Cork Chairman Pitches New AI SHC Revamp

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Replying To Viking66: "Sure why did we play Provincial Football Championship games this year then? All the Football counties played in the tier 1 or tier 2 All Ireland competitions that followed." The football provincials were played to determine whether those teams would be in the AI tier 1 or tier 2. Under this proposal the hurling provincials would serve no such purpose as all 12 teams are in the AI tier 1 no matter how well or badly they do in the province. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1759 - 23/07/2026 09:36:12 2686695 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "That's what I'm suggesting!!! Munster 5 as is. Leinster 8 in 2 groups of 4. All Ireland quarter finalists: 2 provincial winners 2 provincial runners up 2 Leinster semi finalists 3rd in Munster 1 winner of a qualifier from 4th in Munster and the two 3rd placed teams in Leinster." If we did away with League finals we would have enough time to do that too. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20654 - 23/07/2026 10:42:15 2686709 Link
Replying To Viking66: "They are still only slightly more relevant. The vast majority of counties qualify for Sam based on their League positions. And all of them qualify for some sort of All Ireland Championship." 8 qualify from the provincial championship. 7 from the league and one from the TC. Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 23/07/2026 12:08:04 2686724 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "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." If there were 2 groups of 4 in Leinster how would that work? Would there be seeding? Would one group of 4 be seeded and the other unseeded or would the semi finalists from previous year be seeded etc? How would relegation work? There would have to be a leinster Semi Final round too to even out the games( 4 per championship). Also what about the inevitable yo yo team? The team that gets promoted after great work developing hurling. Its a big issue this season so why wouldnt it be a big issue in this format? What about the extra 2 teams affect on the Joe Mc competition and format and the roll on affect on the Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cups? There is currently 6 teams in each of those and they are keenly contested championships. Do they not count anymore? Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 23/07/2026 12:15:21 2686729 Link
Replying To Viking66: "If we did away with League finals we would have enough time to do that too." I don't think you need to scrap league finals for that reason anyway. Leinster with 3 group games and semi finals has the final on the same current weekend. A weekend with 4 hurling quarter finals, 2 Tailteann semi finals and 4 football round 3 would be hectic though. If there were 4 hurling quarter finals, should be a hurling weekend only IMO. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 23/07/2026 12:34:56 2686736 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "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." With much discussion about whether Muns 4th/Lein 3rd should advance to the AIC Series, I wonder if a golf-style "making the cut" would be better. Say, a variable team quantity in the AIC Series with all teams averaging at least '1 point per game' advancing. So currently, 4 points needed in Muns; 5 in Lein - this way a 2 win/2 loss Muns team could be worthy of 'earning' their berth. AIC byes (variable) to teams with best records - incentives all 'round. omahant (USA) - Posts: 3555 - 23/07/2026 13:11:21 2686750 Link
Replying To CastleBravo: "The football provincials were played to determine whether those teams would be in the AI tier 1 or tier 2. Under this proposal the hurling provincials would serve no such purpose as all 12 teams are in the AI tier 1 no matter how well or badly they do in the province." Advance all SHC teams with a Prov '1 point per match average' or more? omahant (USA) - Posts: 3555 - 23/07/2026 13:17:54 2686751 Link
Replying To Tadhg2020: "If there were 2 groups of 4 in Leinster how would that work? Would there be seeding? Would one group of 4 be seeded and the other unseeded or would the semi finalists from previous year be seeded etc? How would relegation work? There would have to be a leinster Semi Final round too to even out the games( 4 per championship). Also what about the inevitable yo yo team? The team that gets promoted after great work developing hurling. Its a big issue this season so why wouldnt it be a big issue in this format? What about the extra 2 teams affect on the Joe Mc competition and format and the roll on affect on the Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cups? There is currently 6 teams in each of those and they are keenly contested championships. Do they not count anymore?" You'd imagine 2 groups of 4 would be seeded. Whatever is agreeable really. Relegation straight forward 4th v 4th. Yeah sure look if the promoted team loses the relegation final, sin é. Naturally any restructure would ripple down for anyone shuffling up. 4 All Ireland quarter finals is a nuclear option anyway. 