The current Kerry hurling team would benefit in playing in the Munster Intermediate Hurling Championship. Our senior hurling champions play in the Munster Club Intermediate Championship. I don't why our or any other county not in the McCarthy Cup can't be allowed to do the same.

People here saying Munster is sacred etc.. but even that has gone a bit stale in recent years. Even Munster is starting to feel a little boring. Its the same old same old every year. I think one of the main problems even for Munster is Kilkenny's dominance. It's not their fault but I think it's really killing hurling at the moment. GAA has really got to do something to get everybody up to the mark. To me the League is a more interesting comp in hurling than the championship.
I really believe that the league as such should be done away with and the championship should replace this competition. Hurling will improve when teams play more games and even more so when they are meaningful. They can still I believe incorporate the Leinster championship and Munster championship in this structure without even having another competition. For example if they have a 10 team first division league (let's not start with the division 2 argument) and then the Munster championship could be played based on this competition also at the end with the two top Munster teams playing out for the Munster championship once the all ireland series ends and the two top Leinster teams doing the same. Would to be increase the importance of the League and interest in the games. It's just a thought. But saying that it gives the oportunity for teams to improve against the better teams. It also ensure at least some great games, ok there maybe some blow outs but what the hell we are seeing this at the moment anyway in the championship and unfortunately a team gets two thumpings and that's it. Like Cork coudl get beaten by Tip in Munster and then loose to Offaly and be gone for the year, it's not just the so called weaker counties that can loose out. More hurling more quality, more practise better games. Also they should be aiming to reduce the lenght of the hurling season. To be Feb to Bank holiday August weekend should be enough. 4 top teams in the league go through to semi. Each year 2 teams go up and 2 go down.

It's not sacred but it's still am important part of the championship. I don't see how Kilkenny's domimance can be a problem. They've set a standard, it's up to the rest of the counties to come up with an answer. Counties have come in in football setting a standard and others have been able to come back with answers.

The league this year was ridiculous. League should be league. Championship should be championship. Divisions of 8 teams should be returned. After 7 games, give the league title to the team on top of the table. Possibly have relegation/promotion play-offs between second bottom and second top in divisions to whet appetites for knock-out stuff on the horizon.

Do away with the league? I say no anyways. If you want to give the league an edge, it could be used to seed teams for qualifiers but with preference for open draw which is understandable, you won't see change.

It's not sacred but it's still am important part of the championship. I don't see how Kilkenny's domimance can be a problem. They've set a standard, it's up to the rest of the counties to come up with an answer. Counties have come in in football setting a standard and others have been able to come back with answers.

The league this year was ridiculous. League should be league. Championship should be championship. Divisions of 8 teams should be returned. After 7 games, give the league title to the team on top of the table. Possibly have relegation/promotion play-offs between second bottom and second top in divisions to whet appetites for knock-out stuff on the horizon.

Do away with the league? I say no anyways. If you want to give the league an edge, it could be used to seed teams for qualifiers but with preference for open draw which is understandable, you won't see change.
legendzxix , 08/07/2012 at 12:50

what dominance is that? the 2010 8 point annihilation by the premier in 2010? and the same agion this year by the look of things am I missing something?

I think the tipp supporters need to have a second income because between minor football, minor hurling, u21 hurling, senior hurling, camogie, lads I think we need to pace ourselves and save the money for croker in September or wel run out of tin foil.

I think the tipp supporters need to have a second income because between minor football, minor hurling, u21 hurling, senior hurling, camogie, lads I think we need to pace ourselves and save the money for croker in September or wel run out of tin foil.
thurlesblues , 08/07/2012 at 13:59

God lads forgive me! I forgot about the intermediates who are also in the munster hurling final shure I cant think of all the teams!!!

perfect10, I suppose I can go back to saying whatever I like, about too many turkey shoots in the current All-Ireland hurling championship format! 10+ indeed, we almost did it!

