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I agree with you but I think it'd be even easier to can the league in my structure where teams get 7 All Ireland championship games, so a minimum of 3 home games in the championship is better than the round robin in my eyes. It's very easy to design those games as being meaningful. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 26/06/2026 12:06:47 2682025 Link 0 |
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Anyone who suggests canning the league does not know what they are talking about. It's a ridiculous suggestion.
Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6213 - 26/06/2026 12:22:01 2682030 Link 0 |
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The league is popular with players and has been given the upgraded status of being linked to All Ireland qualification. There is often giving out about the provincial championships but noone wants to be left out of them! legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10067 - 26/06/2026 12:55:07 2682041 Link 0 |
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Really What is its current purpose - To decide who qualifies for Sam Maguire and give out a trophy and day in Croke park to counties who cant achieve it via the championship. Look at the history of it Kerry winners x24, Rup x 8 - last win 2025, last final 2026 Dublin winners x 14 Rup x 15 - last win 2021, last final 2024 Mayo winner x 13 Rup x 9 - last win 2023, last final 2025 Cork winner x 8 Rup x 6 last win 2012 , last final 2015 Meath winner x 7 Rup x 6 last win 1993-94, last final 1999-2000 Derry winner x 7 Rup x 6 last win 2024, last final 2024 Galway winner x 4 Rup x 7 last win 1980-81 last final 2023 Down winner x 4 Rup x 4 last win 1982-83 last final 1989-90 New York win x 3 Rup x 0 last win 1966-67 last final 1966-67 Donegal winner x 2 Rup x 3 last win 2026 last final 2026 Tyrone winner x 2 Rup x 2 last win 2003 last final 2013 Laois winner x 2 Rup x 1 last win 1985-86 last final 2003 Cavan winner x 1 Rup x 5 Last win 1947-48 last final 2002 Armagh winner x 1 Rup x 3 last win 2005 last final 1993-94 Roscommon winx1 Rup x 2 last win 1973-74, last final 1980-81 Offaly winner x 1 Rup x 2 last win 1997-98 last final 1997-98 Monaghan win x 1 Rup x 1 last win 1984-85 last final 1985-86 Longford win x 1 Rup x 0 last win 1965-66 Kildare winner x 0 Rup x 5 last final 1990-91 Wexford winner x 0 Rup x 3 last final 2005 Carlow winner x 0 Rup x 1 last final 1953-54 Louth winner x 0 Rup x 1 last final 1948-49 Fermanagh win x 0 Rup x 1 last final 1934-35 So its a closed shop - simply another title for successful counties to win - and they don't even appreciate winning it. So what is the benefit - a div 4 title for weaker counties - even the ones that win it (div 4) are usually a county who had a bad year to end up there in the first place. What would be more beneficial - 1. a round robin provincial championship with games against local rivals (at the same level) 2. a 3 tiered championship with success in one tier providing immediate access to the tier above, so in a good (bounce back) season you get a shot at a higher level. the Tailteann cup has already over taken a div 3 league title in value - Down didn't get into Sam Maguire for winning div 3 - but will do for winning tailteann. The current issue is the Tailteann is being won by Meath, Down, Kildare etc, counties that should be operating at a higher level - there is still nothing for the weaker counties (Wicklow may prove that wrong yet, but it would be a big surprise if they did). Once set up, winning any of the 3 tiers in championship would be far more valuable than winning a div 4 league title. In the case of Louth - winning tier 2 and getting straight into an All Ireland q final - would be an achievable possibility every year. Winning div 1 of the league and/or Sam Maguire is not. When all counties review the current set up and focus on progressing in the All Ireland - everyone will sacrifice the league and provincial championships as the current system doesn't reward the winners of either. Watching the top teams hold their punches in the league shows where the problem is - anyone who cant see that doesn't know what they are looking at. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 2038 - 26/06/2026 14:34:42 2682075 Link 1 |
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It's not canning the league it's modifying it and making it the championship.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 26/06/2026 14:36:24 2682076 Link 1 |
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So it is canning both the league and the provincial championship....
Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 26/06/2026 16:29:19 2682110 Link 0 |
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Some might say read the room... 1. The national league is popular. 2. The provincial championships are enjoying a positive bounce. 3. The 2A-2B format has proved a hit so far. Now on the flip side as a GAA+ subscriber, I think the first 4 weekends of the provincial championships are missing an edge. Some are concerned however about Down beating Donegal in a qualifying round and impact of that on the All Ireland championship and any tiered levels. If that's the way things are, that's the way things are. There is low value in the GAA+ subscription when the early provincial rounds have low impact on All Ireland qualification. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10067 - 26/06/2026 16:47:21 2682113 Link 0 |
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You're making stuff up lad.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 26/06/2026 19:21:16 2682129 Link 0 |
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With all due respect this is far from a definitive room.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 26/06/2026 19:34:33 2682131 Link 0 |
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So you aren't canning the league and the provincial championship?
Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 26/06/2026 23:26:29 2682162 Link 0 |
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No
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 27/06/2026 09:16:37 2682172 Link 0 |
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I'm not going to entertain the idea that my suggestion that the proposal to make league be the championship is some sort of fringe idea. It wasn't long ago that an idea to separate Provincial from championship and to have the league be the championship garnered a majority of votes at congress just not enough to get the change through. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 27/06/2026 09:45:34 2682176 Link 0 |
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But see here's the thing, you dont seem to realise this but you are getting rid of the league as we know it. Its currently a stand alone competition with its own structure, sponsors etc. It has recently added a link to AI and TC but it is the early season competition. You ARE talking about getting rid of it completely. What you are talking about is adding a larger round robin format to the league. I cant recall why you went with groups of 7 but that's what you are talking about none the less. You can dress it up as a league if yoi want but you yourself use the words " canning the league" in the post i highlighted above so yoi aren't confused. You know what you are proposing. That implies that this round robin will run from early May right through to the end of june. It may even start earlier. That means you want to play the provincials in late February, March and April. So you are turning them into the McKenna Cup. How will teams be seeded for this " championship league" Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 27/06/2026 11:16:56 2682181 Link 0 |
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Fair point on the being confusing I was inconsistent between posts. I'm proposing 8 teams per group but 7 rounds of action. I'd think that Provincials should be played in March and April. They wouldn't be like the McKenna cup because they are linked to championship and played later. March/April not January. The championship would need 15 weeks really and be well spaced. I'd propose that each group have 2 Provincial champions in them. At most 2 Provincial finalists and at most 4 Provincial semi-finalists. I'd have that a team can't play a team that they met in a Provincial finalists or semifinal. So Provincial champions are seeded but if a team had tough semifinals and finals they'd avoid those teams in the league stage. It's not perfectly fair but it's a natural way of getting things more even. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 27/06/2026 12:51:14 2682194 Link 0 |
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If getting rid of the National league is too much for people I'd think it'd be better as a purely preparatory competition. You could move Provincial and All Ireland club alongside it and managers would be able to select players still playing with their clubs. I think this could facilitate moving the All Ireland a little later and still have time for club championship. In that system I'd have the Provincials between the championship, the All Ireland championship be 2 groups of 6 teams for the top 2 tiers with a 3rd tier of 1 group of 8. Provincial champions would be guaranteed a tier 1 spot. Provincial finalists would play in at worst tier 2 and the 3rd tier can start at the same time as Provincial finals. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 27/06/2026 12:58:21 2682195 Link 0 |
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I dont think you are a GAA man are you? Not in the actively involved sense anyway. If you were you would know that competitions dont run side by side in the GAA. Neither players, teams, managers or supporters want that. Players and managers wont risk injury doing that. Fans dont want that either and wont pay money to watch weakened teams compete in what will be the secondary competition. Its why we have league first, then provincial championship followed by AI series. No overlaps. Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 27/06/2026 17:43:53 2682224 Link 0 |
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I am retired now but I am a GAA man that played from the age of 4 and played senior club football in 2 separate counties. It's only a recent occurrence that the National league is not played alongside All Ireland club where the finals were played on Saint Patrick's day. There was a longstanding tradition in the association of counties using the league to blood newer players. Right now managers in division 1 don't play their All Ireland club championship contingent for the first half or so of the league. Are you actually a football man because you seem out of touch with what really is happening today. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 27/06/2026 19:03:46 2682240 Link 0 |
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Im out of touch? You want to bin the league, turn the provincial championships into the mckenna Cup or a type of caraboa Cup depending on your post and run the AI series as some jumbo round robin but im out of touch? Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 761 - 28/06/2026 00:07:51 2682324 Link 0 |
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The provincials stay the same and are still part of the All Ireland. I've answered why they aren't like the McKenna cup and they are not really less a part of the championship than they are now. The championship is a 2 groups of 8 format, one that has a historical tradition in the association. Would you consider the CPA members as being proper GAA people because when they came into being their preferred All Ireland format was a 2 groups of 8 where teams played one another home and away. Provincials were not played at all in that proposal. Kieran McGeeney has said in the past that the championship should be the league where 4 divisions of 8 play home and away. Is McGeeney not a proper GAA man. You started with the personal attack. You consistently misrepresent my view point. The truth is that this is an association that spans the island with members coming from very different situations, each county with a very different sporting heritage with differences in the dominant code, organisational structure of their competitions, traditions of inter county success. I take issue with you painting me as less of a GAA person. You have a more traditional view than me of the organisation, that's fine. I understand it and appreciate it. I agree with your argument that the Provincials should remain part of the All Ireland and that provincial champions need to be treated equally in it. Where I worry is that I don't think the season as a whole offers enough in terms of matches that matter. We have a lot of low impact games. I don't think some of what I suggest is close to being as radical as some things that have come up in congress in recent years or even some of the changes like the split season, the move of the All Ireland finals back to Julyor the league becoming as prominent as provincials in determining progression in the All Ireland. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 28/06/2026 10:15:18 2682349 Link 0 |
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Apologies, I'll admit when I'm wrong. I got McGeeney's previous comments wrong. He did want a double league but not to replace the championship. The other points stand though. There have been other instances though of radical changes being tabled by unquestioned GAA people. There was a proposal to separate Provincial championships from All Ireland and have an 8 groups of 8 format, seeded based on league placing for instance. There was a format proposal that had teams changing provinces to even them up. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4731 - 28/06/2026 12:07:14 2682376 Link 0 |