National Forum

Cork Chairman Pitches New AI SHC Revamp

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Replying To 2maroonjerseys:  "Play provincial finals then top 4 in both provinces into an open draw of 4 teams. Play the 3 games in each group and the winners of each group into All Ireland final."
Dead rubbers in Rd 3 - it would repeat the Sam Super 8 issue.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3494 - 22/07/2026 11:54:45    2686584

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Replying To logger:  "Come on now lads. Give them the championship the Munster counties want.
Keep current format for both Leinster and Munster but instead have 5 qualify out of Munster and 3 from Leinster.

2 primarily quarter finals - 4th place team in Munster plays 3rd place team in Leinster and 5th place team in Munster plays runner up in Leinster. These games have to be fixed for Thurlus... its important that Munster counties get the advantage here.

2 Quarter finals - winners of the primarily quarter finals will play 3rd and 2nd in Munster - Again these games have to be fixed for Thurles.

Semi finals Croke Park - Leinster winner v Quarter final 1 winner
Semi finals Croke Park- Munster winner v Quarter final 2 winner

Final Croke Park Winner of Semi final 1 v Winner of Semi final 2 *

*If Cork qualify for the All Ireland final they get home advantage

This should keep the Munster lads happy."
All Munster teams at home in those quarters, playing with the wind for the hour.
All that was left was for him to suggest two relegations from the 7-team Leinster and the Joe McDonagh finalists both get promoted.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2131 - 22/07/2026 14:05:54    2686601

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Because the provincial football championships helped determine which teams would go into Tier 1 of the subsequent competitions, and which teams would go to Tier 2.

Under the hurling structure being proposed, everybody would go to Tier 1 anyway. That's the key difference."
Tier 1 and 2 are moreso decided by League placings in Football, and your success in the previous years championship. The only way a county ends up playing in a different tier in Championship on account of the Provincial Championships is if a lower tier county makes a Provincial final, which doesn't happen that often.
Other than that its League position or winning the TC the year before.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20310 - 22/07/2026 14:41:19    2686613

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Replying To omahant:  "Dead rubbers in Rd 3 - it would repeat the Sam Super 8 issue."
Ok two from each group for semifinals

2maroonjerseys (Galway) - Posts: 172 - 22/07/2026 15:35:08    2686622

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Replying To wexford2012:  "Munster wants a back door while Leinster lives with a trap door!

Leinster counties face relegation. Munster counties don't. Yet we're now being asked to support a proposal that gives Munster counties even more protection through an expanded All-Ireland series.
Before creating second chances for counties that finish fifth in Munster, perhaps the GAA should explain why a Leinster county can lose its place in the championship altogether while a Munster county cannot.
Championship reform should be about fairness for all hurling counties, not solving one province's problems at everyone else's expense."
Noone is asking you to do anything.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 747 - 22/07/2026 15:50:33    2686627

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Replying To Viking66:  "Tier 1 and 2 are moreso decided by League placings in Football, and your success in the previous years championship. The only way a county ends up playing in a different tier in Championship on account of the Provincial Championships is if a lower tier county makes a Provincial final, which doesn't happen that often.
Other than that its League position or winning the TC the year before."
That may be so, but it remains a fact that any given year's provincial football championships determine who goes to Tier 1 of that year's All-Ireland and who goes to Tier 2.

Good performances by a Westmeath or a favourable provincial draw for a Sligo or a Clare can see them take a spot in the Sam Maguire ahead of team from a higher League division. And in particular, Wicklow's success in this year's Tailteann Cup means that at least one of Kildare and Offaly won't make the Sam Maguire next year unless they reach the Leinster Final.

The provincial football championships therefore retain more relevance than provincial hurling championships would in a system where everybody would go through to the top tier All-Ireland competition anyway.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3802 - 22/07/2026 16:04:32    2686630

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Replying To Viking66:  "Fair play to Cork GAA, Pat Horgan and Kevin O'Donovan, this is obviously a subject they've been giving plenty of thought to, its not their first statement on the need for something to be done for the game of hurling in recent months, and its a workable plan they've come up with to get more games of hurling later in the year, within the existing intercounty window too."
I must say Kevin is a bit more thoughtful - focusing on the greater good of the sport rather than "protect our little empire (Munster SHC) and let the result of hurling die".

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3494 - 22/07/2026 16:41:45    2686633

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "That may be so, but it remains a fact that any given year's provincial football championships determine who goes to Tier 1 of that year's All-Ireland and who goes to Tier 2.

