Ulster GAA have no immediate plans to revive their provincial hurling championship despite Down’s two recent victories over Antrim.<\/p>\n
Ron\u00e1n Sheehan\u2019s side claimed late Division 2 <\/a>and Joe McDonagh Cup <\/a>successes over Davy Fitzgerald\u2019s team with Bredagh\u2019s Donal Hughes scoring additional time goals in both to seal famous wins.<\/p>\n The former was Down\u2019s first win over Antrim since 2001 while the latter \u2013 coming so quickly after that landmark win \u2013 has opened up the debate on whether or not the Saffrons remain the province\u2019s top team.<\/p>\n Antrim\u2019s dominance was one of a number of reasons for the competition\u2019s discontinuation as their 2017 final win over Armagh \u2013 the last time the Ulster championship was played – was their 16th title in a row.<\/p>\n In April 2004, the GAA\u2019s hurling development committee also introduced new tiered championships that saw the Ulster championship decoupled from the All-Ireland series from 2005 onwards \u2013 robbing the provincial tournament of its main prize.<\/p>\n While the weekend\u2019s result in Dunloy has put the Liam Harvey Cup back in focus, RT\u00c9 Sport understands that the northern provincial body has no immediate plans to resurrect the competition \u2013 and doesn\u2019t expect that position to change any time soon.<\/p>\n ‘We’re at our lowest ebb in a decade’ – Neil McManus gives his reaction after Antrim’s loss at home to Down in their Joe McDonagh Cup opener pic.twitter.com\/4Y9Wu6tWkS<\/a><\/p>\n