and 1985. Waterford were the only team beside Cork and Tipperary to win the championship, with their lone title being claimed in 1974. Limerick broke the Cork-Tipperary dominance in 1986 and 1987 by claiming back-to-back championship titles. Waterford made the breakthrough by claiming championship wins in 1992 and 1994, however, the rest of the decade belonged to Cork and Tipperary once again. The new century saw further breakthroughs as the Cork-Tipperary hegemony was broken up. Limerick have become the most successful team of the 21st century. After claiming three successive championship titles between 2000 and 2002, they won further titles in 2011, 2015 and 2017. After losing twelve Munster finals between 1972 and 2008, Clare finally claimed their first championship in 2009. They went on to claim three successive championships between 2012 and 2014. Waterford won their fourth championship after a 22-year gap in 2016. Proposed changes In 2008 a motion was brought before a special Congress in an effort to combat player burnout. It was proposed to merge the existing under-21 and minor championships to create a new Munster Under-19 Hurling Championship based on the provincial system. This motion was defeated by 115 votes to 58. A similar motion was later introduced in an effort to lower the age and create a new Munster Under-20 Championship based on the provincial system, however, this motion was also defeated. Age change At the GAA Congress on 24 February 2018, the age limit of the championship was changed to twenty, following a successful motion by the Offaly County Board. In contrast to Gaelic football, under-20 hurlers are eligible to play both under-20 and senior hurling for their county. Current format Championship The Munster Championship is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random. Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a period of extra time, however, if the sides still remain level a replay is required. There are five teams in the Munster Championship. An open draw is made in which three of the five teams automatically qualify for the semi-final stage of the competition. Two other teams play in a lone quarter-final with the winner joining the other three teams at the semi-final stage. Qualification for the All-Ireland Championship As of the 2018 championship qualification for the All-Ireland Championship has changed due to the introduction of a "back door" for defeated finalists. Both