Good performances by a Westmeath or a favourable provincial draw for a Sligo or a Clare can see them take a spot in the Sam Maguire ahead of team from a higher League division. And in particular, Wicklow's success in this year's Tailteann Cup means that at least one of Kildare and Offaly won't make the Sam Maguire next year unless they reach the Leinster Final.

The provincial football championships therefore retain more relevance than provincial hurling championships would in a system where everybody would go through to the top tier All-Ireland competition anyway."
Alot of "ifs" in that second paragraph. Only Westmeath managed to qualify for the top tier through the Provincial Championships this year. Only Clare did it last year or the year before.
And in any case every county Football team has the option to play in their Provincial Championships. The Provincial Championships in Hurling are already seeded in effect, as most counties already arent in them.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20310 - 22/07/2026 16:44:35    2686634

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Replying To Viking66:  "Alot of "ifs" in that second paragraph. Only Westmeath managed to qualify for the top tier through the Provincial Championships this year. Only Clare did it last year or the year before.
And in any case every county Football team has the option to play in their Provincial Championships. The Provincial Championships in Hurling are already seeded in effect, as most counties already arent in them."
Or look at your first paragraph a different way.

Westmeath 2026. Clare 2025 and 2024. Add in both Clare and Sligo from 2023, and you're left with the fact that it's happened every year to date that the provincial championships see somebody who wouldn't otherwise be in the Tier 1 championship ending up in it anyway, and somebody else dropping out of it.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3802 - 22/07/2026 17:10:09    2686638

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Replying To brianb:  "When did the hurling championship stop working? Why does it need a revamp?

It was changed to allow a team to stay in the Leinster championship rather than yoyo up and down. Its happening now with 6 teams - so the call is to include a 7th. It would also happen with 7 teams - do we then go to 8?

Leave the structure alone - the problem with it at the moment is the lobsided nature of the championship with Munster presently being stronger. Hopefully Henry Shefflin will get a tune out of Kilkenny again and if Derek McGrath brings a bit more out of Wexford the championship format will be right again.

The only change I'd make would be not to rush it through - allow a couple more weeks after the league to start the provincials and maybe take another bye week in the provincials themselves."
The SHC didn't "stop working" but that "lopsided" does not provide a fair competition; nor allow weaker Lein teams to develop by avoiding stronger Muns teams.

I think blended groups would be better but Prov SHCs need to be retained (possibly in a shortened version, i.e. KO).

Again, I pitch what I had before below.
Groups of 5 shown for ease of presentation.
An expanded Lein 7 (AIC 6v6, Lein quartet merges with Muns pair) or Lein 9 (AIC 7v7, my preference; only 14th relegated) could be chosen instead.
______

- Munster KO 5 & Leinster KO 5
- AIC with two groups of 5 (A & B)
- Groups 'formed', not drawn

- Muns QF loser to Group A, winner to B
- SF opponent of Muns QF winner to A
- Muns Finalists placed in opposite groups
- Muns SF losers to opposite groups
- There is a Muns trio in A & pair in B

- Lein QF winner to Group A, loser to B
- SF opponent of Lein QF winner to B
- Lein Finalists placed in opposite groups
- Lein SF losers to opposite groups
- There is a Lein pair in A & trio in B

- Merge to form two groups of 5 (A & B)
- Each team completes a 5-game inter-group
schedule, including all their Prov KO ties (1-3)
- Prov KO is 'winner on the day' (1 point each, if
drawn at full time)
- 10th team relegated/ McDonagh Cup Champ
promoted

- Top 6 advance to AIC KO from a combined 10-
team table
- Top 2 of 6 earn QF byes (not necessarily
Prov Champs)
- AIC KO targets 'intra-group ties' to avoid repeat
pairings
- QFs could be 3v6 & 4v5 (avoid repeat pairings, if
possible)
SFs could have 'seed 1 v lowest QF seed winner'

Would this work - with any of 10, 12 or 14 teams?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3494 - 22/07/2026 17:16:31    2686639

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2 groups of 4 in Leinster is key. Perfectly reasonable for the top 2 in each Leinster group to go onto the All Ireland quarter finals. With the top 3 of 5 going through in Munster - just a matter of the two 3rd placed teams in Leinster and 4th in Munster battling it out for the final quarter final spot.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9992 - 22/07/2026 18:02:47    2686644

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