Resistance to Munster GAA’s controversial decision to change the basis of seeding in the province’s football championship has moved a step farther. A statement from the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) on Monday confirmed the four non-seeded counties – Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford – held a videocall meeting with the GPA last week.
The statement added “players from all four counties are deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision which will see the province departure from the old seeding of the previous year’s two provincial finalists.
The panels are now seeking meetings with their respective county boards “to ascertain the full circumstances around the vote taken” before “evaluating potential next steps in response,” the statement read.
The Limerick footballers were believed to be meeting their administrators on Monday evening to discuss why their views on the matter did not appear to be respected.
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Munster delegates took the decision that the top two counties, judged by league standing, should be drawn in the semi-finals and kept apart on the basis that it would boost gate receipts by optimising provincial attendances between Kerry and Cork, the two most successful counties, who would have an enhanced chance of reaching the final.
The decision was ratified for a three-year period beginning in 2026 at the Munster Council meeting last Thursday week.
Limerick manager Jimmy Lee, whose county delegates voted in favour of the change, was also critical of the move.
“It feels like a vote of no confidence in us. That’s just the way we feel, the way I feel. To be fair about it, we feel disrespected,” Lee told Live 95.
“I don’t want to put words in the rest of the management teams’ or the players’ mouths, but that’s the feeling I get from it. We got to a Tailteann Cup final, we won a league final, you can argue we weren’t far off Cork (in the Munster championship) when we had 15 on 15, and this is what the county board turn around and do.”
On Sunday, Peter Keane announced he would be stepping down as Clare manager after just one season in charge despite having lead the county to this year’s Munster final.
In his resignation statement, he didn’t mention the redrawn championship, but the fact his team were supposed to be seeded for the 2026 provincial semi-finals and now would not be was hardly an encouragement to remain in the position.
