Restructured hurling championship: Despite objections from Antrim and Galway delegates, Saturday's Special Congress in Croke Park voted in favour of a newly structured hurling championship from 2008.

GAA rule 120 (b) has therefore been changed after a 55-17 vote, which surpassed the required two-thirds majority, and saw the hurling development committee recommendations adopted.

As a result, the championship has been split into four phases, comprising 12 counties - Dublin, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Galway and Antrim.

Phase one sees Galway play Antrim with both teams progressing to phase two.

The winners play the losing Leinster first-round team, while the losers face the corresponding side from Munster.

The winners progress directly into phase four.

Phase three comprises the beaten semi-finalists in Leinster and Munster going into an open draw. The winners of phase two and phase three then meet for the two All-Ireland quarter-final slots against the provincial runners-up from Leinster and Munster.

The provincial champions go directly into the All-Ireland semi-finals. In a change from this season - when Waterford and Kilkenny replayed their provincial finals against Limerick and Wexford in All-Ireland semi-finals - teams can meet for a second time only by reaching the All-Ireland final.

The defeated teams in phase two (Antrim, Galway or a first-round provincial loser) go into a relegation play-off, with the defeated side needing to beat the Christy Ring Cup champions to stay in the championship.

Antrim delegate John McSporran and Galway county board chairman Gerry Larkin opposed the motion from the floor. Offaly's Pat Teehan and Tipperary chairman John Costigan spoke in its favour.

In an unprecedented move for a special congress, GAA president Nickey Brennan addressed the delegates on the ongoing problems of discipline within the association. Brennan's six-point plan will be reviewed by the Rulebook Taskforce, who will prepare a document for the next congress to vote upon.

Brennan proposed a prerequisite that the Central Appeals Committee contain legal experts; an independent video-review panel to ease the growing onus on referees; players charged with offences be barred from playing until their cases are heard; a game penalty as distinct from the current suspension structure that hands out suspensions over time.

The National Hurling League also received a temporary revamp, with Offaly, Laois and Antrim returned to Division One for the 2008 competition.

The two groups of six teams appear quite lopsided as Waterford, Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, Dublin and Antrim are on one side with Limerick, Clare, Galway, Tipperary, Laois and Offaly on the other.

The new format also caters for a league quarter-final.

Two new structures for the 2009 league will be considered at the central council meeting on December 8th. The first is for four divisions of eight; the second, from Antrim, is for six teams in division one with a home-and-away format.

"The next central council meeting is on December 8th and I've asked the CCC and the CHC what is going to happen in 2009 as I don't want the league started in 2008 not knowing if that is going to be the way that is going to be carried forward because as you know there has been suggestions that the 2009 NHL will revert to four eights, that 2008 was a way of getting to the four eights," said Brennan.

"The CCC have not yet decided the format for 2009 so we have agreed what to do for 2008 and between now and the central council meeting, they will consider two things.

"They will consider whether to go with the four eights or will consider a proposal from Antrim which is still a division one, two, three, four, five format but allows for five home and five away games, where you play each team twice.

"So they have been asked to consider that as well and come back with a decision in December. It means we can get on with our leagues for 2008 and before a ball is thrown in in 2008, they will know exactly what they're playing for in 2009.

"It's either the top four in each group which will constitute Division One in the four eights case or in the case of the Antrim proposal the top three. The bottom three will be in division two."

New format: How it works

Phase 1: Galway v Antrim

Phase 2: (winners go to phase 4) Galway/Antrim winners v Leinster first-round losers; Galway/Antrim losers v Munster first-round losers.

Phase 3: Beaten provincial semi-finalists in Munster and Leinster play each other in open draw.

Phase 4: Winners of phase 2 v Winners of phase 3; Winners progress to All-Ireland quarter-finals against provincial runners-up from Leinster and Munster.