Format
The Leinster Championship is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random – there are no seeds, and the draw is usually made in October of the previous year.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a replay. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a second replay takes place and so on until a winner is found. If the quarter-finals end in draws, extra time is played immediately as replays are only permitted for provincial semi-finals and finals.
The format has remained virtually the same since the very first Leinster Championship in 1888. The biggest change to the championship format took place in 2009. Firstly, Galway have had no opposition in the Connacht Championship since 2004. Due to this it has been decided at a special meeting of the GAA's congress for Galway to join the Leinster Championship for a three-year trial period, starting with the 2009 championship. Antrim GAA, being the only Tier 1 team in the Ulster Championship, will also participate in the Leinster Championship on a three-year trial period. Antrim, however, will also still compete in the Ulster Championship which will be run as a separate tournament to the All-Ireland Hurling Championship.
Eight counties currently participate in the Leinster Championship. These teams are: Antrim, Carlow, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly and Wexford.
- Quarter-finals
An open draw shall be made to determine the pairings for the Leinster quarter-finals. Six teams – Antrim, Dublin, Galway, Laois, Offaly and Wexford – will be included in this draw. The winners of these three games shall advance to the Leinster semi-final stages. The three defeated teams are eliminated from the provincial championship.
- Semi-finals
An open draw shall also be made to determine the pairings for the two Leinster semi-finals. Kilkenny shall receive a bye to one of these semi-finals. They will be joined by the three winners from the quarter-final stages. The winners of these two semi-finals shall advance to the Leinster final. The two defeated teams are eliminated from the provincial championship.
The Leinster Championship has wider implications for the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship. The teams that are defeated in the quarter-finals advance to phase one of the All-Ireland qualifiers. The two teams that are defeated in the Leinster semi-finals advance to phase two of the All-Ireland qualifiers. The winners of the Leinster final automatically qualify for the semi-final stages of the All-Ireland series of games while the runners-up qualify for the quarter-final stages.
Read more about this topic: Leinster Senior Hurling Championship