Spillane thinks provincials can be saved with a 'couple of tweaks'
August 22, 2023
Pat Spillane watches the Tailteann Cup final at Croke Park ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Pat Spillane believes a ‘couple of tweaks’ could rescue the ailing provincial football Championships.
His solution is to play the provincials before the Allianz Leagues and to only allow the provincial winners entry to the All-Ireland SFC series at that stage.
“These competitions have become the whipping boys for those opposed to the current Championship format. Listen, I get their arguments. Dublin and Kerry’s dominance of the Leinster and Munster series is beyond a joke,” the Kerry legend wrote in his Sunday World column.
“But I think it is far too simplistic to suggest that getting rid of the provincial series will magic up the perfect Championship...
“I have flip-flopped on the provincial championships in recent years being for and against their retention. Right now, I believe they should be retained with a couple of tweaks. They should be played prior to the League with only the provincial winners guaranteed a place in the All-Ireland group stage.
“When it comes to the provincial series, we need to be careful what we wish for. They have colour, tradition, local rivalries and still afford the best chance for weaker counties to reach a Championship final and dream big.”
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