Hurling’s promotion fiasco faces Congress
The motion, drawn up over the weekend, is the GAA’s first written response to the ongoing relegation/promotion fiasco and includes a proposal that Carlow be added to the list of counties competing in the 2010 Liam MacCarthy Cup.
As expected, it has also been recommended that no county suffer relegation into the Christy Ring Cup this season, a development that would bring the number of sides competing in the top tier to 13.
The numerical balance of the four tiers would be tweaked further by Meath and Tyrone’s promotions from the Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher competition, and only the one-year hiatus on promotions – but not relegations – would bring about a return to the status quo.
However, a GAA spokesman has described the document as a “holding motion”, a band aid in effect. It is one which is needed to allow the association draw up its annual fixture list later this year but may never even come into being at all.
This latest attempt to find a solution to an increasingly complicated problem could still come to nothing if another motion is tabled at next April’s Annual Congress. If you are confused by now, you have every right to be.
This is merely the latest chapter in an already convoluted story that has been running for most of the summer and which has left hurling sides in all four tiers uncertain as to what division they will be competing in 2010.
Carlow had seemingly secured their place in the Liam MacCarthy Cup last July when they won the Christy Ring Cup as a Westmeath motion to scrap the promotion/relegation play-offs between the two tiers was passed at Annual Congress.
However, confusion has reigned over who goes up and who goes down since Antrim insisted they were guaranteed a three-year stint in the Leinster Championship and a subsequent DRA ruling deemed the Westmeath motion out of order.
Despite the DRA’s decision, the two relegation play-off semi-finals between Clare and Wexford, and Offaly and Antrim, went ahead but the relegation final was then officially postponed and, to all intents and purposes, cancelled.
GAA president Christy Cooney stepped into the breach last month when he went on record to say that Carlow would definitely be catered for in the MacCarthy Cup and county chairman Pat Deering has welcomed the latest developments.
“We’re delighted. Our aim at the start of the year was to retain the Christy Ring and qualify for the Leinster Championship and we’ve done that.”
Manager Kevin Ryan faces a daunting task in preparing his side for a competition that could conceivably see them face Kilkenny but Carlow intend proposing a preliminary round between themselves Antrim and Laois with the winners advancing to the next stage proper.
As for the rest of the counties in the lower three tiers, there is likely to be strong opposition to a proposal that places a glass ceiling on so many sides, even if it is only for one campaign. Meath manager TJ Reilly said as much yesterday.
“That’s hardly ideal. There is no incentive for teams if there isn’t any promotion. A lot of people will be coming at this from different angles. A lot of people aren’t going to be happy with it. It looks like the GAA don’t know what way to hop.”
Reilly proposed that the Liam McCarthy Cup be permanently increased to accommodate 13 teams, a system which would see a Carlow, Down or Westmeath compete at the top table every year and prevent a repeat of this summer’s disaster.
“That way you would probably have a Christy Ring side going up and down every year and if Laois, Antrim or Wexford were to be relegated after that, then they wouldn’t have any arguments,” said Reilly.
Sounds simple. If only it could be.
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