Side show: Will Maor Foirne absence be felt on pitch?

This weekend, we can look forward to a waterfall of league action cascading down into venues around the country.

But when it comes to one recent aspect of the game, the taps have stopped flowing and few will shed a tear given how it could redirect the raging current of a match mid-stream.

As confirmed by the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee, the expected move to do away with water breaks in Gaelic games has come to pass.

It had been brought into being in the wake of Covid regulations in the summer of 2020, with one break between the 15th and 20th minute of each half to take on fluid by the sideline.

But in the eyes of many, they were seen as akin to timeouts for tactical tweaks and issuing instructions to players more than pure hydration. Especially given the maor foirne role was essentially made redundant after last year's Congress, limiting on-pitch access to medical teams only and cutting off one line of communication between the sideline and on-field personnel.

The maor uisce 'water carrier' role has been restored but it's strictly governed, with a requirement to stay in a designated area and no permission to enter the field of play except in hurling to bring over a replacement hurley.

And while the liquid won't be flowing in the way it has done for the last 18 months from this weekend on, there could well be a conundrum for managers and players when it comes to delivering the flow of instructions from the sideline particularly in the white heat of a packed stadium where voices can get drowned easily in the din.

Former All-Ireland winning Tipperary hurling manager Liam Sheedy and two-time Donegal All-Star Ryan McHugh shared their thoughts with RTÉ Sport about how the absence of the maor foirne as a messenger