How about this -

1). Open Draw Liam Mc Cup, 12 teams over 3 rounds, run under Christy Ring Cup format.
2). Produces 3 unbeaten from Rd 2A and 3 once beaten from Rd 3 for Super Six to AI Series.
3). In addition, run the Prov Champs ib parallel - 2 champs to AI Series.
4). Most likely, the 2 champs are also in Super Six, and therefore, earn byes to AI SFs.
Everyone has 3 chances -
Well ?

No. but see you again same time next week for the same post.

As regards the hurling format, what else can be done?

As far as I can see the only thing is to play the Munster championship as a league with the top 2 going into the Munster final, then getting all the non-Munster counties to play for the Leinster title, also on a league basis.

I'd play the Munster & Leinster finals on the same day, same time where the losers of one meets the winners of the other.

All of the above though adds extra games to the calendar and I'm not sure we can fit everything in given that clubs need time to play their championships too.

I like the idea of playing Leinster and Munster in League/rr format during March/April with leinster being split into two groups of 4&5 then from mid june to mid july play 4 groups of 3 qualifying sections, with the winners excluded and going straight to semis, then in end july two double header saturday and sunday one week end hurling 2nd round for top two in each group, then 2nd weekend aug sat/sun quarter finals, then last wkend aug semis, sept final.

Alongside this i would go with the bottom team from each group going into a relegation plate section where they play each other once with the bottom team finishing their season by playing the CRC champions to see who plays liam mc cup the following year.

I think they group stage for the qualifiers could be seeded so that youd have top 4 seeds provincial second and third place, avoid each other being KK, Dub, Waterford, Cork, then your second seeds, Wex, Offaly, Clare, Limerick, then your bottom seeds Antrim, Carlow, Westmeath and Laois.

This would allow the likes of offaly a crack at playing a big dog whilst giving a bottom seed a crack at them, one win for the likes of Antrim over Wexford say and they could land a second place 2nd round slot.

Play national league from november to feb (DEC/Jan off) as a round robin all ireland format where 3 groups of 4 teams in div1, top from each go to semis with best runner up making up the last smi finalist . Bottom of each group go into relegation play off group 3 to play each other once with loser relegated. Again the league must have a seeded system so teams partcipating get use to the idea of playing 2 different standards around them.

Means everyone gets a feel of each other in a competive game before the real knock out stuff begins at knock out final stage.

Example

Prov winners Galway Tipp

G1 KK Clare Carlow
G2 Cork Wex Antrim
G3 Dub Limerick West
G4 Waterford Offaly Laois
(3 rounds of games played over 4 weeks)

2nd round top two from each group knock out, also bottom each group to relegation/plate round robin competition

This system would provide a lot more meaningful games. This way likes of Offalys championship would not be over after two games either should the play to their potential and beat a bottom seed then they will have a second round to play.

For the year you should have a minimum of 13 games if unsuccessful inc league, a bit like what you knock your pan in for during winter with the county, not two games and your summers over.

Sorry I'm still a fan of combining the League and championship into one competition. You want teams to have at least 7 or 8 games each year (meaningful games that is). By the end of the current championship you can only be sure of one thing who the top 3 are. It's very difficult to see who is next in the pecking order because teams just don't get enough competitive games. I think a Div1 of 10 teams is still the way to go. Then Semifinals and the final. That 11 games for the teams who make it to the final and everybody gets 9 games. Have the league from the first weekend in March to 2nd week in September. basically every second weekend for inter-county football and then the club championships can be run over the other week. Huge amount of hurling can be done for player both club and county. They could have a break of a couple of weeks here and there too. To me this is the way to go with the hurling. The more hurling teams get the better. I think too this will focus teams more on the skills of hurling. They still have the Winter months to do the strength training.

Teams wont buy into the league/championship format nick, thats why i think in my last post the league is minimalised.

further to what i had said about in my format, i also see connaught and ulster hurling championships being run as leagues with the winners playing 2 final placed christy ring teams in quarter finals of the all ireland intermediate championship, with the winners playing in the semis v intermediate winners of leinster and munster.