Down call on GAA to tackle rugby

DOWN GAA secretary Seán Óg McAteer has claimed the devaluation of the interprovincial championships “have let our counterparts in rugby assume ownership of the brands of Munster and Leinster in particular”.

In his address to convention, McAteer warned against any changes to championship structures, insisting the GAA is “ready, willing and able to face” the national economic crisis and paid tribute to John McAreavey whose wife Michaela was murdered as they honeymooned in January.

With growing calls for a open championship in both codes, McAteer sounded a word of warning against breaking from the past.