Division 1A: New format adds edge to true top tier for Allianz Hurling League

The creme de la creme. The head on the pint. The cheese on the curry chips.

The GAA has abandoned the split Division 1 system it maintained for the last 13 years and reverted to the more traditional notion of a single top bracket for this year's Allianz Hurling League.

Change can be hard though, which is perhaps why they have called it Division 1A, the A presumably standing for 'absolutely nothing’. The Division 1B the bottom two teams will be relegated to is, in reality, Division 2. Though those teams may have not realised this and shouldn’t be told, in case it comes as a shock. Perhaps it was deemed too cruel for Fermanagh to end up in Division 5 after winning 3B last year?

Anyway, it’s time to party like it’s 2011, the last time we had a standalone top tier, although not exactly, as Dublin are in 1B (bogus?) and there are now seven teams rather than eight.

We’ll see whether that proves a lucky number but hopefully only five sides staying up does lead to more competitive fare than under the most recent structure.

The compressed nature of the round-robin championships (the league after the league) and inter-county season in general means the spring competition will remain an exercise in preparation for the majority of teams but, looking at 1A and 1B, it’s also hard to imagine an All-Ireland contender coming from the second tier so they will be keen to avoid the drop.

Thankfully, the semi-finals have also been ditched, but the final remains just two weeks before the first round of championship, which has had managers weighing up the potential benefit to injury risk in the past.

Clare

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Manager: Brian Lohan (sixth year in charge)

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