Cork GAA CEO: 'Are we going to protect our little empire and let the rest of hurling die?'

Kevin O'Donovan: 'If we are all interested in promoting hurling, we have a responsibility to all counties, not just the golden circle we are lucky to be part of at the moment.' Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Cork GAA CEO Kevin O'Donovan has questioned whether the current All-Ireland Hurling Championship format is sustainable, and said Munster may have a responsibility to help Leinster and other provinces. 

O'Donovan said Cork's victory over Offaly and Clare's win against Dublin in the weekend's All-Ireland quarter-finals highlighted an imbalance in the championship. 

"Overall, there is agreement that there is a slight imbalance between Munster and Leinster at the moment," O'Donovan told the Southern Star's Star Sport Podcast.

"You need to be careful with that because it might just be short-term. We all remember Dublin football’s success and how that didn’t continue forever.

"The two results at the weekend have cast a light on it and maybe shown that it might not be sustainable in the current format.

"We all know the Munster hurling championship is funding so many things in the GAA and is fantastic for Cork and our stadia, but there is also an element of: am I my brother’s keeper? Do we want to cut the rest of Ireland off in terms of hurling? Leinster have been great. They have taken in Antrim and Galway. Are we going to protect our little empire and let the rest of hurling die?

"It is very relevant at underage level. The kick we are getting off of a competitive underage structure in Munster is incredible. There are good years and bad years, and our record in Munster has been really good in underage hurling in terms of coming first, second or third in various competitions. But other counties are not benefiting from that in other provinces.

Cork beat Offaly by 26 points in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

"I made a comment recently that Cork football could do with help from Leinster in terms of the Leinster League and joint competitions between Munster and Leinster, where we would play the Meaths and Louths, and the Waterfords might play Carlows or Wicklows. That might make for more even competitions if there was cooperation.

"Then he said to me, 'How about the same for hurling?' Leinster hurling could do with Munster hurling support. I have no definitive view on it but if we are all interested in promoting hurling, we have a responsibility to all counties, not just the golden circle we are lucky to be part of at the moment."

O'Donovan also raised the possibility of there being a third-fourth place play-off in the Munster Hurling Championship to decide progression to the All-Ireland series. 

"It is strange, and the cadence of the whole hurling season is being challenged at the moment," said O'Donovan.

"You can even see that with the Munster hurling final. We have had two epic Munster finals between Cork and Limerick in the last two years, but a lot of people would say finishing third would have been as good or better. A competition where there is almost too much reward for finishing third - there is a question there.

"I heard a suggestion recently about a third and fourth place play-off in Munster. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea. It would have put manners on the third-place team; they could have had a home game, it could have been played on the weekend of the Munster final, and it would have been another game to promote hurling. It also would have stopped dead rubbers at the bottom end of the Munster Championship this year."