It was but at least it was over in 4 games, not 11
Tipps worst defeat to Cork since 1942. 4-15 to 4-1 it was that day.
Itâs not perfect, but it brings itâs own drama. While the round robin is longer, there used to be 3 rounds of qualifiers before a QF I think? A few rounds of complete dross with the very odd decent fixture thrown in.
Itâs a limited competition numbers wise (Hurling), you want the top teams playing regularly and not waiting years to draw a certain team. It gives weaker counties a guaranteed number of games if exposure is an argument you want to put forward. It also spreads games around the country to different grounds. It has flaws but itâs a short season, make it a festival of hurling with as many top teams meeting as possible. Teams potentially meeting 3 teams isnât ideal either. But as @Cheasty said, the Munster final isnât going anywhere.
While Donal Og and Dalo were over egging it in the Sunday game the other day, young kids do respond to seeing their heroes in big games. The GAA is competing with every other sport like no other time before. Theyâve probably gotten the timing of it slightly off this year, but promotion and exposure of the game at itâs highest level plays its part driving it on at the bottom also⌠Financially also obviously.
Iâm not sure what tweaks they can make if they are not going to scrap the provincials but the league is certainly something they can scrap.
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I said the same the other day, keep the provincials for the traditionalists, scrap the league and have an open draw championship including the Kerryâs, Offalyâs, Kildareâs, Antrimâs etc. I canât see how the current system benefits anyone really, least of all the spectators
So why not go into an open draw? Two groups of five/six? Would this structure not be by far the fairest one? Why faff around with a province-centred structure?
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Do you think it would have any sort of knock on effect on attendances ? Do the local rivalries particularly in Munster add to the attendances?
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They do for sure.
I think it is inevitable that this will be the eventual outcome. The round-robin system is a stepping stone on the way to this.
The GAA remains an intensely political organisation and Munster, in particular, were not going to give up their cash cow easily. There is also the fear, some may call it cowardice, amongst candidates for positions that they wouldnât want to be seen as the man who got rid of the provincial championships.
I think it will survive another couple of renewals as the split season beds in, allowing for the few inevitable tweaks to that calendar also.
Within 5 years we will have a round robin championship with mixed Munster and Leinster groups.
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Iâm not overly sure what the story is with family tickets but Iâd say following county teams with the round robin format in place is pricey for a lot of families.
If you go down the open draw route you probably have to bring back neutral venues which is a pity as home and away games can be excellent for fans and atmosphere. Clare v Limerick wouldnât have been as exciting in thurles for example.
Can you see a token provincial final for highest place counties from each province in each group?
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It would have been a damp squid in many ways.
Yes. Itâll be kept as the alickadoos wonât want to give it away completely.
It could have value if both provinces played off a championship to determine seeding, for example, for the MacCarthy groups. Provincial finalists seeded 1 and 2 in the respective groups with the guarantee of certain home fixtures perhaps?
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Is not the nature of any conundrum that we cannot have it every way? Maybe there would be implications for attendances. Maybe there would not, if imagination got deployed. People only have, after all, the same amount of disposable income to spend on attending sports events.
You could do away with the league. Two groups of five could play each other home and away, guaranteeing eight quality games. Then comes knockout championship, with a relegation factor. The whole competition could be played off quite handily in the 21 weeks between late February and mid July. You would then have 17 weeks, between mid July and mid December, to play club championships.
The perspective of people who claim the province-centred structure is unfair but simultaneously want to keep this structure strikes me as odd in the extreme and a perspective scarcely rational.
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It makes sense to have a pre competition playâ into the main event. The league now is useless in hurling. The teams winning it are nearly punished.
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To me, you are talking a lot of sense on various fronts. I agree with nearly everything you just said.
Yes. This recognition is beginning to dawn.
Itâs one thing when there was a 6/7 week break between league and championship, you could give teams a mini break in between. But now youâre not even getting off the horse to get back up on it.
Did you support overturning Rule 42, back in the early to mid 2000s?
For soccer yes, for rubby no.
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17 weeks would be loads. There could be a three week break between group games and start of championship.
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