Cork chairperson Tracey Kennedy has welcomed the reprieve for her county’s footballers delivered at Saturday’s Special Congress.
A Tipperary motion calling for teams who win promotion from Division Three next year to replace those relegated from Division Two in tier one was passed ahead of the vote which saw tier two introduced.
Otherwise, with Cork starting out 2020 in Division Three, their only route out of tier two ahead of next year’s Championship would have been to win a daunting Munster semi-final against Kerry.
“There’s no doubt it’s a more welcome scenario for Cork if we’re honest about it in that it gives us those two chances,” said Kennedy.
“Now, I’m not saying for a minute that we wouldn’t beat Kerry but it does give us an extra chance.”
The decision to press ahead with the tier two motion was criticised in light of the fact that the Fixture Calendar Review Task Force is due to report with recommendations next month.
Cork county board CEO Kevin O’Donovan sits on the task force though Kennedy said: “When asked him about it he said, ‘There’s no point in me telling you half a story because obviously there are a lot of decisions to be made’.
“And I know from being involved in these things myself that there is a journey on the preparation of those recommendations and so on so something could change and you might be better off not knowing until they bring the whole package.
“But I would say there has been a lot of comment on the fact that these proposals were brought when that group still have to report but the uachtaran made it quite clear that what was being put on the table was also being taken on board by that fixtures review group and I think that’s what’s important.”
Special Congress also voted in three new football playing rules following experimentation earlier this year - the advanced mark, sin bin and the kickout from the 20m line.
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