GAELIC GAMES NEWS:THE GAA'S Management Committee meet in Croke Park on Friday under increasing pressure to present a more satisfying alternative to the new Allianz Hurling League structure agreed last month by Central Council.

The changed format has already proved a source of controversy and indeed embarrassment for the GAA, in that so many of the leading counties rejected it, and there is still the threat of a hurling league boycott if Management Committee fails to bring an alternative that would ultimately satisfy Central Council – with a two-thirds majority vote still necessary to overturn their original decision.

Limerick hurling captain Gavin O’Mahony added to that pressure yesterday by describing the means by which the new league format was introduced as “crazy stuff” and “madness”.

Limerick clubs have already voted to support a move by their county board to reject the format, given the fact Limerick are one of the big losers: despite winning promotion to the top flight this year, they’re essentially re-relegated to the old Division Two, which is now effectively called Division One B.

“I think it is crazy stuff, really,” said O’Mahony. “If you were in the Premiership and there were three relegated, and then the week after it then they decided there were four or five, there’d be uproar. That’s not the way business should be done.

“I’ve no problem with the structure of the league, and that has its own issues. The problem is the way it was implemented. If they had said at the end of this year’s league wherever you finish will be your place next year would have been a better system, and fellas can have no qualms.

“If you bring in the new system and try it and it doesn’t work and you go back to the old one ... but to bring it in like they did was madness.”

Limerick are without a senior hurling manager as Donal O’Grady surprised many people by not seeking another year in charge, having originally agreed to come in just for 2011.

Former Limerick All Star Ciarán Carey remains favourite to take over, having served as a selector under O’Grady, but O’Mahony believes O’Grady might well have stayed on had Limerick been given their place in Division One: “I think it definitely would have had an influence on Donal O’Grady’s decision,” he said, “and that says a lot on what we think of it.”

Eight of the leading hurling counties (Kilkenny, Galway, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford) outlined their grievances to Croke Park officials earlier this month, including GAA president Christy Cooney, president-elect Liam O’Neill and director general Páraic Duffy.

It was agreed Duffy would report the counties’ concerns to Management Committee, who must then decide whether to propose a further change or reversion to last season’s format – or indeed to stick with last month’s decision.

Whatever emerges then would still require Central Council to approve any change to their earlier decision by a two-thirds’ majority.

However, there is no Central Council meeting scheduled for October, due to the International Rules Series in Australia, so a decision won’t be taken until November 12th.

Originally, Central Council voted 28-16 to scrap the eight-team Divisions One and Two, and the Management Committee are now likely to present them with the following alternatives; to either revert to the eight-team Divisions One and Two, and two other divisions with six teams in each of the top two pools, or 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.

On the managerial front, Davy Fitzgerald is effectively cleared to take over in Clare as he was the only candidate presented to last night’s county board meeting. However, according to procedure, a sub-committee must still interview him before recommending him back to the board for formal ratification.

Brian Cody will, as usual, wait until after the Kilkenny county final before recommitting for another year, but according to Tommy Walsh, that too will be a formality: “No, I can’t see Cody walking away.

“He loves hurling and he loves managing the Kilkenny team. I couldn’t see him walking away. He loves the game and I presume he will stay on.”

New structure To stay or to go?

Gavin O’Mahony (Limerick)

“I think they’ll go back to what they did have. When you see the top counties backing the change (it) carries its own weight, the Limericks and Wexfords can feel hard done by but when you see bigger teams kicking there is obviously something wrong. Tipp and Kilkenny would have blooded a lot of players last year throughout the league because they were competitive games. But if you have half the amount of games it’s half the amount of chances given to a lad coming out of college or coming in from under-21. Trying to give him a couple of games ... the games aren’t there and you are left looking for challenge games.”

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)

“It is different for us because we are in Division One A, but any of the teams that are in the second tier are probably not happy about it. We are all about promoting hurling and ensuring everyone is the best they can be. So if it is to improve them that everyone was in the same division I’d be all for it. I would also rather an earlier start because the more matches you play the better. It is the best time of the year to be playing nearly in January because you are playing matches every week or every second week. I think the more matches we play the better.”

Niall Corcoran (Dublin)

“It’s not good. You’re looking at less games first of all. I think we have two or three less games next year and it’s going to be very competitive with the top six teams but if you’re looking at it from a manager’s point of view, the league this year for us, we got so many chances to try new players. We’re getting less of an opportunity next year. If the league was structured in a way you could play more club championship games you’d say fair enough but it’s not. You’re looking at the likes of Limerick and Wexford – I think it’s very unfair on them to have to go to what literally is a Division Two set-up.”