The traditional hurling counties "suffered a stunning rebuke" at Saturday's Gaelic Athletic Association Special Congress "when despite their dire warnings about the implications of the new-look All-Ireland championship, delegates backed the plan -- albeit narrowly," according to Sean McGoldrick of the IRISH INDEPENDENT. For the next three seasons, "there will be a round-robin series of games in the Munster and Leinster championships." The 10 competing counties -- five in each province -- "are guaranteed a total of four games, two of which will be at home." The counties are Galway, Kilkenny, Wexford, Dublin, Offaly (in Leinster) and Waterford, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick and Cork, in Munster. There "are doubts, however, about whether Waterford's Walsh Park can host a championship game" for the first time since '96. Delegates "overwhelmingly backed a motion" sponsored by Laois, Offaly and Meath to allow two teams from Tier 2 to compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup as well. GAA Dir General Páraic Duffy revealed after the congress that the 2018 All-Ireland hurling final will be played on Aug. 19. There will be an "earlier start to the National League and it is envisaged that April will be left free" for club fixtures. There will be five tiers in the "new-look championship" -- the MacCarthy, Ring, Mackey and Meagher cups together with a yet-to-be-named Tier 2 competition in which Antrim, Carlow, Kerry, Laois, Meath and Westmeath will compete (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 10/1).
