Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath believes the proposed championship reforms that are a hot topic of debate at the moment will only serve to 'dilute' the race for Sam Maguire.

The Irish News reports that the two-time All-Ireland winning Down manager voiced his opposition to the recently unveiled plans at the Feile an Phobaill GAA Talk Night which was held in St Gall's on Monday night.

Speaking as part of a panel that included the chief architect of the proposals, GAA Director General, Paraic Duffy, McGrath said: "I think they are flawed.

"It's a rather mixed-up competition that goes from individual matches to a group stage and back to knockout for the semi-finals.

"The chances are at least one of those games will be a dead rubber.

"With the group of four in the quarter-final stage, the prospect of a team like Tipperary getting to a semi-final, or Fermanagh, or Antrim is obliterated.

"Tipperary might catch Galway on a given day or Fermanagh might catch Dublin on a given day, but not in a round robin.

"I think the whole formula is an attempt to keep the top teams in the competition for longer.

"It used to be the case that the team who won the All-Ireland was unbeaten, now a team could lose two games and win it, so I think the Championship is being diluted and this round robin will dilute it further."

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