Leinster Council will decide tomorrow night whether or not to take Dublin out of Croker for their championship opener.

The defending Leinster and All-Ireland champions are due to face either Laois or Wicklow in their provincial quarter-final next summer and County Board chairman Sean Shanley says it's "a done deal, a fait accompli, that Dublin will be taken out of Croke Park for the first round".

The Dubs chief adds that Jim Gavin's men are "happy to leave Croke Park and go down the country to wherever they send us. My understanding is that it's going to happen for the first round and, wherever it is, it will be a great day out."

Should a provincial venue be chosen for Dublin's championship opener, it would be the first time in a decade that they will be asked to play a championship game away from home.

However, Leinster Council has moved to counter any claims that decisions regarding fixtures have already been made, releasing the following statement:

"Leinster GAA can confirm that a meeting of the Council at Áras Laighean on Wednesday, November 11 will decide upon venues and dates for matches in the 2016 Leinster senior hurling and football championships.

"Any speculation regarding these decisions and where matches will take place is entirely premature.

"Leinster GAA wishes to emphasise that it will be the delegates at the meeting on Wednesday who will meet and decide on where the championship fixtures will take place.

"The full schedule of games and their venues and dates will be made available to the public after the meeting on November 11."

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