No immediate reform to hurling league format

The GAA are effectively stuck with the current National Hurling League format for at least another year. Any potential revamp to that format would need to be flagged ahead of next year's competition, thus ruling out the adoption of any changes until the 2007 season.

Recurring flaws in the current system has prompted several calls for change, sooner rather than later. But according to Games Administration Committee (GAC) chairman Tony O'Keeffe, a proper period of notification would be essential.

Details of the second phase of this year's competition are to be announced today, with the top three teams from both Division One A and One B entering a play-off to decide the two finalists - starting on Sunday week. The bottom three teams enter a separate play-off to decide which team is relegated. On that basis it's already too late for any major changes for next year.

"I don't believe you can change things around until you give the counties warning of what the situation will be the following year," said O'Keeffe. "Effectively that means you can't make any changes until 2007, unless there was broad agreement at Central Council level, and from the counties themselves.

"But I think it's too late to start changing next year's league now. If we are to revert to four divisions of eight teams you'd want to have told people at the start, and that the bottom four teams from Division One will be put into Division Two.

"So next year's league is more or less set in stone, and we can only announce changes for the following year. That might sound a little ridiculous, but it's really the only fair way of doing it."

The problem with the current system is mainly two-fold. There's an obvious imbalance between the 12 teams that make up Division One, which has created some horrendous mismatches. And teams can soon find themselves with nothing to play for, especially those resigned to the lower division of the second phase.

O'Keeffe has canvassed opinions during his term as GAC chairman, and so far there haven't been deafening calls for major change. Ultimately it's Central Council and Management Committee who will instigate any revamp, but with no motions in the pipeline the opportunity for any change in the near future appears to have passed.

"In our last report to Central Council we said that any changes to the hurling league would have to be announced before the start of next year's league," added O'Keeffe, "and would then take effect from the following year. We also took a briefing from the counties earlier on in the year and there didn't seem to be any desire for change, not that we could discern anyway.

"One of the points we put to them was the return to the eight-team top division, but we didn't get any huge reaction for or against that. But there is a feeling among the stronger counties that the series-two matches in the top phase are precisely what they are looking for at this time of the year. They're guaranteed to be good, competitive games at the level they want."

The current format is in its third year, with the only alteration so far coming after year one, when it was decided the points earned would not carry over from phase one to phase two.

The 12 Division One teams (from 2004) also form the basis of the championship format, which comes into operation for the first time this summer. According to Pat Dunny, the chairman of the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) that designed the new format, the problems with the league should not spill over into the championship.

"I believe the new championship is structured in such a way that teams such as Dublin and Laois will have a chance to progress," said Dunny. "They will have four definite games, and they should improve with that.

"But I know there is talk about changing the league format. There is certainly a move to go away from the second phase, and go back to straight six- or seven-game format, or whatever it is. If they are going to change, they should do it as soon as possible."

Dunny is also confident the new championship format won't see a repeat of the series of mismatches in the league. The Leinster and Munster finalists go on to the quarter-finals, and the remaining eight teams - including Galway and the Ulster champions - enter a three-game play-off to try to join them.

"That takes some of the imbalance out," said Dunny. "So I don't think league form will have nearly as much effect as some people are thinking."

Meanwhile, O'Keeffe welcomed last week's formal proposition to break the GAC into separate committees for fixtures and discipline, although he hasn't yet decided which of them he will chair, as is his current right.