Laois GAA clubs will be presented with a proposal on how the hurling championships in the county will operate in 2025 at the next County Committee meeting, scheduled for Monday, January 29.
Back in November, it was agreed that the current Senior hurling championship would change from an eight to ten-team format.
And that the results of the 2024 season would determine which clubs would enter which competitions in 2025.
To deal with senior first, the proposal before clubs at next week’s county board meeting shows there will be no relegation from the SHC in 2024.
Instead, the current eight will remain and they will be joined by the two teams who reach the Premier IHC final this year.
The exception being in the event of one of those teams being a second team of a club already participating in SHC (Clough-Ballacolla, Rathdowney-Errill or Camross).
If that happens, one of the beaten semi-finalists in the Premier IHC will be promoted, which may be determined by a play-off between the beaten semi-finalists.
And in terms of the format, the teams will be drawn into two groups of five with the ‘criss-cross’ method in place to avoid a bye weekend.
Seeding is to apply, with 2024 finalists and beaten semi-finalists to be drawn in separate groups.
The championship will be played on a round robin league basis, with teams criss-crossing and playing a team in opposite Group in each round.
So while you are playing teams from the opposite group, your points total is up against the teams in your group and each team will have five matches.
The top team in each group will go to the semi final while the second and third teams will face off in a quarter final.
The fourth-placed team will be out while the bottom side in each group will play the relegation final.
It remains to be seen if clubs back this suggestion as a potential anomaly means that it would be possible for teams that win a far greater number of games to lose out to team with a far lower number of points.
The 2019 Offaly football championships were played on a similar format which ended with Cappincur qualifying for the quarter-finals despite losing all four games – while Tullamore ended up in the relegation final despite winning two of their four fixtures.
The proposal also deals with the other grades in the hurling championship and it suggests to leave them in their current format.
So that means there will be no relegation in 2024 for Premier IHC, IHC, JHC ‘A’ or ‘B’.
They will all be eight team competitions with sides drawn into two groups of four.
It means the finalists in IHC, JHC ‘A’ and JHC ‘B’ in 2024 will be promoted to the higher grade for 2025.
But again, like at senior, the exception is in the event of one of those teams being a second or third team of a club already participating in the higher grade.
If that happens, one of the beaten semi-finalists in the competition will be promoted, which may be determined by a play-off between both beaten semi-finalists.
Laois GAA clubs are set to debate the issue at the meeting next week.
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