NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE:TOMORROW WEEK'S meeting of the GAA's Management Committee will consider ways to resolve the controversy surrounding the formation of next year's National Hurling League.

Last month’s decision of Central Council to institute two six-team groups in Division One triggered opposition among the counties in what would have been next season’s top flight and last week they put their concerns to association director general Páraic Duffy in a specially convened meeting

Duffy will report the counties’ concerns to the management committee, who must decide whether to propose a further change or reversion to last season’s format or to stick with last month’s decision. Whatever emerges from the meeting, rules still require Central Council to approve any change to their earlier decision by a two-thirds’ majority.

Opposition to the new format has been slow to get off the ground and one county, Dublin, voted in favour of the proposal at the original meeting before performing a U-turn, as county chair Andy Kettle explained that they had been under the impression the reduced match schedule would benefit club fixtures.

Other dissident counties didn’t raise any objections at the time and it was only with the strong objections of Limerick, who had been promoted to the old Division One only to find themselves back in the second flight and who calculated they would lose a five-figure sum, and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny, unhappy at the smaller fixture list for both financial and team development reasons, that opposition began to harden.

Central Council made its decision when offered three options for a new league format: one with eight-team Divisions One and Two and two with six teams in each of the top two pools.

Ironically, it was the Management Committee which originally proposed the change that would appear to satisfy most of the objections: the same structure with a two-up and two-down promotion and relegation process rather than the recent format which saw just one team going up every year and accordingly a reduction in the number of sides getting an opportunity in the top division.

The other proposals were the one accepted and another based on six-team Divisions One A and One B provided for quarter-finals and semi-finals to be organised.

With Ireland heading for Australia to take part in next month’s International Rules series, there is no Central Council meeting scheduled for October and so any decision to revoke or revise August’s decision won’t be taken until November 12th.

Although the GAA is due to complete its master fixtures’ list for 2012 before then, it is believed that this wouldn’t cause an insuperable difficulty, requiring an emergency meeting of Central Council.

Also coming before the November meeting will be the proposal of the GAA’s new standing committee on the playing rules, established by a congress decision allowing the body to bring forward urgent changes rather than observe the five-year moratorium on such amendments to Part II of the Official Guide.

One problem likely to be addressed is the hurling foul of interfering with a player’s protective head gear. Rattling an opponent’s head around had become more common in the game over the past couple of years and is currently only punishable by a yellow card despite the potential for serious injury.

The matter has already been raised at the first meeting of the standing committee and is expected to be addressed further before a schedule of proposals goes to Central Council for submission to next year’s annual congress.

Meanwhile, Cian O’Neill has stepped down as physical trainer to the Tipperary senior hurling squad after four seasons in order to pursue new challenges.

O’Neill was recruited by former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy and stayed on for last year after the 2010 All-Ireland success following Sheedy’s departure.

A statement from Tipperary County Board officials thanked O’Neill for his contribution to the county over a period when, as well as the All-Ireland, Tipp won three Munster titles and a national league title.

“Declan Ryan, his management team, and Tipperary County Board wish to thank Cian for his outstanding service to our senior squads over the past four years and wish him well in the future.”