First county sides set for hurling qualifiers revealed

The first teams to be routed through the GAA’s new All-Ireland hurling qualifier system became known at the weekend.

Unlike previous years, all of the counties defeated before the provincial final stages will go into the one draw at the end of the month.

There will be two groups. The first featuring four of the five counties that don't make the Leinster final and the second featuring the fifth Leinster team plus the three Munster counties that don't qualify for that provincial final.

The Leinster team in the latter group will be either Laois or Antrim (to be decided by draw), as the rule, 6.27 B (ii), specifies that where possible the Leinster county to join the Munster group will be one of the two to have emerged from the Leinster preliminary round robin.

In other words unless Laois or Antrim had reached the Leinster final, one of them was scheduled to be the fourth county in Group 2.

As the qualifiers stand, Group 1 will include: Laois or Antrim; Kilkenny or Offaly; Dublin or Wexford; and Kilkenny/Offaly or Galway. Group 2 includes Laois or Antrim; Tipperary; Waterford or Cork; and Clare or Waterford/Cork.

The four counties in Group 1 will be drawn against the four in Group 2.

Venues will also be decided by draw. And counties that have already played each other will be kept apart.

Two of these matches will be played on June 28th and the remaining two a week later on July 5th.

Round two will have the four winners drawn against each other with, if possible, no repeat fixtures.

Both of these matches will be played on July 12th and the winners will proceed to the All-Ireland quarter-finals to play the defeated provincial finalists in the Leinster and Munster championships on July 27th.