Offaly to face Clare and Waterford in Qualifiers

The draw was made for the 2005 Guinness All-Ireland Senior Hurling Qualifiers Round-Robin Series this evening at Pearse Stadium in Salthill.

Eight counties, who were ran out of their respective provincial championships, were drawn from pots to form two groups.

With the two teams in each group qualifying for the All-Ireland quarter-finals where they will be pitted against the four Leinster and Munster finalists, the following were the groups drawn:

Group 1: Antrim, Laois, Limerick, Galway

Group 2: Dublin, Offaly, Clare, Waterford

The round-robin series within each group, which guarantees each county three matches, begins with next Saturday's first round.

That evening, Antrim will play Limerick, Laois will face Galway, Dublin will line out against Clare and Offaly will try to lift themselves against Waterford, following this afternoon's heavy Leinster defeat at the hands of Kilkenny.

The GAA's Games Administration Committee are meeting tomorrow morning to confirm the times and venues for the rounds of the qualifiers.