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Sunday Game

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Replying To Freethinker:  "If memory serves, the qualifiers were introduced to give the "weaker" counties ie those dispatched in the first rounds, a second and maybe third game during summer to compensate for the hard work put in. Again I could be wrong but was it Galway won the All Ireland the first year and possibly Kerry might have win one from a qualifier ? So from then onwards, qualifiers were used by the stronger counties as a back door back in. Not an ideal way but the obvious bonus for the coffers was too much for the powers that be to disregard. Many tweaks and changes have been added in intervening years but, if anything. The elites have pulled further away from the also rans. So, was the introduction of the qualifiers good or bad for the development of our games ? - in hindsight, probably not, at least in football."
Galway in 01, Tyrone in 05 & 08, Kerry in 06 & 09 and Cork in 10 were the teams who won All-Irelands via the back door. 2010 I think was the only one where two teams who came trough the back door made the final. The qualifiers probably peeked in 2010 when all four semi finals had teams who had come through the qualifiers.

It definitely helped teams develop in the 2000s the likes of Westmeath, Fermanagh etc But it's definitely gone the other way now.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 16/04/2024 13:32:43    2538343

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Replying To oneoff:  "Galway in 01, Tyrone in 05 & 08, Kerry in 06 & 09 and Cork in 10 were the teams who won All-Irelands via the back door. 2010 I think was the only one where two teams who came trough the back door made the final. The qualifiers probably peeked in 2010 when all four semi finals had teams who had come through the qualifiers.

It definitely helped teams develop in the 2000s the likes of Westmeath, Fermanagh etc But it's definitely gone the other way now."
I think that both kerry and tyrone reached the 08 final via the qualifiers.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 16/04/2024 17:25:07    2538384

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Replying To Galway9801:  "I think that both kerry and tyrone reached the 08 final via the qualifiers."
Yes actually you're right there. But I suppose it again shows how the late 2000s was probably the peek of the qualifiers.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 16/04/2024 18:44:39    2538401

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RTE has gone to the dogs anyway but the SG really is dross now, the pundits are cringeworthy, Sean Cavanagh should not be on as pundit, there has to be better available, suppose his comments a few years ago gained him favour in RTE.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3030 - 16/04/2024 20:18:55    2538422

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Replying To Cuhullain:  "an honest post, Sundays game was a welter of excitement between a division 3 and a division 4 team, my first game in about 3 years for the rest of the year there will not be a game to come anywhere this one for sheer passion, tenacity, honesty, scores and how they came about but what a finish. With leinster football dead in the water Wicklow won the respect of the nation and for now Kildare are the second best team in leinster."
To be fair now most of the nation would have zero interest in wicklow or kildare football, they are pretty much irrelevant in the overall picture. Both would be better off in that tailteann cup

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2085 - 16/04/2024 22:05:48    2538448

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Replying To Bon:  "To be fair now most of the nation would have zero interest in wicklow or kildare football, they are pretty much irrelevant in the overall picture. Both would be better off in that tailteann cup"
Who cares about the overall picture if it was the best game of football last weekend and most deserving to be the top game on the Sunday Game highlights show? The overall picture will look after itself later in the season when the top counties will be given more than enough and probably too much media exposure in comparison to so-called weaker counties.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7651 - 16/04/2024 23:26:53    2538464

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "Everyone accepts that the provincial championsips days are numbered. Someone just needs to make a decision and devise a different championship structure. There's only one out of four provinces competitive. Kerry is a footballing powerhouse in a hurling province, that isn't going to change. The teams in Leinster outside Dublin have no valid excuses to be so far off Dublin, they have decent resources including population to be competitive and Dublin is not the team it was. In relation to Sean Cavanagh, if he was a good pundit he'd be on the BBC and not RTE."
Agree with pretty much everything you say.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4941 - 16/04/2024 23:57:47    2538474

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Replying To Bon:  "To be fair now most of the nation would have zero interest in wicklow or kildare football, they are pretty much irrelevant in the overall picture. Both would be better off in that tailteann cup"
Whereas you are possibly right, I think that many GAA people throughout the country would look at games like last Sundays out of curiosity if nothing else - and Sundays game had an element of intrigue about it. One, had Kildare gotten their act together a disastrous leave and two, would Wicklow or could Wicklow improve on their obvious recovery from an equally disastrous league campaign with their win over Westmeath. If we follow your thinking, the Ulster football championship be the only one worth following - and not all those games would be a top draw either. I don't know if RTE log the viewing numbers for TSG, but I suppose if they squeeze in 4/5 games that's viewers from 8/10 counties waiting for a glimpse of their own teams performance. I think the original debate was whether RTE should give more time to games which had already been well covered and analysed live and not divide the the slot more evenly over all games. The quality of the pundits, presenters etc was also under scrutiny.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1267 - 17/04/2024 00:15:39    2538475

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RTE don't seem to realise that TSG is supposed to be entertaining. I struggle to think of a pundit who Is actually engaging on the show. They all seem to have random stats to throw out and little else. BBC is streets ahead in their coverage. I'm no fan of Joe Brolly but one thing he did point out as he was being let go by RTE was how robotic it had all become and how it was becoming so scripted and things have only gotten worse since.

