Carlow have called for the Leinster SHC to be extended to a six-team competition.
Despite acquitting themselves well in this year’s round-robin series, having won last year’s Joe McDonagh Cup, the Barrowsiders lost all four of their matches and have been relegated back to the second tier.
“What's the harm of bringing a Leinster winner of the Joe McDonagh up and every team plays each week? They still have a weekend off and Kilkenny, Wexford, Galway and Dublin won't be too worried about another team coming up,” manager Colm Bonnar asks in The Irish Independent.
“It's a chance for them to get another championship match in for some other players that might not be getting in and it gives the team that's coming up genuine hope.
“It's not going to take much, it's only the stroke of a pen, and before you know it's six weeks to play your five games and I think it's something that they should look at, but we don't make the rules.”
Carlow GAA took to Twitter to express a similar sentiment following Saturday night’s battling display against Wexford at Wexford Park.
TweetBeaten but unbowed and we’ve shown how a team progressing through C. Ring & Joe McD. can compete at this level👍🏼🇬🇳
— Carlow GAA (@Carlow_GAA) June 8, 2019
However, would it not now be better to allow us & the next Joe McDonagh winners stay up for an extended period and try continue to progress among the elite ?? 🥎🇬🇳 pic.twitter.com/1JEMUQHi78