Hurling preliminary quarter-finals to remain in place

The All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals will remain in place after delegates at Special Congress voted down the motion for change.

It means the Joe McDonagh finalists will continue to play in the Liam MacCarthy.

The McDonagh counties had already voiced their preference for the current system to remain in place, despite the fact that in the eight games under the current system (suspended due to Covid in 2020 and '21) they have been on the winning side just once when Laois shocked Dublin in 2019.

Dublin beat McDonagh champions Carlow by 10 points this year and Tipperary ran up a championship record score of 7-38 against Offaly.

Of the 11 motions put forward, this motion was the only one defeated, with 51% of delegates voting against it.

79% of delegates voted in favour to meet a gender balance quota target of 40% on its national management committee.

A series of delegates spoke in favour of a motion for a phased increase in female participation, and it is proposed that from 2027, a reduced 16-person Coiste Bainistí would include a minimum of seven females.

Currently there are three women on the 19-person management committee, a 16% representation.

Other motions that were passed included:

Motion 2, which proposed to introduce a semi-final in the Joe McDonagh Cup between the teams that finish in second and third place of the round-robin group stage of the competition, was not debated or voted on.