The Antrim and Kildare hurlers have issued a joint-statement protesting the 'unfairness and inconsideration' of tomorrow's Joe McDonagh/Christy Ring Cup relegation/promotion play-off.

The counties are up in arms that next year's Joe McDonagh Cup will be reduced to five teams. Meath have already been relegated, while the losers of tomorrow's play-off will join them in the Christy Ring Cup in 2019. Kildare won the Christy Ring Cup last weekend, but it doesn't guarantee them promotion to the new second tier competition.

"We feel it is incumbent on us to highlight the unfairness and inconsideration surrounding this fixture in the hope that we can positively affect change for the future," the joint-statement read.

"The Joe McDonagh Cup should remain at six teams; a request which is made in the interest of competitiveness, fair play and equity.

"The McDonagh Cup has shown everyone how competitive hurling at the lower levels has become and the tier below the Liam MacCarthy should encourage teams to achieve higher standards, not shut them out. This is a point which many panels have echoed throughout the year.

"Regardless of the result on Saturday both panels will support each other to retain the six-team McDonagh Cup format and pursue all possible avenues to make this happen.

"A five-team team competition is illogical and only serves to make it more difficult for aspiring counties to compete. Antrim should remain in the competition as they did not finish bottom and Kildare should fill the relegated sixth spot."

The statement also attacked the decision to stage the playoff just one week after Kildare's Christy Ring Cup final win. The scheduling of this fixture exemplifies a blatant disregard for the welfare of the players," they said.

"Both panels acknowledge that the week turnaround, the date, the timing and the location were not fixed with the best interest of players in mind. We call for a more transparent, communicative, flexible and equitable process to be considered when fixing matches, especially of this nature and given the circumstances of all players involved."

Don't miss a minute of this weekend's action on our match tracker where we will be providing live updates from the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers, Munster SHC, Leinster SHC and Joe McDonagh Cup finals.

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