentivising lateral play, and increase the amount of contested high balls between two players

@willocallaghan Best full forward line in the country 🇳🇬

Gillane straight back in with Cian Lynch on the bench.

@SmallerFishGAA Rest both and introduce either or both if required. Best not to rush Gillane back though, the calf is an awkward injury to get right.

John Kiely has a decision to make this weekend Does he bring his two star players back in - Gillane and Lynch Or does he reward the team that put in their best performance of the year against Clare Answers on a postcard

@CraicOfTheAsh One of his best! 🇳🇬

The Limerick goal when the ball never touched grass 🇳🇬

@ComedianConn It’s obvs important that counties win or compete at latter stages for fans buy-in & attract future players…but will WAT be missed though…like…really… “missed” 🤷🏼‍♂️…if you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough. Peter Queally said as much himself. This isn’t Tiddlywinks 🤪

Waterford will be missed if they are eliminated when they play Limerick. They bring great colour to the game and their fans are passionate hurling people. Something is wrong with a system that sees them completely out of the championship during the best hurling months of the year. For me the all Ireland should be a straight knockout . Put the league front and center then and make it the priority competition. Then every county is playing during the good summer months.

@seanhannigan100 @CraicOfTheAsh 😂

@CraicOfTheAsh I hope Cork go all the way this year and lose by a last minute goal in the All Ireland final.

How Munster stands after tonight

Jupiter imaged through a 16 inch Dobsonian telescope, ZWO colour camera, TeleVue 3x barlow, from my gaff in South Ireland, showing the planet’s gas storms, includ the Great Red Spot anticyclone. #Astrophotography #Jupiter #Planets #Space ⁦@ThePhotoHour⁩ ⁦@StormHour⁩

@CraicOfTheAsh 😆

@desmythen Cos t’is a shoulder, lad. 💪🏻

How in gods name is this not even a free 🤦🏼🤣#limerickclare

@JohnLac36728740 @CraicOfTheAsh 😆

@CraicOfTheAsh Surprising they didn't bring on Shane O Donnell.

Clare have improved since they brought Tony Kelly on

@padycork @officialgaa 🙄 Give it a rest lad.

Had to have another look at this in the Limerick v Clare game. Byrne isn't the only one with this method of free taking, but when did carrying the ball on the hurley for a free become normal? @officialgaa