My issue is the first 6 weeks of the Club season are generally low-key group fare which won’t capture much attention or television coverage - and this is the exact window in late July/Early August where the GAA used to have huge exposure.
I wonder will TG4/RTE even bother showing a double header of shadow boxing between NAP/Doon/Kilmallock/Patrickswell in the TUSGG next August?
No TV Coverage of GAA in late July/August would be a huge own goal from the Association.
Round robin club championship matches are fairly grim as spectacles. They take up a lot of time too, an extra month at least. Tyrone still retains the straight knockout format as does I think Derry. The Tyrone championship is probably the most competitive and unpredictable in the country. To be honest I think you’d get more general interest in one round of 16 knockout round than in three rounds of round robin put together.
People are forgetting that club games will not be on tv next August and most of September as Ladies Football and Camogie will be in RTE and TG4.
Draw starting now on Radio One.
Connacht up first.
Quarter final - Mayo v Galway.
New York v Sligo
London v Leitrim.
Semi finals - Roscommon v Sligo/New York
London/Leitrim v Mayo/Galway
You’re fast
Leitrim will have to do it the hard way.
A Mayo Galway QF the money men will not be happy
The New York v London final is still on.
That game is to be on Easter Sunday apparently, the new schedule will take a bit of getting used to.
Neutral venue for that would be Reykjavik
Louth v Carlow
Laois v Wicklow
Offaly v Wexford
Dublin v Offaly / Wexford
Meath v Laois/Wicklow
Still wouldn’t be a game if they combined them
Leinster.
First round - Louth v Carlow
Laois v Wicklow
Offaly v Wexford
Quarter finals - Dublin v Offaly/Wexford
Meath v Laois/Wicklow
Kildare v Louth/Carlow
Westmeath v Longford.
Nothing attractive about that.
Even Joanne couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for that draw. She threw in “Wexford gave Dublin a close game this year” but it was said out of politeness.