Reprieve for five counties threatened with league exclusion

The threat of Allianz Hurling League exclusion for a quintet of counties has been lifted after the proposal was withdrawn before vote at Saturday's Ard Chomhairle meeting at Croke Park.

The GAA now intend to pursue a development committee to work with the counties involved.

If the recommendation had passed, any county with fewer than five adult hurling teams would have been left to compete solely in the fifth-tier Lory Meagher Cup – meaning Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford and Louth would have been excluded from league hurling from 2025 onwards.

With no league action, their county seasons would have been reduced from six months to three with the saved spending, along with additional funding, instead aimed at improving hurling development in those counties.

The proposal was met with outrage by the affected counties, with a number of those releasing statements slamming the idea, while several high-profile GAA players also voiced their disapproval on social media and the captains of the Liam MacCarthy teams also signed a joint statement against the proposal.

Fermanagh captain Ryan Bogue told RTÉ Sport that it was "a farce" while Leitrim boss Olcan Conway had said: "We can be cut loose; cut adrift. We're expendable."