Offaly Senior Hurling Championship Structure 2014
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 9:23 pm
I was just listening to a soundcloud on the Midlands 103 site featuring some current hurlers and journalists discussing our championship structure and ALL were agreed that the current system is not providing the platform for an optimum hurling championship in the county.
It seems that the main support was to retain the current 2 groups of but only allow the top 3 to qualify. However I feel this will lead to too many dead games as the group stage progresses so how would people feel about the following:
3 groups of 4 -
Group A - Kilcormac / Killoughey and 3 other teams who qualified for this year's Quarter - Finals.
Group B - Birr and 3 other teams who qualified for this year's quarter final
Group C - The 4 teams who didn't qualify for this year's quarter final (Drumcullen, Brosna Gaels, Kinnitty, Lusmagh or Ballinamere)
The top 3 teams in Groups A and B make the quarter finals along with the top 2 in Group C.
The teams that win Group A and B play the qualifers from Group C in the Quarter Final. (This rewards the team that wins Group A and Group B as they play a "weaker" team in Quarter Final)
The other 2 quarter finals are 2nd Group A vs 3rd Group B and vice versa.
Semi - Finals are an open draw with the provision that if the group winners from Group A and Group B are still involved they can't meet in semi-finals.
For the 2015 Championship the two teams that qualified for the Quarter - Finals from Group C in 2014 go into the stronger groups while the bottom team from Group A and Group B in 2014 enter Group C in 2015.
The aim for all teams should be to be in Groups A and B for 2 reasons:
1. 3 teams enter Quarter Finals from this group
2. You can only be relegated to intermediate if you are in Group C.
Also the championship should run concurrently with the inter-county season. Offaly don't need a month together between the Kilkenny match and the first round of the qualifiers. A round of championship should be hurled in this window.
It seems that the main support was to retain the current 2 groups of but only allow the top 3 to qualify. However I feel this will lead to too many dead games as the group stage progresses so how would people feel about the following:
3 groups of 4 -
Group A - Kilcormac / Killoughey and 3 other teams who qualified for this year's Quarter - Finals.
Group B - Birr and 3 other teams who qualified for this year's quarter final
Group C - The 4 teams who didn't qualify for this year's quarter final (Drumcullen, Brosna Gaels, Kinnitty, Lusmagh or Ballinamere)
The top 3 teams in Groups A and B make the quarter finals along with the top 2 in Group C.
The teams that win Group A and B play the qualifers from Group C in the Quarter Final. (This rewards the team that wins Group A and Group B as they play a "weaker" team in Quarter Final)
The other 2 quarter finals are 2nd Group A vs 3rd Group B and vice versa.
Semi - Finals are an open draw with the provision that if the group winners from Group A and Group B are still involved they can't meet in semi-finals.
For the 2015 Championship the two teams that qualified for the Quarter - Finals from Group C in 2014 go into the stronger groups while the bottom team from Group A and Group B in 2014 enter Group C in 2015.
The aim for all teams should be to be in Groups A and B for 2 reasons:
1. 3 teams enter Quarter Finals from this group
2. You can only be relegated to intermediate if you are in Group C.
Also the championship should run concurrently with the inter-county season. Offaly don't need a month together between the Kilkenny match and the first round of the qualifiers. A round of championship should be hurled in this window.