The GAA’s proposal to ring-fence the Liam MacCarthy Cup to the top 10 teams in the country is likely to meet stiff opposition at a special congress at the end of September.
On Tuesday Croke Park published their final proposals for the restructuring of hurling’s most prestigious competition.
And one significant change from the first draft circulated in June sees the Leinster and Munster championships confined to ten teams each.
This means that the winner of the Leinster round robin group, which will now form a new tier two championship distinct to the Christy Ring Cup, will no longer be allowed direct into the Leinster Championship proper.
This year Westmeath topped the round robin group, lost to Offaly in the province and then went on to give then-defending All-Ireland champions Tipperary a proper scare in the qualifiers in Semple Stadium.
"The highlight of the last few years for us was that game in Thurles when we performed very, very well," said Lake County boss Michael Ryan.
"Our players still talk about that day and it was to be the basis of starting work for next year. We are looking to improve and advance hurling in Westmeath. Why should the Liam MacCarthy be the preserve of just 10 counties?" he asked.
If the changes do come in, the earliest Ryan’s team could face a tier one county in Championship action is the summer of 2019.
He says that he has already consulted with the Westmeath County Board in an attempt to block the introduction of the GAA proposals, which will be voted on at a special congress at Croke Park on 30 September.
Kerry were included in the Leinster Championship this year, but they could be handed an even more raw deal.
If they top the tier two competition, they will have to play off against a Munster county in order to earn their way into the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
Their manager Fintan O’Connor is unhappy with the situation.
"It's very disrespectful for teams that were in the round robin this year to be essentially relegated with no consultation. It would be very hard to justify these proposals to any player from one of the counties affected," O'Connor told RTÉ Sport.
"We played Tipperary in a qualifier and we were competitive for a good while and that was a massive fillip for us. Every inter-county hurler has a dream. For some it might be winning All-Irelands and for some from counties like Kerry it's to play one of the big guns at a venue like Semple Stadium."
Westmeath, Kerry, Laois, Meath, Carlow and Antrim would make up tier two next season should the proposals be introduced. The five counties in Leinster would be Galway, Wexford, Kilkenny, Dublin and Offaly, with Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick in Munster.
The two provinces would be played off on a round-robin basis with the two champions going through to the All-Ireland semi-finals with the provincial losers playing the third placed team in the quarter-finals.
The GAA claim their main thinking behind the proposals is to help promote hurling, ensure more games between the top counties and give more time for club fixtures to be played.
"All we are trying to do is improve and advance," said a clearly frustrated Ryan. "We are making progress and playing in Semple was a huge part of that. If that’s taken away from us it won’t be for the betterment of Westmeath hurling.
"This was a great year for hurling - there was great games and big crowds so I don’t know why they want to change it."
