Former Kilkenny hurler Kevin Fennelly is not a fan of the game's current All-Ireland senior championship format.

A three-time All-Ireland winner with the Cats, Fennelly was responding to comments made by Richie Hogan on Monday in which the Kilkenny star claimed that he "hates" the structure currently in place for the competition.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the Ballyhale man, who was the last to manage the Leinster kingpins before Brian Cody took them over in 1998, proposed scraping provincial championships and replacing them with groups of four with the top two teams in each group going through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

"There is no doubt the Munster championship still carries a bit of meaning, but right now the Leinster championship isn't up to much, as Kilkenny are picking it up every year," said Fennelly

"It was nice when Dublin won Leinster, but when Galway won it, a Connacht team winning Leinster, to me that is a joke. I don't agree with Galway or Antrim being in Leinster. It hasn't improved anything for Galway.

"It makes no sense Kerry coming into Leinster next summer either. It makes a bigger joke of the provincial championships.

"I ask the GAA why are they keeping the provincial championships going. It is certainly not for the players."

He continued: "If they want to even up the whole thing and give everyone an equal chance, seed the top four teams, throw the rest into a hat and make four groups of four. The sooner that happens, the better, and then nobody can complain about the present system and Kilkenny getting into an All-Ireland final with only two matches, which I believe was the case this year, as the Wexford game was a non-event.

"I understand Richie's frustration, as every hurler wants to play every couple of weeks, not playing one match and then not playing another for five weeks.

"I'm not saying this proposal will change things, but it will give teams a chance to play against different opposition. There is no doubt that the Munster championship is tougher, but Kilkenny, Galway and Dublin are well able to hold their own against the Munster teams."

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