The Tipperary County Board has decided to rename the Seamus O’Riain Senior ‘B’ to the Premier Intermediate Championship next year
The motion was decided after the November Board meeting in Thurles this week. The winners of the 2022 Premier Intermediate Championship will now represent Tipperary in the Munster intermediate competition.
Premier County clubs were asked to voice their opinions and vote at the meeting on Wednesday evening. In a very narrow debate, the clubs decided in favor of rebranding the competition by 43 votes to 41.
Munster Championship bye-laws allow Tipperary’s second-tier title winners to compete in the competition, in place of the existing intermediate champions.
This year’s champions Moyne-Templetuohy or Kilsheelan/Kilcash will represent the county in this year’s provincial competition.
Before the Senior ‘B’ was considered a sister tournament to the Senior ‘A’ championship. The winners of the county final would be promoted to the ‘A’ the following year but they would not progress into Munster and their hurling would end for the year.
County chairman Joe Kennedy proposed the motion for change on behalf of the management committee who felt that Tipperary teams would have a better chance provincially if their 17th best team were to represent the county.
Normally, the 33rd best-ranked team qualifies out of the county. In comparison, Cork sends their 25th, and Clare, Waterford and Limerick send their 13th highest-ranked team into the Munster intermediate.
The change is not intended to relegate any of the Senior ‘B’ teams or alter the system greatly in place.
In opposition to the rebrand Carrick Swans Sean O’Shea told the Nenagh Guardian:
“Relegating sixteen clubs so one can compete in the Munster Intermediate Championship is a betrayal to those clubs and should remain so.”
Last weekend Nenagh Éire Óg footballer Lenny Ryan became the first man to win all four North Tipperary adult Gaelic Football medals: Intermediate 1997, Senior 1998, Junior-A 2010 and Junior-B 2021 pic.twitter.com/Q3NsCUdKeO
— Sports Focus Photography (@SportsFocusIe) November 6, 2021
To read more from this writer, click here.
And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Tipperary and intercounty club GAA news, click here.
