GAA chiefs discuss open draw for hurling championship

FORGET about a radical solution for the hurling championship because it means only one thing: an open draw.

And the consensus view among leading GAA officials is that it’s not to happen in the foreseeable future.

Leinster Secretary Michael Delaney believes the best solution is a return to the original “back door”, which gave the beaten finalists in Munster and Leinster a second chance.

“Under the present system we have too many meaningless matches,’’ he said yesterday. Munster Chairman Sean Fogarty would scrap the qualifier system altogether and have a “losers’ group” within the provinces.

Kilkenny chairman Ned Quinn, chairman of the task force whose report formed the basis of the motions at the Special Congress, argues that “for all its quirks and faults” the provincial system produces “ten reasonably major occasions” in the year.

“No way could we be sure that we could replace that with an open draw format,’’ he said.

“If the open draw ever comes in, I think it will be quite a considerable time away.’’

Additionally, he doubts all counties would favour an open draw, on the basis that the current system gives them the chance of a more attainable goal of getting to a provincial final.

“Galway don’t have the chance to play in a provincial championship and that’s why one of the reasons we opted for the qualifier group,” he said.

Delaney says if people are talking about doing something radical there’s only one way. “We have been pussy-footing around with various systems and one is more predictable than the other. The only radical solution — and to be honest I can’t see it happening — is the open draw.

“You’d sell it in Leinster doing away with the Leinster championship, but you’ll never sell it in Munster.”

He accepts there could be resistance in the province to Galway joining Leinster, but wouldn’t oppose it, saying “I think at this stage Leinster are open to any discussion on hurling. We have to be realistic.’’

He feels that the first experiment — allowing the beaten finalists back into the championship — was sufficient. “None of the qualifier systems we have tried has been successful,’’ he added.

Sean Fogarty accepts they don’t need to revert to a knockout championship, but they need to cut out a lot of games. He rejects the concept of an open draw, saying: “if the rest of the provinces have a problem, why dismantle the system that’s working in Munster? The others should be aiming at replicating us.

“I feel Galway would be better served going into Leinster.

“The ‘new’ system isn’t good.

“We are going to have two unbalanced groups. The system we need to devise is that when you are beaten a second time you are gone.”