Down and Armagh have made real progress this year already.
Derry showing signs of life as well.
Six county football is back.
We could well see four Ulster teams in the quarter-finals.
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Hard luck tip cc @caulifloweredneanderthal ye have only one tip team left 2 if we count the ladys did they win today
The GAA championships this year have been a bit like the UK election.
If you continually force feed people a diet of negativity and hopelessness, eventually people grow sick of it and rebel.
There isnāt that much wrong with the championship system.
Competitiveness is the key to a good championship and thereās been loads of competitiveness this year.
True enough but the last 4 will likely be Dub Kerry Mayo and Tyrone,I donāt know what way the draw works but itāll be predictable enough in a couple a weeks.Ross might make a semi,that would surely drive yer man from armagh mad
The cream always rises to the top undoubtably but the games beforehand have in general been good competitive games.
Theyāve been competitive enough alright harry.
As it always does in representative sport.
Inequality is built into the system.
Strange how you donāt hear people clamouring for the Ireland and Eire association football teams to be consigned to a Tier 2 international competition.
Too many GAA people are watching too much NFL*.
*The Yankee one.
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Itās only in the last 5/10 years that the gulf has truly emerged.Thereās Dub KY Mayo Tyrone,then thereās another 15/16 teams then the rest.Back in the 90ās apart from munster most teams thought they had a chance of winning a provincial title and with a bit of luck an AI final appearance depending on the draw.Since the back door came in the stronger have gotten stronger and the āweakerā have basically stayed still.The back door has been a disaster.
this tipp team will be like that limerick team who couldnāt get over the line.
It would be under any structure though
Tipp will win fuck all and will be robbed a couple of times, no about it
Thatās what Iām saying,the qualifiers are only fluff games till we get down to the serious business of the semi finals.
That does not mean we canmot have an equitable competition.
A 2nd grade or Cup is a must
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At this stage @caoimhaoin Iād agree,a"B" competition looks like the best option.But with the bottom 16 teams,div 3 and 4.With the final played before the AI.
Ya. Its absolute nonsense that the small counties like playing and getting hammered by Dublin et al.
Its all about Croke Park. 1/4ās and Semis should be played at iconic places like Killarney, Da Pairc, Clones and thurles. Final in Croke Park.
Thats what people want. Believe me once you have been underneath the tunnel in CP you want it more and more. Thats what they want. Similar going to other grounds
The back door system was a balancing act. Eliminating the ātrain for nine months for one matchā element while still keeping the provincial titles as something to aim for for mid-ranking counties. It also added the possibility of a back door run.
It hasnāt been a failure.
There has always been a gap between the strong and the weak. As I said, in representative sport where teams are drawn from areas of often vastly different populations, youāll always get that.
From 1973 to 1991 no Ulster or Connacht team beat a Leinster or Munster team in the championship.
The strong get stronger because GAA is not an island and is influenced by other sports and ideas from those sports in terms of preparation. Certain counties have advantages in this regard because of population, money and easier availability of expertise. That would be the same under any competition format.
The weak only get weaker if theyāre happy with that.
Monaghan and Roscommon each have populations of 60k and are winning provincial titles.
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Look at carlow this summer,5 games,no thrashings,3 wins all be it against Div 4 teams but 5 games non the less.Our best year in modern memory was 94,we also had 5 games(one being a replay)Iād take that every year.
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World Cup qualification is fluff in that case.
No Irish team is going to win the World Cup.
Out of 200 plus countries, only six or seven have a realistic chance of winning it.
Your right about this 100%.But overall the backdoor has only suited the bigger counties.If they truly wanted to give the āweakerā counties a second chance the back door should have been limited to Div 3 and 4 teams.But my own crowd have only themselves to blame,no point having a back door when some of your team donāt give a shit and go on the lash a week before a qualifier,especially one which they have a chance of winning