Key decisions from GAA Congress: All-Irelands stay in July, Munster hurling runners-up get home advantage
DISRUPTION: Protesters confront GAA President Jarlath Burns at GAA Congress. After an early lunch break to clear the room, congress concluded as planned. Picture: INPHO/Nick Elliott
Facing a heavy defeat, the All-Ireland senior finals will remain in July next year after a motion to extend the inter-county season by two weeks was withdrawn at Annual Congress on Saturday.
The proposal, which also called for the disbandment of January’s pre-season competitions, was opposed by a number of speakers.
Cork had already voted at their county board meeting against any extension of the inter-county calender due to the impact it would have on dual players at club level.
GAA director general Páraic Duffy outlined the reasons why his committee recommended the changes. He highlighted the four All-Ireland senior semi-finals and finals were played over just 22 days and the “overload” impinged on the promotion of games.
A related motion, requiring a simple majority, the Gaelic Players Association’s recommendation to define the inter-county window as 30 weeks garnered 66.7% support.
The All-Ireland senior preliminary hurling quarter-finals are no more after a Laois proposal received 94.1% backing. Instead, the Munster runners-up will this year face the third-placed team in Leinster and vice-versa in All-Ireland quarter-finals with the provincial finalists expected to have home advantage.
For example, such a scenario would have seen the Cork hurlers head to Dublin in 2024 for their quarter-final which took place at Semple Stadium, where last summer Limerick would have hosted the Dubs at the Gaelic Grounds.
Also, a Joe McDonagh semi-final will be part of the 2027 season. The second and third-placed counties will face off to meet the table-toppers in the second-tier final.
From this season, replays will apply to provincial football finals that finish level after extra time. Almost three-quarters of delegates (73.5%) endorsed the Central Council motion. In the new All-Ireland format, provincial finalists have home advantage in the first round of the qualifiers, though this change could see teams out for three weeks in a row.
There were two penalty shootouts in the Ulster championship in recent years while Cork beat Limerick in the Munster hurling decider last June, though this rule was for football only.
Delegates endorsed a new inter-county certification programme, requiring a simple majority, it received 59.1% backing.
To be certified, counties will have to adhere to a number of measures such as providing GPS data, annual maximum expenditure limits, inter-county mangers undertaking induction courses and a limit of 10 paid backroom team members. The exact details have yet to be worked out and the ambiguity was one of the reasons some delegates voted against it.
A new dissent rule will be introduced to hurling where a free will be advanced 30 metres in such an instance.
For underage games, a player found to have committed the infraction will also be sin-binned and replaced by 10 minutes, which should have a significant impact on cutting out backchat on the field.
Fermanagh’s motion to reattach the All-Ireland minor finals as the curtain-raisers to the senior deciders was soundly defeated, receiving just 15.8%.
A series of opposing speakers included the Dublin, Galway and Waterford chairmen, with Neil Moore explaining the experience of the Déíse All-Ireland minor hurling success as a standalone game in Thurles last June was superior to the 2013 victory when it felt like the teenagers were being rushed afterwards to make way for the senior clash.
Having the games played on a standalone basis also allows everyone interested to attend and facilitates cheaper tickets for U16s.
Both demographic committee motions were backed including allowing 12-a-side teams to reflect the difficulties faced by rural clubs in fielding sides.
Cork have moved to limit the number of amalgamated sides at underage level and smaller-sided games would certainly assist clubs struggling for numbers in fielding independently.
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