McDonagh calls for U21 open draw trial

IN his time as GAA president from 1997 to 2000 Joe McDonagh was responsible for the introduction of several major changes.

Yesterday in Galway, McDonagh announced his most ambitious project yet — the end of the provincial hurling championships and the adoption of an open draw.

McDonagh is now Chairman of the Galway Hurling Review committee, most of whose brief was to deal with domestic matters. But it’s their recommendations on the structure of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship that will generate most reaction.

To begin with, the committee would like to see the Open Draw format tried at U21 level for a two-year period, but the ultimate ambition is to have it implemented at senior level.

Given that this would then see the end of two of the GAA’s most sacred cows, the Munster and Leinster hurling championships, given also that the proposed Champions League style format (four groups of four) will instantly alienate many in the GAA, McDonagh knows the challenges ahead. He is undaunted, however.

“I remember my time involved with the Football Development Committee and we were promoting a rather radical approach to the All-Ireland championship and we finished with the compromise of the back-door.

“But I remember, having seen the move for change, the last public comment I made (as President) was that the All-Ireland senior championship would never be the same again.

“Looking at the All-Ireland championships over the last few years, that change has had an enormous impact on the profile of the games. Having an Open Draw for the All-Ireland series would add a huge amount of excitement and a tremendous opportunity for further promoting our games, and putting a right structure in place.”

He noted that there is nothing new in this proposal from a Galway point of view.

“This has always been our position in Galway, even going back to my own time. An Open Draw would have been our preference. What we’re saying is try it out at U21 and see the possibilities.”

And the chances of that? “I’ve been through the labyrinth of GAA politics, I know the challenges involved. We’re restating the long-standing policy of Galway GAA but we also recognise the difficulty of trying to get that through the labyrinth of Congress. This (the U21 proposal) is an opportunity to explore, on a two-yearpilot basis, the 4x4 grouping – let’s see how it works. We have a wonderful game and we’re not exploiting it. Let’s get people out of their bunkers and get everyone thinking along the same lines.”

Whatever about the U21 championship being changed along the lines proposed by McDonagh’s committee, the chances of the same thing happening at senior level are almost non-existent. The provincial championships are huge money-spinners for both the Leinster and Munster Councils, both of which have powerful representation at Congress.

It doesn’t make huge sense now anyway. Three years ago, and along with Antrim from Ulster, Galway accepted an invitation to take part in the Leinster SHC and thus corrected the major imbalance that had long existed, the two championships now equal in competitive depth and the westerners no longer out on a limb.

That agreement expires in 2013 and while Galway aren’t happy with the current arrangements vis-à-vis funding and home games, the probability is that a better deal will then be negotiated, the status quo maintained.

“We originally signed up for three years,” Galway Hurling Board chairman Joe Byrne explained. “But that became five when a motion was passed at Congress that the structure for the Liam MacCarthy Cup would remain unchanged until 2013, which meant we had to stay in Leinster. We have met with the Leinster Council and we have outlined some of our issues in relation to support for Galway hurling from them, including the issue of home games.

“If we’re staying in Leinster I think we can agree a home-and-away arrangement with Kilkenny, Offaly or whoever.”