John Fogarty: Hurling gets nicher as football gets richer

The demise of the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals would have knock-on effects.

ON THE LINE: Eoghan Connolly of Tipperary runs onto the pitch past the Liam MacCarthy cup. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Open goals don’t come more open than getting rid of hurling’s All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.

Two years ago, the goalkeeper was beaten and the sliotar required only the faintest of touches after the then Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) proposed their demise at Special Congress. Five of the six Liam MacCarthy Cups teams had won the games by an average of 18.8 points.