The Leinster U17 Hurling championship structure has left fans highly confused, with Galway once again left out.
Galway are excluded from the format, but Kerry and two Ulster teams are set to feature in Leinster. The tribesman had campaigned to be included in Leinster minor hurling for 2023, making formal requests to Leinster and Munster.
Galway currently play in the Leinster championship for both U20 and Senior.
Requests for the minor team to participate in Leinster were rejected, a decision that will be hugely disappointing for Galway hurling.
Structure for the @gaaleinster u17 Championship is out👇It includes teams from Ulster and Munster. Tier 1 has 7 teams. Unbalanced groups, one of 3 and one of 4. @Galway_GAA are refused entry. A perfect chance to make two groups of 4. Time to do the right thing & give equal games pic.twitter.com/0J0Eoy4E1Y
— Paul Bellew (@BellewPaul) December 10, 2022
Galway Exclusion And Unbalanced Structure
The Leinster U17 Hurling championship will be divided into two tiers, with the ranked sides in two groups for 2023. Last year's finalists Laois and Offaly are seeded, alongside Dublin and Kilkenny.
The success of Laois and Offaly had been seen as a reason to keep the Leinster U17 Hurling Championship in it's current format. Wexford are also the other seeded side, alongside Kerry and a team from Ulster.
However, the inclusion of Kerry, and a team for Ulster will be sure to disappoint Galway GAA. They will feel their inclusion could be more beneficial for their players as they develop towards senior hurling.
The unbalanced structure with a group of three teams and a group of four will also make Galway question their exclusion. At the very least, this would have provided the championship with more balance and less confusion.
Tier two will see two groups of three. The teams included are Kildare, Carlow, Meath, Westmeath, Wicklow and a team from Ulster.
The top two teams from Tier Two will qualify for the Preliminary knockout stages. They will face the third placed team from the knockout stages.
The winners will face the second placed team of Tier one in the quarter-finals, with the group winners of Tier one advancing to the semi-finals.
Leinster GAA were contacted for comment on the issue.
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