GAA: Laois manager Seamus Plunkett unhappy with format of Leinster Championship

Laois manager Seamus Plunkett has questioned the benefits of the Leinster Championship qualifier group.

Plunkett’s side held their own during the National League, avoiding relegation from Division 1B and losing by just four points to All-Ireland champions Laois in the league quarter-finals.

The O’Moore County will book their place in the Leinster quarter-finals with victory over London on Sunday but Plunkett believes the GAA need to take development projects in the round-robin counties more seriously.

We’re being asked to go from the league into effectively another league and after that into a knock-out championship the Sunday after and I think a restructuring of that would be more beneficial.

“We’re happy with our momentum but I wonder what is the objective of the round robin?” he asked.

“If it’s all about development I think we need to have a different discussion because you can only grow the game if you have proper long-term plans and quality people overseeing them.

“You also need resources and some of the numbers being talked about to help the likes of ourselves, Antrim and Carlow won’t be enough.”

The round robin format was introduced to give a series of matches to the two counties that qualify for the Leinster quarter-finals. It is also part of a mechanism intended to reduce the number of counties participating in the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Opposition

Antrim boss Kevin Ryan and Carlow’s John Meyler have also voiced their opposition to the qualifier group, and Plunkett wonders whether the format will help counties in the long run.

“I think there are advantages to it although what was the objective of this whole exercise at the start? Was it to give games to these counties in preparation for the next stage?

"Well if you look at the outcome, the last team in the group goes down to the Christy Ring and stays there next year. Is that going to be helpful to a county that has ambitions in terms of growing?

“If you look at the objectives that were set out for that originally it’s very unclear to me how they’re going to help even in the here and now with a team that has to play Wexford or Galway. They’ll have gone through four Sundays in a row.

“Surely there could have been a break between the final game between those counties. I’d question how this was structured from the start and I’d certainly question was this intended to help counties get up to the level (of the Leinster quarter-finals).

“We’ll go with what’s there. We’re very enthusiastic about hurling in the county at the minute. There’s momentum behind us and we’re certainly going to build on that.

“We’ll give it our best shot and if we get out of the round robin to play Wexford or Galway, we’ll give it everything on that particular day.

“But we’re being asked to go from the league into effectively another league and after that into a knock-out championship the Sunday after and I think a restructuring of that would be more beneficial.”