There’s a new format for the hurling championship from next year. Agreed at Congress yesterday and it was also agreed that the format would go unchanged for 5 years which is a good move I think.
The format was devised by the HDC and involves a big change to the qualifiers:
Phase 1: The first round losers in Munster and Leinster play with the Connacht and Ulster representatives. They all play eachother once with the top 2 teams progressing to Phase 3. The bottom 2 teams go into a relegation playoff.
Phase 2: The 4 semi-final losers in Munster and Leinster play a knockout game each with the two winners progressing to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Phase 1 winners versus Phase 2 winners
Phase 4 - Quarter Final: Phase 3 winners versus losing Munster and Leinster finalists
Semi Final: Phase 4 winners against provincial champions.
Am I correct in saying if you lose your first provincial game but win the second knock out type game you go into phase 3 but if you actually win your provincial first round game but then lose the semi final then you could actually be eliminated if you don’t win the knock out game between beaten provincial semi-finalists?
Your understanding is correct except it’s not a knockout if you lose your first round game - it’s a round robin format.
I presume this was the only way of getting Galway’s agreement: otherwise they lose win one game and they’re out. So there’s a bit more of a league format to Phase 1 which should help the stronger counties but by the time Phase 2 comes around it’s straight knockout.
One of the goals of the new format was to reduce the number of meaningless matches and it has done that.
I just think you might get a situation where 2 poor teams from Munster and Leinster go in to play Galway and Antrim (say Laois and Limerick or something) and it’s obvious who’ll come out of that and after losing their first game they’ll then go into phase 3.
Then you could get a team like Dublin, who say after beating Laois, then lose a provincial semi to say Kilkenny, and then their 2nd chance would be against a strong team from Munster like Cork or Clare or somebody. In a way they’d be better off losing to Laois perhaps?
Yeah you’re right. I suppose Phase 1 will always have Galway and Antrim and 2 weak teams from Leinster and Munster. The seedings would probably suggest that the weakest Munster team should get through in second place behind Galway but there’d be a decent chance for the likes of Dublin to get through.
Going into Phase 2 by losing a semi-final means you are playing a stronger Munster side by definition than the side that lost in the first round. But only if the weakest team didn’t get a bye in either province which is possible isn’t it?
While it’s not perfect it’s better than the current arrangement and there isn’t much else they can do when Galway are on their own and they want to preserve a Munster championship.
Yeah, because of the geography it’s probably the fairest thing they could come up with other than throwing Galway out of the championship which I’d like them to consider.
I think theyve done the best they can considering the circumstances. Galway should be fooked into Leinster if you ask me dont even give them a choice, the only people youd hear complaining are the Galway County Board. Therell be a bit of a bite to the phase 2 and 3 games seeing as the loser is out and the provincial champions will be rewarded with a semi final place which I suppose is fair enough. Means Kilkenny will be in an All Ireland semi pretty much every year though. Suppose theyve been in every AI semi since 1998 anyway so doesnt really make much of a difference. Unbelievable record when you think about it.