Kelly defends Cup but throws down gauntlet

GAA President Sean Kelly has again defended the Tommy Murphy Cup but has also accepted for the first time that, if the will isn’t there, the competition may not have a future.

Few who saw the joy on the face of Tipperary's captain and marquee forward Declan Browne on Sunday would begrudge him or his county their moment in the spotlight, yet the new tournament still seems to have far more critics than it does supporters.

At present, every county that is knocked out in the first and second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers is entitled to enter the subsidiary tournament.