Revamp of Munster SFC draw to be voted through

A new variation of the Munster senior football championship’s current seeded draw is expected to be voted through this evening.

The province’s competitions control committee (CCC) will meet in Limerick to discuss the 2015 format where it is likely they will vote in a change to this year’s structure, which saw Cork and Kerry seeded in separate semi-finals.

Last year’s decision by the CCC angered Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford and all players from the four not only boycotted the pre-season McGrath Cup but the Railway Cup as well. Some team officials from the counties also avoided the launch of the championship in May. There were suggestions players from the developing counties would also boycott next year’s competition were the status quo to remain.

Cork and Kerry’s chairmen have indicated they will support the proposal already discussed among the four counties, which would next year see Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford face each other in quarter-finals with the winners joining the two traditional heavyweights, simply because they are the 2013 Munster finalists, in an open semi-final draw.

Were, for example, Clare and Tipperary to reach next year’s decider they would be handed semi-final byes in 2016.

There remains the option of returning to a completely open draw but the altered seeded suggestion is anticipated to get the green light.

“A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes since last year and hopefully it’ll pay off now,” said Limerick’s 2014 captain Seanie Buckley.

“Basically, anything than what’s there at the moment would be a start but we have to wait and see.

“I know there’s a lot of talk about the four counties playing first and the winners going through to a semi-final draw with Cork and Kerry.

“To be honest, if it was an open draw that would make most lads happy but it doesn’t matter much if that option or the other goes on. Once what’s going on is evened out and made fair to a degree that’s all that people in the four counties want.”