Hurlers Embrace Revamp

RDICAL new plans which would see the Galway hurlers take part in the lenister Championship fromas early as next year could come into force following a special Congress at Croke Park early next month.Under the proposals,Galway and Antrim would join four Leinster sides in the eastern province’s first round, with the reigning provincial champions, Kilkenny, set tomeet one of the three winners in the semi-finals.The plans were outlined to GAA officials at a meeting in Portlaoise on Tuesday night and have already been given a guarded welcome by Galway officials,who have expressed an urgent need for change since the senior side’s demoralising defeat to Cork in the All-Ireland qualifiers.The three losers from Leinster’s first round would join one team from Munster in Pool One of the qualifiers while the beaten provincial semi-finalists from both provinceswould pair off in Pool Two. Both provincial winners would go through to the semi-finals, as they did this year.“Under the current system, the only game we...