ALL-IRELAND FINALS HAVE TO ADJUST'

TOM RYAN has thrown his weight behind a shakeup of the GAA calendar — and he hopes Congress will back it.

- BY GARRY DOYLE

The GAA Director General is urging delegates to “keep an open mind” ahead of the February 28 vote on a proposal that pushes the county season two weeks deeper into the summer.

If passed, the changes would kick in from 2027.

A committee led by Ryan's predecessor Páraic Duffy has put forward a proposal that would see:

The All-Ireland hurling final pushed back to the last weekend in July. The football finalwould take place in the second weekend in August, with preseason competitions scrapped permanently

At present, both showpiece finals are staged on successive weekends in late July.

Ryan (above, with finance director Ger Mulryan yesterday at Croke Park) says the price of stretching into August is clear - and unavoidable.