PK57 (Louth) - Posts: 1657 - 17/04/2024 10:32:16    2538524

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Replying To PK57:  "RTE don't seem to realise that TSG is supposed to be entertaining. I struggle to think of a pundit who Is actually engaging on the show. They all seem to have random stats to throw out and little else. BBC is streets ahead in their coverage. I'm no fan of Joe Brolly but one thing he did point out as he was being let go by RTE was how robotic it had all become and how it was becoming so scripted and things have only gotten worse since."
Brolly could be entertaining but was selective in his comments, depending on who was involved. For instance, his attack on Sean Cavanagh was completely out of order, especially since he had failed to criticise other players who had been guilty of similar "professional" fouls before the black card was introduced.

midlands (Westmeath) - Posts: 583 - 17/04/2024 12:05:00    2538563

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Replying To thelongridge:  "Dublin games will always be shown, even if as one sided as the Meath game. The same fate awaits Offaly footballers in the semi final, and all Leinster teams, until there a team beat Dublin. I turned off the Dublin v Meath shambles, once is enough.
There were other games on Sunday, the Kildare/ Louth game had an exciting finish, and other games got brief coverage.
There were games played on Saturday, maybe a highlights of these games on Saturday night would provide better coverage."
That should read Kildare Wicklow. Apologise.

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 17/04/2024 12:16:35    2538566

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In fairness to rte, and I detest them, when the product your advertising is dead then the show can't lift it up no matter how much you try.

Being from where I am the odd time we'd appear on the show I'd remember the sneering comments from the pundits that would be directed at us, or making a skit out of us, pats on the head. And that is 20 years ago. Not just a new thing of the show not caring about 'weaker' counties.

The only time now it gets any social media attention is when particular hurling pundits go on the attack against the more popular sport, whilst failing to see the inequality in their own sport...or indeed doing anything to close that gap.

eslinchickenmaryland (Leitrim) - Posts: 274 - 17/04/2024 12:56:45    2538577

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It's awful. I watched it for a bit last week and turned off. A real snorefest fronted by a schoolteacher like figure.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9785 - 17/04/2024 13:02:32    2538580

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "It's awful. I watched it for a bit last week and turned off. A real snorefest fronted by a schoolteacher like figure."
What's even more awful is that it isn't going to change. Those responsible for " producing" the programme seem to be locked into their own little comfort zone. "They" seem to decide in advance which will be the best game to cover and to this end will naturally focus on games with higher profile counties involved. I think that as poor as the Kildare - Wicklow coverage was, the Louth - Wexford coverage was awful. This is probably down to finance and the number of outside broadcast units available which won't improve any time soon. I'm presuming that RTE have to pay the GAA for the covering of games and these early rounds are only a nuisance to them. Maybe Leinster Council or the Central Council should be leaning on RTE to provide more bang for their buck. I think a few years ago when ITV through TV3 wanted to get involved, RTE weren't best pleased, now, in the absence of any competition we have to suck up whatever they provide us with.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1267 - 17/04/2024 13:32:21    2538593

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Replying To LaLu:  "Interesting moment in the Louth Wexford coverage. The commentator was describing the Louth midfielder Durnin pass the ball to the Louth centre half Keenan for a goal attempt. She named the Wexford no. 8 passing to the Wexford no. 11 instead. Sums up the shambles that the Sunday game has become in my view."
Yeah this was dreadful. You would wonder how someone employed by the national broadcaster can make that mistake. By the way, Keenan looks like a real prospect for you, very skilful player. Durnin was excellent against Cavan in the league

97Cavans (Cavan) - Posts: 377 - 17/04/2024 15:18:32    2538644

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You'd think there is an open goal waiting for the likes of Virgin Media to do a GAA highlights show? Pity they wouldn't start showing live games also, then we wouldn't have to listen to Marty rambling about how many All stars fellas have etc etc.....

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3030 - 17/04/2024 15:37:00    2538649

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "You'd think there is an open goal waiting for the likes of Virgin Media to do a GAA highlights show? Pity they wouldn't start showing live games also, then we wouldn't have to listen to Marty rambling about how many All stars fellas have etc etc....."
Virgin too busy being ITV!

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1956 - 17/04/2024 15:46:22    2538651

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Replying To Freethinker:  "What's even more awful is that it isn't going to change. Those responsible for " producing" the programme seem to be locked into their own little comfort zone. "They" seem to decide in advance which will be the best game to cover and to this end will naturally focus on games with higher profile counties involved. I think that as poor as the Kildare - Wicklow coverage was, the Louth - Wexford coverage was awful. This is probably down to finance and the number of outside broadcast units available which won't improve any time soon. I'm presuming that RTE have to pay the GAA for the covering of games and these early rounds are only a nuisance to them. Maybe Leinster Council or the Central Council should be leaning on RTE to provide more bang for their buck. I think a few years ago when ITV through TV3 wanted to get involved, RTE weren't best pleased, now, in the absence of any competition we have to suck up whatever they provide us with."
Like it or not the sunday game focuses on the more higher profile counties because that's what the fans want to see.
Some of the best hurling matches you'll watch are in the lower tiers less tactical, more free flowing, often more competitive, but the people would still have more interest in a cagey all Ireland final between two heavy weight counties.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 17/04/2024 18:04:07    2538686

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "You'd think there is an open goal waiting for the likes of Virgin Media to do a GAA highlights show? Pity they wouldn't start showing live games also, then we wouldn't have to listen to Marty rambling about how many All stars fellas have etc etc....."
Smaller Fish ran a pilot GAA show last year for Virgin Media. Virgin Media said they weren't interested in letting Smaller Fish have a show this year because Virgin couldn't get a sponsor. Even though Smaller Fish did get a sponsor.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7651 - 21/04/2024 19:10:17    2539582

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Sunday Game not as bad tonight with Enda Mc Ginley, as good any of them.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2150 - 21/04/2024 22:56:12    2539654

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