Hurling qualifiers get new series

News: Confusion over the format of this summer's hurling qualifiers has been cleared up, with Leinster Council chairman Nicky Brennan, who also helped to devise the original format, yesterday outlining the minor adjustments of a year ago. Ian O'Riordan reports.

Like last year, the first round proper will involve eight teams, and will be played over two weekends in June. Before that, however, there is an extended preliminary round, which will involve four counties playing off for the right to enter round one.

"The situation right now is that there will be a new preliminary round," explained Brennan, "and in that will be the losers of Kerry-Waterford, the beaten Ulster finalists, and two teams from Leinster, which right now will be losers of the Dublin-Westmeath game and the Laois-Carlow game.

"I suppose there was an assumption that Meath would go further than their first game (against Carlow), but they are now out of the qualifiers. Their only possibility now is to enter the B championship, which would mean applying to GAC. And it is also my understanding that Carlow will now stick with the qualifiers, rather than go for the senior B championship, which they had previously opted for."

The format for the preliminary round is: one of the Leinster teams will be picked to play against either Kerry or Waterford. The winner of that game will play the second Leinster team, and the winner of that game will play the beaten Ulster finalists.

"Whoever emerges after all that will then enter the first round proper of the qualifiers," added Brennan, "which involves eight teams. Three each from Leinster and Munster, as well as Galway and the preliminary round winners. The main difference there from last year is the beaten Ulster finalists enter the preliminary round, rather than the first round proper."

In the case of the Leinster's first round entrants, the three teams will come from the two beaten provincial semi-finalists, and the the beaten preliminary round finalists. In Munster, the three teams will also involve the two beaten provincial semi-finalists, and also the losers of Clare-Tipperary.

Like last year, Galway will also get a second chance should they lose their opening game in the qualifier, with a special round been drawn to ensure they get another day out. Last year, however, that wasn't necessary as Galway comfortably beat Down in their opening game.

The four winning counties from round one then progress to the second round on July 12th-13th, where they are joined by the beaten Leinster and Munster finalists. The three winning counties from that round are joined by the Ulster champions, to make up the All-Ireland quarter-finals of July 27th.

Brennan, meanwhile, is still awaiting news on the Leinster Council's offer to Galway to compete in the Leinster championship on an experimental basis, starting next season.

"I think they viewed it as not overly important at the moment, given that they haven't even started playing this year's championship. And that's no problem. We hadn't fixed any real deadline for a decision to be made, and we didn't want to be pressurising them either. So we're happy to let them consider it in their own time.

"But as far as I'm concerned it involves all four teams (minor, under-21, senior and intermediate) for two years, and no deviation from that. If they don't like it after two years then the can go back to what they have. But it's not a case of a choosing to put two teams in, and keep the other two out.

"And I'm still hopeful that they will see some merit in trying this out for two years, because I think they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain."

There was also some confusion yesterday about whether the Games Administration Committee (GAC) had arranged a special meeting for last Wednesday night, with the intention of discussing the recent disciplinary incidents involving Tyrone centre back Gavin Devlin and Tipperary hurler Eamonn Corcorcan.

Although Croke Park indicated the meeting had been scheduled, it is now known that it did not take place and instead the incidents will be discussed at next Wednesday's GAC meeting.