Reigning Munster champions Kerins O'Rahilly's have lashed out at the Kerry county championship structure, arguing that divisional entities should not be exempt from relegation.
The Tralee club were relegated to the intermediate grade for the first time in their history after losing Saturday's relegation play-off to neighbours Na Gaeil in a game which went to extra-time.
O'Rahilly's began this year by running eventual All-Ireland champions Kilmacud Crokes close in the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park but will finish it having been demoted from the senior ranks.
The Kerry county championship format - often vaunted - is famously cut-throat from the perspective of senior clubs, with the 16-team senior championship consisting of just eight senior clubs alongside eight divisional/district entities. The latter are an amalgamation of the junior and intermediate clubs within the district.
The senior championship has increasingly been dominated by divisional entities in recent years, with an extraordinarily strong East Kerry side - boasting the Clifford brothers (Fossa) among others - meeting Mid Kerry in the decider for the second year running.
The divisional entities are not eligible to compete beyond Kerry, meaning that Dingle, winners of the separate club championship - restricted to the eight senior clubs and concluded last September - will represent the county in Munster. [Kerins O'Rahilly's themselves progressed to the Munster club via this route in 2022].
In the wake of their relegation, however, Kerins O'Rahilly's have criticised the status quo, with club PRO Pat Flavin proposing changes to the structure, saying: "As the dust settled following our defeat to Na Gaeil on Saturday night last, consigning us to the intermediate ranks for the first time in our history, the sense of disappointment was tinged with anger and ire that this situation could occur whilst we are still the reigning Munster senior club champions.
"Anger with the county board and their sense that eight senior clubs is the maximum allowed at county championship level and ire at the special status afforded to divisional sides, who are exempt from relegation/demotion from the top tier."
The O'Rahilly's statement proposed an alternative championship, in which the county championship would consist of the eight senior clubs, alongside the eight quarter-finalists from the intermediate championship.
The remaining eight intermediate clubs would be joined by the eight divisional teams - consisting only of their junior club players - to compete for the intermediate championship.
Promotion/relegation will continue from there, with the divisional entities progressing, if strong enough.
There has been disenchantment with the shape of the Kerry championship latterly, with former GAA president Sean Kelly MEP recommending that divisional entities be taken out of the senior championship, arguing that the old rationale - allowing players from smaller clubs to "be seen" by inter-county management - no longer applied.
The protected status of the divisional entities in the senior championship is a sore point, especially given that five of them were winless in the county championship this year.
On Saturday, winning Na Gaeil manager Paul Fitzmaurice expressed sympathy with O'Rahilly's plight and hit out at the status quo.
"I think it's an absolute disgrace that after that performance today that effort, everything they invested in, not just this year every year, that they are gone from the county championship, an established club," Fitzmaurice told the Irish Examiner.
"And there's districts that won no game in the county championship this year. And one district gathered points from a walkover from another. And that all those teams can play uncontested, unquestioned in a county championship next year is wrong."
It is the second year in a row that a Tralee heavyweight has been relegated to the intermediate grade, with 2021 county champions Austin Stacks relegated last year.
Notwithstanding this, O'Rahilly's insist their proposal is not simply a response to their relegation.
"The (alternative) proposal is worth a go - it's not a knee jerk reaction to seeing Tralee reduced to one senior club, it will benefit all sides and looking at the bigger picture it may well benefit the county team too."