3rd Munster home to 4th Leinster and 3rd Leinster home to 4th Munster in "All Ireland Playoffs" is the way to go. Trial it for 3 years and assess it from there. All those complaining could very well be sated after say Clare v Kilkenny and Offaly v Waterford is played out. The playoff winners advancing to take on runners up in quarter finals would have a natural flow. Don't knock it until you try it! legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 23/07/2026 13:43:00 2686766 Link
Replying To Tadhg2020: "8 qualify from the provincial championship. 7 from the league and one from the TC." That all depends how you look at it I guess. Most of the 8 qualify anyway from the League. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20654 - 23/07/2026 13:50:20 2686771 Link
Replying To CastleBravo: "The football provincials were played to determine whether those teams would be in the AI tier 1 or tier 2. Under this proposal the hurling provincials would serve no such purpose as all 12 teams are in the AI tier 1 no matter how well or badly they do in the province." Thats why in my original proposal I said that the Provincial hurling championships should return to being straight knockout, with any county in any of the 4 provinces able to enter if they choose to. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20654 - 23/07/2026 14:50:22 2686779 Link
Replying To Viking66: "That all depends how you look at it I guess. Most of the 8 qualify anyway from the League." I suppose you could look at it that way if you wanted to make your original post right. However if division 3 and 4 teams were to qualify for the provincial finals then you would be incorrect and that is possible under the system. Therefore it is 8 qualifying from the provincial championships, 7 from the league and 1 from the previous seasons Tailteann Cup. Its important to differentiate because it shows that the Provincial Championships remain both relevant and as/more important than the leagues in AI series qualification. Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 23/07/2026 16:28:07 2686803 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "You'd imagine 2 groups of 4 would be seeded. Whatever is agreeable really. Relegation straight forward 4th v 4th. Yeah sure look if the promoted team loses the relegation final, sin é. Naturally any restructure would ripple down for anyone shuffling up. 4 All Ireland quarter finals is a nuclear option anyway. 3rd Munster home to 4th Leinster and 3rd Leinster home to 4th Munster in "All Ireland Playoffs" is the way to go. Trial it for 3 years and assess it from there. All those complaining could very well be sated after say Clare v Kilkenny and Offaly v Waterford is played out. The playoff winners advancing to take on runners up in quarter finals would have a natural flow. Don't knock it until you try it!" Im not knocking the preliminary quarters and I dont really care what Leinster do as long as their teams play 4 matches each minimum. I do care that we are proposing to damage the McDonagh, Ring , Rackard and Meagher Cups in the name of saving hurling. I also think that its very hypocritical to shrug the shoulders on relegation as an inevitable consequence while simultaneously arguing the need to expand leinster to 7 or 8 to avoid relegation and yo yoing. Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 23/07/2026 16:34:11 2686806 Link
Replying To Viking66: "Thats why in my original proposal I said that the Provincial hurling championships should return to being straight knockout, with any county in any of the 4 provinces able to enter if they choose to." And I'll make the point again that if you run provincial championships as a straight knock-out, with no effect on the All-Ireland championships that follow, then over time, they'll lose just about all relevance. Just as has happened in camogie. A "nice to win", but also a "doesn't really matter in the long run". Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4002 - 23/07/2026 17:04:19 2686816 Link
