Retain the Super 8’s series?

[Ball Hopper]

Retain with tweaks. 

1) Provincial champs still at home in Rd 1. 

2) Rd 2 at neutral venues - winners of Rd 1 meet, losers of Rd 1 meet.

3) Two weeks between Rd 3 and semifinal.  The hurling final could be this weekend (11 Aug) and football semifinals on 18 Aug.

If there is a draw in a Rd1 match, a complication.

Or two draws? Then what?

Gerard okane made a good point, he says if you have to be continually making tweaks to something, then you have to wonder if it's worth bothering with in the first place.

I'd get rid. Not only of Super 8 but the whole C'ship format. Big games in county grounds can and should happen throughout the chship not just at the QF stage.

In an ideal world it would be an open draw with the group stage at the start and then knock out qtrs/semis etc.

Unfortunately there is no way the people on the provincial councils would give up their power. Their attitude is along the lines of it worked for last 90 years so why change now....

Would also create a problem for a team's home fixture.

Let's take this year's Group 2.

Rd 1 Provincial champs at home...Tyrone and Dublin beat Roscommon and Cork.

Rd 2 at neutral venues Tyrone v Dublin and Roscommon v Cork.

Rd 3 has Tyrone due to meet Cork, but neither team has had a home game yet, while either Dublin or Roscommon will have a second home game or a second neutral game.

[BennyCake]

Retain with tweaks. 

1) Provincial champs still at home in Rd 1. 

2) Rd 2 at neutral venues - winners of Rd 1 meet, losers of Rd 1 meet.

3) Two weeks between Rd 3 and semifinal.  The hurling final could be this weekend (11 Aug) and football semifinals on 18 Aug.

If there is a draw in a Rd1 match, a complication.

Or two draws? Then what?

Gerard okane made a good point, he says if you have to be continually making tweaks to something, then you have to wonder if it's worth bothering with in the first place.

I'd get rid. Not only of Super 8 but the whole C'ship format. Big games in county grounds can and should happen throughout the chship not just at the QF stage.

In an ideal world it would be an open draw with the group stage at the start and then knock out qtrs/semis etc.

Unfortunately there is no way the people on the provincial councils would give up their power. Their attitude is along the lines of it worked for last 90 years so why change now....

That sounds like an argument a loyalist bonfire builder would say. Although you're right.

The gaa need to grab the nettle though. The whole c'ship is a farce, and it needs a total rehash.

[highorlow]

http://spailpin.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-hateful-eights.html

[Rossfan]

"The end of the GAA as we know it"
Enough said.

By the way Bennycake there were loads of big games in Provincial Stadia before the Qtr Finals.

[SouthDublinBro]

I don't see any problem with the Super 8 system. The current 4 teams who have qualified are the best 4 in Ireland. No other team can have any complaints.

[Hound]

Retain with tweaks. 

1) Provincial champs still at home in Rd 1. 

2) Rd 2 at neutral venues - winners of Rd 1 meet, losers of Rd 1 meet.

3) Two weeks between Rd 3 and semifinal.  The hurling final could be this weekend (11 Aug) and football semifinals on 18 Aug.

If there is a draw in a Rd1 match, a complication.

Or two draws? Then what?

Gerard okane made a good point, he says if you have to be continually making tweaks to something, then you have to wonder if it's worth bothering with in the first place.

I'd get rid. Not only of Super 8 but the whole C'ship format. Big games in county grounds can and should happen throughout the chship not just at the QF stage.

In an ideal world it would be an open draw with the group stage at the start and then knock out qtrs/semis etc.

Unfortunately there is no way the people on the provincial councils would give up their power. Their attitude is along the lines of it worked for last 90 years so why change now....

Would also create a problem for a team's home fixture.

Let's take this year's Group 2.

Rd 1 Provincial champs at home...Tyrone and Dublin beat Roscommon and Cork.

Rd 2 at neutral venues Tyrone v Dublin and Roscommon v Cork.

Rd 3 has Tyrone due to meet Cork, but neither team has had a home game yet, while either Dublin or Roscommon will have a second home game or a second neutral game.

No, provincial champs play each other in neutral ground, regardless of whether it's R2 or R3.
So in your example, in round 2, Tyrone and Cork would have been at home. R3 neutral.

[Ball Hopper]

Retain with tweaks. 

1) Provincial champs still at home in Rd 1. 

2) Rd 2 at neutral venues - winners of Rd 1 meet, losers of Rd 1 meet.

3) Two weeks between Rd 3 and semifinal.  The hurling final could be this weekend (11 Aug) and football semifinals on 18 Aug.

If there is a draw in a Rd1 match, a complication.

Or two draws? Then what?

Gerard okane made a good point, he says if you have to be continually making tweaks to something, then you have to wonder if it's worth bothering with in the first place.

I'd get rid. Not only of Super 8 but the whole C'ship format. Big games in county grounds can and should happen throughout the chship not just at the QF stage.

In an ideal world it would be an open draw with the group stage at the start and then knock out qtrs/semis etc.

Unfortunately there is no way the people on the provincial councils would give up their power. Their attitude is along the lines of it worked for last 90 years so why change now....

Would also create a problem for a team's home fixture.

Let's take this year's Group 2.

Rd 1 Provincial champs at home...Tyrone and Dublin beat Roscommon and Cork.

