Déise plan new club format

WATERFORD County Board are likely to ratify a new format for their domestic hurling and football championships next week.

A proposal by Mount Sion’s Phil Fanning at a special board meeting this week will be discussed by delegates on Tuesday night.

With 12 teams involved in both championships, there will be four groups of three teams, with the winners of each group advancing to the county quarter-finals. The second and third-placed teams in each group will then involve themselves in a knockout system, with the four winners of these knockouts also advancing to the quarter-finals, while the losers play-off to decide who is relegated to the intermediate grade.

The draws will be made at next week’s board meeting, and first round games will be played in early May.

The first round series of games in football will be played before Waterford’s Munster SFC game against Kerry in Killarney on May 21.

One round in the hurling championship will also be played in May, and it will then be put on hold until after Waterford’s Munster SHC semi-final against Tipperary or Limerick on June 4.

Meanwhile the Waterford football selectors are handing an NFL debut to 19-year-old Stephen Prendergast of Kilrossanty for Sunday’s opener against Westmeath in Mullingar.

However Shane Walsh, arguably the best footballer in the county, is in Scotland and will miss the game, while Ardmore’s Wayne Hennessey has joined clubmates Seamas and Declan Prendergast in opting to play with the county’s hurlers.

Waterford (SF v Westmeath): T. Wall; K. Coffey. J. Phelan. S. Briggs; E. Rockett. M. Ahern. E. Walsh; S. Prendergast; J. Hurney; G. Hurney. S. Cunningham. K. O’Keeffe; B. Wall. P. Foley. L. O’Lionain.