Replying To Tadhg2020: "Im not knocking the preliminary quarters and I dont really care what Leinster do as long as their teams play 4 matches each minimum. I do care that we are proposing to damage the McDonagh, Ring , Rackard and Meagher Cups in the name of saving hurling. I also think that its very hypocritical to shrug the shoulders on relegation as an inevitable consequence while simultaneously arguing the need to expand leinster to 7 or 8 to avoid relegation and yo yoing." Au contraire Rodney, au contraire! The promoted team would be targeting to beat the seed 3 to avoid the relegation final. If they are in the relegation final then, they are looking to beat the other 4th placed team. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 23/07/2026 18:05:07 2686827 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "And I'll make the point again that if you run provincial championships as a straight knock-out, with no effect on the All-Ireland championships that follow, then over time, they'll lose just about all relevance. Just as has happened in camogie. A "nice to win", but also a "doesn't really matter in the long run"." I guess there would have to be a link, an incentive. But how do you give a reward to all the Provincial Champions when 2 of them, Connacht and Ulster, will be easier won? Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20654 - 23/07/2026 21:40:21 2686852 Link
Replying To Tadhg2020: "Im not knocking the preliminary quarters and I dont really care what Leinster do as long as their teams play 4 matches each minimum. I do care that we are proposing to damage the McDonagh, Ring , Rackard and Meagher Cups in the name of saving hurling. I also think that its very hypocritical to shrug the shoulders on relegation as an inevitable consequence while simultaneously arguing the need to expand leinster to 7 or 8 to avoid relegation and yo yoing." 4 tiers below Liam is a bit much and came about in a quirky way where the Joe McDonagh was sort of tier 1.5 to begin with. If there were 13 in the All Ireland you'd have tiers of 8, 7 and 7 and you could have semifinals and finals per tier. 6 or 7 matches per team in the group phase. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 24/07/2026 09:43:48 2686871 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "4 tiers below Liam is a bit much and came about in a quirky way where the Joe McDonagh was sort of tier 1.5 to begin with. If there were 13 in the All Ireland you'd have tiers of 8, 7 and 7 and you could have semifinals and finals per tier. 6 or 7 matches per team in the group phase." 4 tiers is absolutely too much. Should be 3 tiers of 8. Then you'll have semi finals leading into the finals. The discarded football groups would suit lower tier hurling; 1. Group winners with home advantage in semi finals. 2. Group runners up with home advantage in quarter finals 3. 3rd placed away in quarter finals. 4. 4th into relegation finals. They could keep the same groups for 2 consecutive years. Reverse the fixtures in the following year so that if you are home against a team in Year A, you are away to them in Year B. Promoted team take the place of a relegated team and vice versa in Year B fixture scheduling. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 24/07/2026 10:45:30 2686883 Link
If the Cork Chairman proposal was slated for implementation, how would you tweak it for improvement? I'd go with: - AIC seeded draw - Prov Champs to Pot 1 - Prov RUs to Pot 2; 3rds to Pot 3....Lein 6th/7th to Pot 6 - Cross Prov Prel QFs: 2x Pot 2v6; 2x Pot 3v5; & 1x Pot 4v4 - Prov Champs (1v1), double chance (win to SF; lose to QF) - Likely AIC QFs: 2x Pot 2v3; and 1x Pot 1v 4, or lower seed - SFs has unbeaten Prov Champ v lowest QF seed winner Does it make the Prov SHCs ONLY slightly more relevant? omahant (USA) - Posts: 3555 - 24/07/2026 15:31:52 2686938 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "4 tiers is absolutely too much. Should be 3 tiers of 8. Then you'll have semi finals leading into the finals. The discarded football groups would suit lower tier hurling; 1. Group winners with home advantage in semi finals. 2. Group runners up with home advantage in quarter finals 3. 3rd placed away in quarter finals. 4. 4th into relegation finals. They could keep the same groups for 2 consecutive years. Reverse the fixtures in the following year so that if you are home against a team in Year A, you are away to them in Year B. Promoted team take the place of a relegated team and vice versa in Year B fixture scheduling." Win 1 of 3, go to likely QF; win 2 of 3, go to host likely QF. Maybe top 2 to crossover SFs is better. Give teams a crossover 4th game, if you wish (A1vB4; A2vB3; A3vB2: & A4vB1), before SFs. omahant (USA) - Posts: 3555 - 24/07/2026 15:43:09 2686940 Link
Replying To omahant: "Win 1 of 3, go to likely QF; win 2 of 3, go to host likely QF. Maybe top 2 to crossover SFs is better. Give teams a crossover 4th game, if you wish (A1vB4; A2vB3; A3vB2: & A4vB1), before SFs." Take a week off before you meet yerself coming back! Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 915 - 24/07/2026 17:30:43 2686954 Link

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Cork Chairman Pitches New AI SHC Revamp