A qualifier game for Meath hurlers in 2017

Meath hurling manager Martin Ennis will be monitoring the club championships over the next two months as he begins to make preparations for the 2017 NHL and Championship, but a ruling from the GAA's Central Council meeting on Saturday last will have an impact on what fixture will be scheduled for the Christy Ring Cup champions.

The Antrim motion that was passed at this year's Congress regarding the admission of the winners of the Christy Ring Cup to the Liam MacCarthy Cup in the same year was discussed.

The CCCC met with Leinster Council and Antrim to discuss the practical implications of the motion for the All-Ireland SHC.

That motion provided for the inclusion of the Christy Ring Cup champions in the quarter-finals of the Leinster SHC.

There was acceptance at last Saturday's meeting that Antrim’s aim of ensuring the Christy Ring Cup winner could be included in the Mac Carthy Cup in the same year as their winning of the competition could be most effectively achieved by providing access directly to the first round of the Liam Mac Carthy qualifiers rather than into the Leinster quarter-finals as well.

Central Council endorsed that view and agreed on Saturday to defer the implementation of the motion passed at Congress to allow for a new motion, sponsored by Central Council, to be brought to Congress in February 2017.

This new motion will ask that the Christy Ring Cup winners (from Championship 2017 onwards) be included in a Preliminary Round game in the All-Ireland qualifiers where they would be drawn against one of the losers of the three Leinster Hurling Championship quarter finals.

Provision will be made for such a Preliminary Round qualifier when the 2017 Master Fixtures schedule is being prepared.