McIntyre's last-ditch plea to save Offaly

GAA:Offaly hurling is facing "a doomsday scenario" and "a death sentence" if the GAA fail to alter the format of next year's national league.

Manager John McIntyre yesterday made a final plea to GAA president Nickey Brennan and members of the Central Council ahead of this weekend's decision to either stick with the nine-team Division One format or expand it to 10 teams to accommodate Offaly, and insisted he wasn't exaggerating in putting the consequences in such dramatic terms.

The indications are the Central Council will insist on the nine-team format, set to be introduced in 2008 as part of the latest overhaul of the hurling league.

Offaly lost out on Division One status after their defeat in the relegation play-off with Limerick last month, and in fact the final Division One spot has still to be decided between Limerick and Laois, the recent Division Two champions, who are due to play-off on Saturday.

McIntyre, however, is adamant it's not too late for the GAA to look again at the 10-team format, prompted by the decision at last month's congress to defer an Offaly motion on matter to this weekend's Central Council meeting.

"I'd appeal to Nickey Brennan in the strongest possible way," said McIntyre, "knowing he is a true hurling man, to show some real leadership here. It may appear that I'm putting the gun to his head, but Nickey said himself years ago as chairman of the then hurling development committee that he did have concerns about the game, and keeping it alive in the smaller counties. Here's a decision that will definitely help kill it off in such a county.

"We're talking about a death sentence, a doomsday scenario, whatever way you want to put it. And that's really not exaggerating. Just this week Nickey was talking about hurlers taking their helmets off during the parade so that people get to recognise them, and yet if this league format goes ahead Offaly players won't be recognised in their own homes, never mind their own counties.

"The reality is Offaly will be exiled in Division Two for years. Promotion will be based on playing the bottom-placed team from Division One, who'll have had eight high quality games behind them, whereas Offaly won't have had one. The real killer in all of this is there's no single reason to limit Division One to nine teams, where 10 teams make just as must sense. It will take exactly the same amount of weekends to run off, and also prevents one team from being left idle every week."

Brennan refused to be drawn in the matter yesterday, beyond saying it had been considered by both the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) and Competitions Control Committee (CCC): "Offaly had a notice of motion to the last Central Council meeting, which was set aside to be considered by both the HDC and the CCC, and they're coming with their recommendation to Management and Central Council at the weekend. But other than that I can't comment, because I'm chairing that meeting, so it would be disingenuous of me, but there will be a decision made on Saturday."

Any late change at this stage would render Saturday's Limerick-Laois play-off meaningless, and instead probably require Offaly to play Laois to determine the last remaining Division One spot. Yet McIntyre still felt the GAA would best serve everyone's interest if they agreed to the 10-team format.

"The reality is the future of a hurling county is at stake here. Offaly are a young team, with around 12 under-21 players on the senior panel . . . So I would also appeal directly to the Central Council members to take this opportunity to stand up and be counted. They've made big decisions, opening Croke Park to soccer and rugby, and yet here's a small decision that will have much, much greater implications for our own game.

"I do feel very passionate about this. I've devoted most of my life to hurling, and I just can't see any sense whatsoever in this decision. That's what makes it so demoralising. People will ask why we didn't tackle this matter when it was originally proposed, but that would have been seen as defeatist. I just know if Tipperary or Cork or even Kilkenny happened to be in this situation then hell and earth would be moved to still accommodate them in Division One.

"We did manage to beat Waterford, who went on to win the league. And there is so much work going to promote Offaly hurling at all levels. And it's so important to have the likes of Henry Shefflin and Eoin Kelly and SeáÓg Ó hAilpín playing in Birr every Sunday, that's the best promotion of all."