The Central Council motion for reform of the All-Ireland hurling championship that will go before this month's Special Congress in Croke Park shows one significant difference from the proposals first revealed in June.
The original plan of two five-team groups replacing the current Munster and Leinster championships has been retained but under the CCCC/Central Council's motion, teams from what is now called the 'Tier 2' Championship will no longer be able to compete for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
The top two teams in each round-robin group will contest the provincial finals. The winners go directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the losers contest quarter-finals.
On a rotating basis, the third placed team in Munster or Leinster was to have played the winners of the Tier 2 championship for a place in the quarter-finals with the other third placed team qualifying directly.
This idea has now been dropped, with relegation and promotion between the Liam MacCarthy and Tier 2 introduced instead.
The top two from the group of Westmeath, Antrim, Carlow, Kerry, Laois and Meath will contest a Tier 2 final.
The winners will replace the team finishing last in the Leinster Championship, which next year will feature Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Offaly and Wexford.
However, if Kerry (or another Munster county) win Tier 2, they will be forced to contest a play-off against the lowest rank Munster side from the top tier.
Laois, Offaly and Meath have proposed an amendment to the Central Council motion providing for the top two teams in Tier 2 to qualify for preliminary quarter-finals in the Liam MacCarthy Cup, while a Cork amendment wants relegation confined to Leinster, which could see Galwy, Antrim and Kerry all potentially playing in that province if passed.
Similar round-robin structures will be introduced for the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cup with promotion and relegation between all levels. The Lory Meagher Cup is already a group-based competition.
Separate reform motions from the counties that are unlikely to make it to a vote include variations such as: retaining the existing structure with four quarter-finals rather than two and introducing a football-style 'Super 8' stage for the quarter-finals.
Galway's Under 21s could play in either Leinster or Munster next year depending on whether an Offaly amendment to the Central Council proposal they join Leinster is adopted. The Tribesmen's minor teams are set to play in a round-robin with the losing Leinster and Munster finalists.
Ulster teams at minor and U21 levels could become eligible to join the Leinster championships.
The Special Congress takes place at Croke Park on September 30. Any new structures introduced will be on a trial basis from 2018-2020.
