It is proposed to reduce the ‘sitting out’ period of players seeking transfers from 96 weeks to 48 as well as the changing of the wording “family residence” to “permanent residence”.

“Back in 1972, Passage brought in this motion after John Horgan had transferred from Passage to Blackrock.

“This motion played a big part in stopping the transfer of talented players from junior and intermediate clubs to the city clubs.

“The ‘big thee’ senior hurling clubs of Blackrock, Glen Rovers and St Finbarrs have won 84 county senior hurling championships but only 10 between them since Midleton’s breakthrough in 1983 and five in the last 20 years.

“There is no doubt that the change in the transfer rule, where a player had to remain idle for 96 weeks to transfer, was one of the reasons why the dominance of the big three ended.

“There are two transfer motions for convention on Saturday night which could be of huge benefit to senior clubs, particularly those in the city. The first motion is that a player can transfer to the club where he has a permanent residence. Previously, he could only transfer to the club where his family resided. This means that a player who resides in Cork city for work purposes can transfer to any club in the city. The second is that a player can transfer to any club of his choice once he is idle for 48 weeks.

“One of the arguments being made is that it should benefit our senior intercounty teams by giving players in junior and intermediate clubs an opportunity to develop by playing senior club hurling. This could, however, have a devastating impact on the small junior and intermediate club, many of whom are struggling for numbers…

“If this is passed, a player who is idle for a year because of a long-term injury such as a cruciate or travelling abroad can go to whatever club he wants when he returns”.

O’Flynn also has difficulty with the concept of a player’s “permanent residence”, as laid down in the rulebook.

“I accept that the definition of family residence has to change, even though it will facilitate the transfer of players from rural clubs to the bigger urban areas,” he says.

“However, I don’t think that utilising the Official Guide’s definition of ‘permanent residence’ is appropriate as it allows the county committee to assess the ‘permanent residence’ of a player one month after the player has moved into it. I would consider that a much longer period of time should have elapsed before determining the player’s permanent residence or otherwise it could be open to abuse.

“I fear for the future of rural clubs if both these motions are passed on Saturday night.

“Once one or two players decide to jump ship, it will encourage others to do so. The result will be that the strong will get stronger and the weak will get weaker.”