Rd 2 at neutral venues Tyrone v Dublin and Roscommon v Cork.

Rd 3 has Tyrone due to meet Cork, but neither team has had a home game yet, while either Dublin or Roscommon will have a second home game or a second neutral game.

No, provincial champs play each other in neutral ground, regardless of whether it's R2 or R3.
So in your example, in round 2, Tyrone and Cork would have been at home. R3 neutral.

Rd 1 Ross v Tyrone in The Hyde, Dublin v Cork in Croker

Rd 2 Tyrone v Dublin in Omagh, Ross v Cork in Cork

Rd 3 Tyrone v Cork neutral venue, Dublin v Ross neutral venue.

Does that make a better Super 8?  I suppose (copyright Tomas O'Se) it does, lookit.


Group 1 would have played out exactly as it did...right?

Rd 1 Kerry v Mayo in Killarney, Donegal v Meath in Donegal

Rd2 Kerry v Donegal neutral venue, Mayo v Meath neutral venue

Rd 3 Meath v Kerry in Navan, Mayo v Donegal in Castlebar.

[Captain Obvious]

http://spailpin.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-hateful-eights.html

Good read, no sugar coating and calling things as it is. The hateful eights a very appropriate name.

[BennyCake]

Teams and fans are already pissed about enough in the qualifiers, with games being arranged at 3 or 4 days notice. Now you want it to happen in Super 8's as well

If you have to t**ker about with it at every farts end, it's clearly a stupid concept.

[Farrandeelin]

I don't see any problem with the Super 8 system. The current 4 teams who have qualified are the best 4 in Ireland. No other team can have any complaints.

Roscommon can. Donegal can.

[Ball Hopper]

Teams and fans are already pissed about enough in the qualifiers, with games being arranged at 3 or 4 days notice. Now you want it to happen in Super 8's as well

If you have to t**ker about with it at each farts end, it's clearly a stupid concept.

Budget for 3 quarter final games is a bit much to ask alright. 

Still an impressive run of games for teams...if Tyrone get to the final this year they will have played Derry, Donegal, Roscommon, Cork, Dublin and Kerry.  Kerry's list would be Clare, Cork, Mayo, Donegal, Meath and Tyrone.  No matter who wins on Sunday, each team will have had an impressive list of opponents.

Not like Kerry in 1997, when it took wins over Tipperary, Clare , Cavan and Mayo to win it all.  Or 1980's three wins - Cork, Offaly and Roscommon.

[Armagh18]

I don't see any problem with the Super 8 system. The current 4 teams who have qualified are the best 4 in Ireland. No other team can have any complaints.

Roscommon can. Donegal can.

Roscommon can't, any other year they'd have been out after being best by Tyrone anyway, then got tanked by the Dubs. They're a good side but just a step below the top 5 at the minute. Donegal can have complaints as they beat Tyrone this year already and have only lost once compared to Mayo's 2 defeats, but thats just the way it goes, they had their chance to beat Mayo but the better team won.

[Ed Ricketts]

What benefit is it to the sport as a whole, plyers, managers or fans to going back to the old knockout? Less games, greater predictability and lower profile for the sport and for what? I just can't understand the negativity about the super 8's when the only alternative is the old knockout system.

A 'Super 4s' would offer more games, less predictability, and a greater profile than the current knockout semi-final arrangement. But no one wants that. And no one wants in because it would be a ridiculous arrangement at such an advanced stage of the championship. Elitist, ungainly, unnecessary.

The Super 8s is a very barely more palatable situation. The sooner it's gone the better.

[Never beat the deeler]

I don't see any problem with the Super 8 system. The current 4 teams who have qualified are the best 4 in Ireland. No other team can have any complaints.

Roscommon can. Donegal can.

Roscommon can't, any other year they'd have been out after being best by Tyrone anyway, then got tanked by the Dubs. They're a good side but just a step below the top 5 at the minute. Donegal can have complaints as they beat Tyrone this year already and have only lost once compared to Mayo's 2 defeats, but thats just the way it goes, they had their chance to beat Mayo but the better team won.

I've seen this mentioned a few places - surely this is a complaint against the back door rather than the Super 8?

Mayo lost to Roscommon, and as penance they had to play Down, Armagh and Galway. Once that was achieved, the slate was wiped clean.
Both teams lost one game in the S8, with one team winning 2 and the other winning only one.

[Never beat the deeler]

Teams and fans are already pissed about enough in the qualifiers, with games being arranged at 3 or 4 days notice. Now you want it to happen in Super 8's as well

If you have to t**ker about with it at each farts end, it's clearly a stupid concept.

Budget for 3 quarter final games is a bit much to ask alright. 

Still an impressive run of games for teams...if Tyrone get to the final this year they will have played Derry, Donegal, Roscommon, Cork, Dublin and Kerry.  Kerry's list would be Clare, Cork, Mayo, Donegal, Meath and Tyrone.  No matter who wins on Sunday, each team will have had an impressive list of opponents.

Not like Kerry in 1997, when it took wins over Tipperary, Clare , Cavan and Mayo to win it all.  Or 1980's three wins - Cork, Offaly and Roscommon.

In order to reach the final, Mayo would have played the Connacht, Munster, Ulster and Leinster champions!