Cooney happy for open draw debate

GAA President Christy Cooney isamenable to a debate on the feasibility of an open draw in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship.

While there have been calls for the provincial championships to be abandoned in favour of an open draw – most notably from Kilkenny manger Brian Cody – Cooney insists that his travels around the country over the past six months indicate that nobody ‘is pushing an agenda’ to change.

“I want to get to the situation where, at next year’s Congress, we’ll have a roadmap for the development of hurling and a structure for our championships that will stand the test of time,’’ he said after Saturday’s Special Congress which agreed the adjustment which will permit Carlow to play in the Leinster championship next year.