Christ I had the very same thought the other day.
Nostalgia aināt what it used to be.
Yeah it never existed, which is why Semple Stadium is nearly full here for a league semi-final.
For every league semi final like that someone could throw up an All Ireland SHC semi final with a shit crowd.
There was certainly a golden age of crowds but it was an aberration.
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An aberration that lasted for most of my adult life. Even less than a decade ago the hurling league was still a good competition, itās a box ticking exercise now.
Most of the football calendar is also a box ticking exercise now.
Amazing how crowds turns up when the action is competitive but lose interest when hardly any county can compete.
Interesting article by Kieran Shannon in the Examiner during the week on how the competitiveness of the All Ireland club finals hurling and football has increased hugely since the move to January finals.
Looking forward to the club finals now.
Used to be a firm family favourite. Up on the train. Stroll into croker.
Oh wait.
Fucking split season.
The competitiveness of All-Ireland hurling finals has decreased hugely since the move away from September.
The six finals since 2018 inclusive have had an average margin of 8.83 points.
The six finals before that had an average margin of 2.66 points, 4.0 including replays.
No All-Ireland football final from 2008 to 2017 including replays had a margin of more than four points and 5 of those 11 finals had a margin of 1 point with one more being a draw.
Since the move away from the third Sunday in September, 5 of the 7 final games have been decided by 4 points or more.
The stats are clear - the move away from the traditional dates has led to a decrease in competitiveness in the inter-county arena.
+. Iāve found it refreshing since becoming a fun running zealot now I regularly hang around with people similar to @Cesc4 & @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy who have zero interest in GGA & couldnāt tell you who won last yearās Senior All Ireland Finals. Interesting to meet folk with incredibly varied interests & perspectives & I wouldnāt have realised before thereās such a huge grouping with no interest in hurling & football whatsoever. That said, I think the local GGA club remains very important & at the heart of many communities, particularly rural places full of emotionally stunted dimwits & where other codes donāt have an imprint as such. Thatās largely why the GGA is still an essential outlet for muldoon simpletons & I donāt see that changing materially for at least another couple of generations. However, itās absurd how much funding they get from the state at the expense of alternative cultural & sporting clubs & activities though. Please sign AodhĆ”nās online petition to improve the facilities in St Anneās Park, we in Raheny Shamrock want & deserve a running track.
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Was at that double header and a mitigating factor was a resurgent Waterford playing Limerick in the first game. Iād say at least 50% of the crowd that day was from Waterford and when they bet Limerick the majority of them hung around for the second game to see who would be their opponent be in the final. The subsequent league final against Cork was close on a full house in Thurles with id say 70 % of them from Waterford
League seems to be awkwardly timed here. Why are we having pre-season competitions when teams are already treating the league as one? Needs to be a gap so the league is seen as a stand-alone competition. As it is, itās too close to the championship, especially for the teams who make the knockouts.
Definitely a bit too close together.
Playing provincial championships in January is a ridiculous idea though. The Munster League, which is only a handful of matches, couldnāt even be completed due to the weather.
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Iād also add there isnāt that many teams in hurling so playing too often can get a little bit boring. Itās a delicate balance. Iād prefer to see two weeks between the round games than league semi finals and finals.
And for those who have spent 20 years of their lives on discussion forums
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3 groups of 4 and the 3 winners and best runner up could work. Mix it up on a rota every few years. Max 5 games. Good gap between the final and first game of championship.
Lads should be going back to their clubs for a few County League games in April/early May. Would freshen them up no end.
no solution, only whinging. Says he is out in 2 weeks against Longford and says they should have a 2 or 3 week break between league and championship. Says the demands on a player who had sigerson and league and played 13 times in 29 days, he was the one picking the team. he didnt have to play that player and he himself could have given him a break. But no, the intercounty managers want their players full time with them for 10 months of the year.
The fixtures and set up are shit, but it seems lost on O Rourke and other intercounty managers that they are contributing to the burn out and over playing by selecting players who play in other competitions.
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13 games in 30 days? That seems impossible surely.