by Jackie Cahill

Paraic Duffy's plans to revamp the senior football championship suffered a blow last night (WEDS) when Tipperary voted against the GAA Director-General's proposals.

Duffy revealed a document in August which aims to shake up the current football championship structures, with Central Council due to decide in November whether or not to take it forward to next year's Annual Congress.

But at last night's county board meeting in Thurles, it was confirmed that Tipperary will not support Duffy's blueprint for change, which includes the introduction of a round-robin series at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.

Tipp famously reached the semi-final of the competition last month, for the first time in 81 years, and the feeling on the ground is that the round-robin system favours traditionally stronger counties and that a repeat performance would prove much more difficult.

County football board chairman Joe Hannigan informed delegates that extra championship games would heap even further pressure on an already congested local fixtures programme, adding that it would require a deep county panel to survive in an expanded inter-county programme.  

Tipperary have also delivered a blow to Munster Council chiefs by informing them that they will not be competing in next year's provincial intermediate hurling championship. 

Premier County top brass are against a rule change which restricts them to the use of intermediate and junior club players only in the competition. 

In recent times, Tipp have been permitted to use senior club players in their intermediate team, which has served as a useful back-up to the existing senior county panel, giving some fringe players the chance to impress.  

Tipp have also signalled their intention not to compete in the Munster junior club football championship, unless they are granted a dispensation which allows them use senior club players. 

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