Not everyone gets to leave the intercounty game with as much fanfare as Limerick's Declan Hannon got when he announced his retirement. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
This is the time of the year when intercounty panels turn into an episode of Traitors, with everybody wondering who has been murdered during the night. Under GAA rules collective sessions are not permitted until later this month, but that is one of those instructions written on rice paper and eaten, like the special agents used to do in old espionage movies.
Preseason training programmes have been issued all over the country by now, some of them weeks ago. You can be sure that bootleg training sessions have taken place too, especially in places where last season ended early or with a sickening thud.
Amid all that, the first draft of next season’s panels have been drawn up.
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