GAA Motion: Ring winner into Preliminary Qualifier
(Oldest Posts First)
You need to Login to Post
Antrim's successful motion to reward the Christy Ring Cup winners with a Leinster SHC quarter-final spot from next year will not see the light of day.
Instead, it will be recommended that from 2017 the second-tier competition champions will be rewarded with a place in the first round of the All-Ireland qualifiers.
A series of anomalies about Antrim's proposal, backed by over 80% of delegates at Congress in February, indicated it would not come to pass.
The decision was made at a Central Council meeting after they had previously instructed the Central Competitions Control Committee to meet with the Leinster Council and Antrim to discuss the practicalities of the Christy Ring Cup winners leapfrogging the Leinster qualifying group.
A statement from the GAA yesterday read: "There was acceptance at the meeting that Antrim's goal (of ensuring the Ring Cup winners could be included in the MacCarthy Cup in the same year as their winning of the competition) could be most effectively achieved by providing access directly to the first round of the Liam MacCarthy qualifiers, rather than into the Leinster quarter-finals as well.
"Central Council endorsed that view and agreed on Saturday to defer the implementation of the motion passed at Congress to allow for a new motion sponsored by Central Council to be brought to Congress in February 2017.
"This new motion will ask that the Christy Ring Cup winners (from Championship 2017 onwards) be included in a preliminary round game in the All-Ireland qualifiers, where they would be drawn against one of the losers of the three Leinster quarter-finals.
"Provision will be made for such a preliminary round qualifier when the 2017 Master Fixtures schedule is being prepared."
It's a progressive step. One flaw though is that the Ring winner leapfrogs the two Leinster qualifier counties for a place in the preliminary round qualifier.
They could easily allow both Ring finalists and the 3rd and 4th placed Leinster group teams into the preliminary qualifier against the 4 losing provincial quarter-finalists.
legendzxix (Kerry) good idea - maybe let leinster group runner up in there as well like you say - id give the ring winners home draw too - nice prize for winners
Finally a good decision that will help a team with a bit of momentum to play at a higher level within a week or so rather than wait a year to have a go.
Replying To bricktop: "Finally a good decision that will help a team with a bit of momentum to play at a higher level within a week or so rather than wait a year to have a go.
This really makes the Christy Ring worth winning."
Assuming it passes congress, which it should do, 8 counties in affect will be promoted to McCarthy level. 22 counties will have the possibility of winning the McCarthy Cup.
At the very least the 3rd placed team in the group should be accommodated in the preliminary qualifier round as well but maybe that can be the next step after and another days work when the 3rd placed county starts calling for inclusion along with the Ring winner!