You can like the split season but also agree that it needs to go back 3 weeks.
As regards the upcoming championships, the GPA have pushed through these round robin type championships as players want more games.
The problem is from a supporters point of view there are too many of them within a short period of time whilst they will never be able to cover all the bog ball next year, it’s impossible.
The split season with the all Ireland in mid august added to the championship formats which had qualifiers is the optimum balance for all.
First provincial final broadcast live was the Munster SHC final of 1989. The Black and Tans in blue and white as Kevin Cashman called one of the participants. Nearly killed the concept stone dead.
Before that it was watching Galway mug Cork off in a semi final in front of 7000 people every couple of years.
The well attended ones were played in front of a half full Croke Park. Sub 20k attendances for semi finals were very common. Rocking up to Croke Park on All Ireland day and paying cash to get in on the terrace was the norm. This was the case for some of the now more memorable finals like Offaly Kerry 1982 or Dublin Galway 1983.
These young chaps don’t remember what it was really like. They got a few year of big crowds and thought it was ever thus. You’d not want to be getting too worked up about these things all the same.
The split season zealots are a bit like the lads during Summer 2020 who were excited to be allowed to go down to Lahinch for a takeaway coffee and sit on the rocks for a few hours.
My father often mentions his regret that he couldn’t attend that in 1979 because he was busy milking cows. A relief milker must have been harder to find back in those days.
@Bandage and @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy have patiently bided their time up until now before belatedly revealing their hand. Two huge endorsements for the anti-split season camp and a hammer blow for the split season zealots.