Michael Ryan: Moving All-Ireland final date from September slot was a mistake

The decision to bring forward the date of the All-Ireland hurling final to mid-August was a mistake, according to Tipperary manager Michael Ryan.

The Premier boss says he is not ‘anti-change’ but holds the traditionalist point of view that the first Sunday in September was synonymous with the concluding afternoon of the hurling championship and therefore, should have been left alone.

The 2018 All-Ireland hurling decider will be played on August 19, two weeks earlier than usual, with the semi-finals pencilled in for Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29. The quarter-finals are be decided on Sunday, July 15.