*Robert Loftus of Éire Óg battles with Kilmaley’s Mikey O’Malley. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE’s senior hurling championship will remain under the same format for 2026 after a proposal to introduce preliminary quarter-finals was rejected.
Hotel Woodstock was the venue on Tuesday night for the annual structures meeting of Clare GAA when a big attendance debated the seven motions on the agenda.
Four were carried but one of these is dependent on the CCC finding a formula which will not cut across general rule.
Eight motions were listed for discussion but a proposal from Kilfenora looking for a change to the format of the senior and intermediate football championships was withdrawn earlier on the day, Clare GAA Chairman Kieran Keating informed the meeting.
A proposal from Broadford to amend SHC format from next year onwards was heavily defeated.
Putting the proposal forward, Danny Chaplin said as the senior hurling championship stands in Clare, senior teams are guaranteed a minimum of three championship games per year. With the exception of Cork, this is less than all the other prominent hurling counties such as Tipperary and Galway who each have a minimum of four. He added that Limerick clubs have a minimum of five while Kilkenny and Waterford have six.
“Our proposal is a small amendment to the existing format to ensure all senior clubs are guaranteed a minimum of four championship games each year and this will put our championship on a par with the other adult hurling grades within the county,” the Broadford clubman outlined.
Newmarket-on-Fergus’ Pat Keogh seconded the proposal while Tulla’s Karl Quinn also supported the proposal.
St Joseph’s Miltown delegate Michael McDonagh spoke strongly against the proposal saying “this will not be good for football, not good for the dual clubs and not good for the dual players. It will not help player welfare”.
Banner delegate Liam O’Reilly said “this is a proposal to change from what was decided following the hurling review report last year. The structure put in place then came after a lot of consultation with the clubs and it was put in place for three years”.
Commenting on this point, chairman Kieran Keating said, “the hurling review structures were put in place for three years years. Structures are set each year but we can change structures and clubs can bring motions
“It has merit and is well researched,” Ruan’s Ger Lyons maintained, he asked those charged with making fixtures to indicate how it would effect dual clubs.
Masters fixtures committee chairman Colm Browne said he was particularly surprised that there were no motions before the meeting regarding the under 21 championships. Referring to the motion, he said “if we introduce more rounds we have a limited window as it is. Citing Galway as an example is not a reasonable comparison as their winners do not have to be ready for a provincial championship in Connacht. If this is passed we are going to have to find additional weekends”.
Clonlara’s Flan Mullane was another who opposed the motion noting “in this proposal the teams that win their groups will be sitting idly by for four weeks and on that point alone we are against the motion while we agree that the principle of four games is good”.
On a show of hands the motion was heavily defeated.
There was an even bigger defeat for a proposal from Clondegad which asked that a team which wins championship in adult competition can’t be relegated the following season so as to give a chance to adjust to the higher grade. The motion failed to get a seconder.
A proposal from Wolfe Tones seeking a change in the relegation format in competitions where there is an odd number of teams involved was also lost.
Sixmilebridge successfully proposed that where a club with two teams in the same competition, they can nominate 18 players for their top team (A) who may only play with this team while team B can have access to all other players eligible for this grade. Team B players may be promoted to team A during the playing season in which case they may not return to team B.
The junior B premier and junior B football championships are to be redesigned as junior B and junior C with regrading procedures to be expanded to allow regrading between these grades. This proposal was put by St Joseph’s Miltown delegate Michael McDonagh.
Corofin’s proposal that the under 18 hurling and football leagues run in the Springtime would revert back to under 17 in 2026 was carried following a proposal from Ann Marie Moran who said such a move would mean that there would be no crossover with the adult leagues.
The implementation of Clonbony’s proposal calling for a change to the current structure of the junior hurling league will depend on the CCC finding a way to implement a grading format.
Clonbony representative Derrick Lynch argued that Division 4 to 7 inclusive be graded at a higher level to Division 8 and 9. A player who starts three games or more at the higher level shall then become ineligible to play at the lower level for the remainder of the league campaign.
Chairman Kieran Keating pointed out that players are graded on championship.
Before the meeting concluded chairman Kieran Keating advised those present that a county board meeting will take place, online, next week.
