Declan Bogue joins Ronan Early to discuss whether the GAA’s amateur status can continue to endure a growing number of players at the top level who are not content with the status quo.

For how long is it sustainable that managers are paid and players are not?

But what GAA administrator wants to tackle this most delicate issue? As Declan says, nobody wants to be in that seat the day the music dies.

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Declan and Fintan join Ronan to discuss the news that we’ll not see Limerick’s history-making captain in the green jersey again.

The lads track Hannon’s career from an attacking teenage sensation to the centre back and brain of Limerick’s multiple All-Ireland winners. Why was this smiley and, at first glance, unassuming man the standout leader in this team full of big personalities?

What happens now with Limerick? How many young players will be fast tracked, as the most experienced campaigners rack up the miles? Or is there a sting in the tail of this great side, a la Kerry in the mid 80s, Kilkenny in the 2010s and Dublin in 2023?

Also, the AFL factor in this weekend’s football finals and Hogan v Shefflin in Kilkenny.

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The likes of Éire Og Ennis, Loughmore–Castleiney, Naas and Dunloy among many others are enjoying life on the GAA’s open dual carriageway, while countless rivals prefer to stay in their lane.

Does being a dual club inhibit All-Ireland success? Or is ultimate success as many people participating in as many sports as possible?

Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to debate everything dual and wonder whether the demands of hurling and football leave both adult and child players with not a whole lot of time to do other things.

The lads also discuss the upcoming county finals in Cork, Limerick, Mayo and Dublin and exchange views on how much is too much for admission to these games. €25 for the SHC in final in Kildare raised eyebrows at the weekend, but it seems the Lilywhite county are not outliers in their pricing structure.

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Sinead Farrell and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to look ahead to Sunday’s camogie finals at Croke Park.

Can Cork succeed where they have failed previously in achieving a three-in-a-row? Can Galway gain revenge for 2024? And where will this game between the two undisputed strongest sides in the sport be won and lost? 

Also, was Camogie president Brian Molloy right in how he worded his call to arms for supporters to come out in force on Sunday? Everyone from TikTokers to politicians got a shout out as he urged them to put something real behind their skort protestations in May.

. . . But can you browbeat people into going to a game? Might he and the Camogie Association be better off extolling the value of their impressive product; what promises to be a stellar senior final along with the intermediate and junior finals which are also full of intriguing storylines? 

In the second half of the pod, we look at some of the managerial comings and goings in men’s GAA and discuss what will inform Pat Ryan’s decision on whether he wants to give it another crack with Cork in 2026.

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Emma Duffy and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to look ahead to the Meath-Dublin clash on Sunday, and also to try to pick a winner in the intermediate final between Tyrone and Laois and the junior decider featuring Antrim and Louth. 

Also, we discuss Kerry’s tour de force against Donegal and ponder what it means for both counties, and the direction of the game in the coming years as coaches see what styles of play work most effectively under the new rules.

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Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to look ahead to an All-Ireland final full of promise and intrigue.

The lads discuss the clash of the totems, David Clifford and Michael Murphy. Which one can shape the day to their will and how will both defences cope with the threat they possess?

Can Kerry thwart Donegal’s hard running? Can the Ulster champions find a way to limit the supply to the Kingdom’s multi-faceted attack?

What would a second All-Ireland title mean for Jim McGuiness, still haunted by loss to Kerry at this stage in 2014.

And how great is the pressure in the clubs and villages and townlands of Kerry to add to the one All-Ireland title that has been claimed since then?

All that and a bit more, including a look back at the hurling final, are coming at you in this week’s extended podcast.

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Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue come to us from Croke Park, where they watched Tipperary being crowned the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions.

The lads try to make sense of how the Premier County turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 15-point victory, and how Cork managed to add just two points in the second period.

Liam Cahill adds another championship to his collection of underage triumphs with Tipperary, while Pat Ryan and the Rebels are left licking their wounds from another heartbreaking defeat in the capital.

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Fintan O'Toole joins Ronan Early ahead of Cork and Tipperary's All-Ireland final on Sunday.

The lads chat about everything from what it was like to witness pitch invasion after pitch invasion from the wrong end of the ground in 1991, to seeing Cork claim the U21 title in 1997 but not being able to wait for the trophy presentation because your Tipp-supporting father was too vexed to hang around.

On Sunday, which defensive unit can best cope with the opposition's goal-hungry attack? Who will win the midfield battle? How have both managers overcome criticism to get their sides to this stage?

Noel McGrath or Patrick Horgan: which of these long-serving greats will have a fairytale ending to 2025?

And why Conor Lehane is a case study in resilience and quiet determination to anybody who has ever been overlooked.

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