Relegation idea dropped as Laois scupper masterplan
Already we have had the understandable outpourings from county managers and in the early hours of Saturday morning the DRA burned the midnight oil mulling over the issue. The end result? It is clear that none of the top teams is going to be relegated.
Why? Because it is not Laois who are going down? It’s as simple as that. When this idea was first thought up, it seemed very logical – the winners of the Christy Ring Cup would be promoted to the Liam MacCarthy Cup the next year and, following a play-off, the bottom team from the Liam MacCarthy would go down.
Now, it wasn’t said at the time but most assumed the ‘bottom’ team would be Laois. Laois would go quietly with a ‘well done lads’, ringing in their ears and ‘keep the flag flying, ye’ll be back up again in a year,’ pious platitudes to smooth over the disappointment of relegation.
Yes, Laois hurling men are the salt of the earth but Niall Rigney and his dedicated band of men had loftier ambitions. Rigney and Peter Critchley and many others in the O’Moore County have been plotting and planning the rise of Laois for a number of years. They proved that work in no uncertain manner this year.
But if Laois aren’t going down who goes down? Antrim? Wexford? Not in your life. Antrim were tossed all over the place for a few years, they were so frustrated that they wanted to play in the Munster championship. Eventually, last year they were given some kind of parity. They were left into Leinster for a period of three years. To turf them out now after one season would be unfair and even dishonest.
So that leaves Wexford, – the glorious All-Ireland champions of 1996. Relegated to the Christy Ring Cup? You must be joking. Apart from the irreparable damage it would do to the morale of the players it would also be totally unjust. For 30 years or more there would have been no Leinster championship only for Wexford. Kilkenny would have virtually received a walk-over every year. The yellow-bellies not only kept hurling alive in Leinster but they were also the great romantics throwing up some great players from clubs. And then in 1996 the Pikemen marched on Croke Park and carried Liam home in almost mythical fashion. Their manager that year was the charismatic Liam Griffin. Liam was the man who told me when I became president: ‘don’t forget the small ball’.
And Liam was one of the men who I asked to sit on the ADC that came up with the idea of the Christy Ring and Nicky Richard Cups. It would be a sad irony if his own county were now relegated to the Christy Ring Cup. But it won’t happen. The DRA said as much on Friday. They suggested a 13-team Liam MacCarthy Cup. They are right but they have no power to impose that view. So what do we do? Call a Special Congress. That’s it.
We have one or two Special Congresses every year now.
So if Central Council don’t solve it at its next meeting on 22 August when proposals in respect of the 2010 GAA Hurling Championships will be discussed at its next meeting on 22 August when proposals in respect of the 2010 GAA Hurling Championships will be discussed, we can get Special Congress to do it.
Perhaps the man who invented the Special Congresses should be canonised!
