GAA: DESPITE SOME inevitable discontent and apparent opposition the GAA has defended the new format for the National Hurling League – claiming Central Council had the best interest of both clubs and counties at heart last Saturday when backing the proposals of the National Hurling Development Work Group (NHD).

The new two-tier Division One, where the top six counties based on this year’s finishing positions will form 1A, and the next six form 1B, has drawn some criticism – namely from the counties who miss out on 1A, or at the same time feel short-changed by being restricted to 1B.

However, the NHD proposal was ultimately voted in 28 to 16 by Central Council delegates, ahead of two further proposals, from the Central Competitions Control Committee (which also wanted the introduction of quarter-finals and semi-finals), and the GAA’s own Management Committee (which essentially wanted to persist with the existing format).

“When it came down to it the majority of counties favoured what was put in front of them,” explained the GAA’s Director of Games Pat Daly, and who also featured on the NHD.

“If one was to analyse why they favoured this format, over the other two proposals that were on the agenda, the first thing to say is that you are far more likely to get competitive games at the level you’re at with groups of six, rather than with any other type of grouping. And a number of the delegates had done their research on this.

“There is also a broad feeling out there that the hurling season should really start in March. Hurling, realistically, requires firm underfoot conditions, and while it’s difficult to guarantee that at any time of the year, they are less likely to prevail in February than they are in March.

“It’s accepted as well that the Fitzgibbon Cup should be played before the commencement of the National Hurling League, and that you should also be down to the All-Ireland club finalists, so that was obviously strong motivation for supporting it as well.

“In addition, we’ve had a lot of controversy about the closed season, and we felt it with this format it would be possible to have regard for the closed season in November and December.

“It would also mean there would be no demands to have the pre-season provincial cup competitions played out in January, which makes no sense, because of the ground conditions at that time of the year. So with all this in mind, the format agreed at the weekend creates a far better overall balance.

“Even the scenario in the past of having nothing at stake in some games would be avoided, because you have the league final for the top two, and relegation play-off for the bottom two. In groups of six teams, that keeps things very competitive throughout.”

Under the new format, Division 1A will feature Kilkenny, Dublin, Waterford, Tipperary, Galway, and Cork, and Division 1B Wexford, Offaly, Limerick, Clare, Laois, and Antrim; Division Two will be similarly organised.

The top two teams in 1A play-off in the league final for the outright title, while the top two in 1B play-off for the right to be promoted.

While this will clearly reduce the overall number of league games being played, some counties have questioned why the quarter-final/semi-final stages weren’t pursued, which would at least give Division 1B counties some stepping stone to a potential league title.

“That’s lovely in theory,” says Daly, “and nine people out of 10 might say they would have favoured that. But when you analyse it, what you’re effectively doing is introducing a quarter-final, semi-final and final, which means you can’t engage in any kind of proper fixture planning, because a county doesn’t know week-on-week if they’re going to be in the quarter-final, semi-final or final.

“Who is going to suffer because of that? The clubs. And what we hear all the time, especially in the summer, is that they’re already being victimised enough.

“If people really wanted to introduce that qualifier format in the league, I think it would be very difficult to go back to the clubs and say they had their best interest at heart. The other weakness with the quarter-final and semi-final scenario is that a team could potentially win the league, and still not be promoted.

“It’s all about putting a schedule of games in place so that people know when they’re playing, and what they’re playing.”

While it means the league is now likely to have a start date on the first weekend in March, Daly also believes it will give counties more meaningful games at a more important time of the year.

“If you look at hurling in its broadest context, what the HDC is trying to ensure is that we keep as many teams as possible competitive at tier one.

“When we had two six-group teams, on a non-seeded basis, it didn’t work out very well, because at the time you had teams like Laois and Antrim propping up the two divisions, and some teams felt you could nearly write off those games. But we feel Laois and Antrim can be competitive right now with counties like Limerick, Clare, Offaly and Wexford and will not experience the kind of defeats that happened previously, and can use the league as meaningful preparation for the championship.

“So overall we believe this provides the best possible balance. There’s also a championship review due in 2013, and at that stage it might be a case of looking at the totality of what has to be reviewed, and put a master plan there that would cater for the promotion and development of hurling at club and county level, that best caters for all involved.

“Because the critical thing here is that the needs of the club player are not forgotten, and they’re given a level of importance that’s needed.”