Managers urge qualifier rule change

GAA Congress:  A number of inter county managers with relegation fears have called for delegates at this weekend's Congress to abolish the rule barring NFL Division Four teams a route into the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Luke Dempsey (Longford), Dessie Dolan (Leitrim), Tommy Jordan (Sligo) and Mickey Ned O'Sullivan (Limerick) all face a relegation battle ahead of this weekend's final round of Division Three fixtures. Sligo being in the most precarious situation as they sit at the foot of the table.

The Wicklow board proposed a return to the system where all counties are admitted to the qualifiers and the four Division Three managers in question are asking delegates to support the motion this weekend.

The current arrangement sees all Division Four teams enter the Tommy Murphy Cup after they are knocked out of their provincial championship.

"If we're relegated, we would have to end up as defeated Leinster finalists to get into the qualifiers," said Longford boss Dempsey. "We could beat Westmeath and Offaly and then lose narrowly to Dublin or Louth in the semi-final, but wouldn't be allowed in, yet Westmeath and Offaly would. That's ridiculous."

Dolan said: "I have asked the Leitrim county board to fight hard to change the system at Congress. Linking qualification for the championship with how a team finished in the league is unfair."

"Maybe it's time the whole system was changed - certainly this looks wrong," added Jordan.

But it was O'Sullivan who was most vociferous in his plea. "It defies logic. Clearly this wasn't thought through properly," said the Limerick manager.

"Players aspire to playing for their county as often as they can at the highest level, but we now have a situation where those who have to work hardest to become competitive face purgatory if they drop into Division Four."