Would you be in favour of a second tier?

[trailer]

Those who oppose change are opposing the development of Gaelic Games and want to see this past time die out altogether.

Nail on head, we want to kill football and hurling.  Is that your best? 

Can see no other logical reason to oppose change.

You know it all.

I know

[From the Bunker]

Those who oppose change are opposing the development of Gaelic Games and want to see this past time die out altogether.

Nail on head, we want to kill football and hurling.  Is that your best? 

Can see no other logical reason to oppose change.

I'm all for change, lets start changing the amount of funding going to Dublin. Lets Change the amount of home games Dublin get. I'm not against change!

[general_lee]

provincials are glorified friendly tournaments if tyrone never won an ulster title again but won all irelands no one would really care

If Cavan win Ulster this year the whole County will care an awful lot.

As would Armagh.

I'm all for change myself, change back to straight knock out provincial and All Ireland series

[Rossfan]

No!

[befair]

Those who oppose change are opposing the development of Gaelic Games and want to see this past time die out altogether.

Nail on head, we want to kill football and hurling.  Is that your best? 

Can see no other logical reason to oppose change.

The change will bury football completely in half the country. The change has been tried and tested in the form of the Tommy Murphy Cup. There is no appetite for it. Nobody wants to go and watch it. Any decent players from the weaker counties will flock to America every summer rather that play in some 2 bit forgotten about competition.

Tiers work well in club football, ladies football, + many other sports, and are just as passionately contested as senior games. But it needs to be properly supported, the obvious way is for the 2nd tier final to precede the senior final. Time for the minor final to move

[Rossfan]

8 "ballbag" Counties will be out of action from 8/9 June.
Not a bad oul way of "hiding the crap teams" away.

[Rossfan]

Your one grumpy hoore.
Probably used to getting your own way

[lenny]

Those who oppose change are opposing the development of Gaelic Games and want to see this past time die out altogether.

Nail on head, we want to kill football and hurling.  Is that your best? 

Can see no other logical reason to oppose change.

The change will bury football completely in half the country. The change has been tried and tested in the form of the Tommy Murphy Cup. There is no appetite for it. Nobody wants to go and watch it. Any decent players from the weaker counties will flock to America every summer rather that play in some 2 bit forgotten about competition.

A lot of county players from the weaker counties are already heading to the usa for the summer and have left their county panels. Longford had one of their best players leave the panel after the league for that reason. He obviously stays and plays in the league where it is competitive and his team have a chance to compete. He knows the championship is a waste of time. 2 or 3 games and then you're out, if that's been your lot for the last 60/70 years why would it change now. Getting a lucky draw in the playoffs and winning a game only delays the inevitable. By the middle of june half the counties will be out of the championship and most years it's roughly the same counties. What have these counties got to lose from a tiered championship. The current system doesn't meet their needs.

[lenny]

Competing in and maybe even winning a competition that nobody gives one toss about isn't going to inspire anyone either. See Tommy Murphy Cup. What have they got to lose? Interest. Support. Commitment. The county game will be redundant for them as all eyes, even those of the kids in their own county will be on the real competition.

Nice anecdote about the Longford player. Was the opportunity on the table for him to head away during the league or did you make up why he "obviously stays"?

That "anecdote " was on the Sunday game. Club players put a huge value on intermediate and junior championships. No reason why county players wouldn't do the same. As it stands championship is already an irrelevance for about 15 counties or more and it will continue like that unless the structures change.

[lenny]

You've suggested that he "obviously" stayed for the league as it is competitive. That's not obvious to me. Indeed, it's likely that American clubs weren't looking him from February to April and that's why he was still at home.
Clubs are entirely different to county. You must realise that?
We are going back to a system that failed so badly 10 years ago that we scrapped it. And for what?

He is only one case. Derry have 2 players who opted out of the championship panel but played in the league. The league has been great for a number of years with lots of competitive games. Championship is just a farce especially the early games.

[From the Bunker]

If it's a farce because some teams are much better than others, then it is a farce to the very top. Dublin walk through almost every team (if not every team). There are teams at the business end of the championship getting blitzed by Tyrone.

Gaelic football has problems. Antrim & Louth getting annihilated in the early rounds of the championship by the 2 best teams in the country is NOT a major one. You get mismatches in the early rounds of most sports competitions. The fact that people are switching off games that are supposed to be the thick of the championship between the good teams is the real issue threatening the GAA.

But sure, cut the bottom 8 adrift and the championship will be a better competition.

+1

[dublin7]

It's clear alot of posters onthis thread have no idea of the sacrifice for training and gym work to be an inter county player.

There's f**k all tv/media coverage for counites in earlier rounds of the the championship yet this is used as an argument against tiered championship.

Players expected to slog it out training over winter to enter a competition they cant win and then enter qualifiers only to be beaten by an All Ireland contender.

The GAA today reminds me of WWI stories. Lions led by donkeys. You have players giving incredible commitment in training/matches yet orginisational decisons are made by old committee men who have no connection to modern day football and haven't kicked a ball in decades

[dublin7]

Players would be rightfully reluctant to put in the same effort for the "baby pool, God help yas" competition IMO.

I work with a company that's heavily involved in GAA. Majority of players I spoke to simply want a chamce to win things. Its no coincidence they preferred the league set yp to current championship set up

[dublin7]

Players would be rightfully reluctant to put in the same effort for the "baby pool, God help yas" competition IMO.

I work with a company that's heavily involved in GAA. Majority of players I spoke to simply want a chamce to win things. Its no coincidence they preferred the league set yp to current championship set up

I'd say a lot of players would rather return to the club and put the effort in there rather than a wee shield with the county having given up half their lives.
I think people underestimate how the thought/dream of a bit of a run in THE championship can motivate someone.
If you're in the bum competition from the start, would ya really bother putting your 21-28 year old life on hold? The Tommy Murphy Cup tells us you wouldn't.

In my experience thats  just not true. Specifically in recent years. Players want to represent their county but they want to win as well. No chance of success and they've no interest. If they had a genuine chance of winning a trophy for the county they would commit

[imtommygunn]

In any sports competition though you will always get a reasonable number of teams who just won't have a chance of winning. As hs says If you put say ten in the top tier then really only Dublin will win, maybe just maybe the odd year Tyrone or Kerry  or someone might too, but it's the same principle as now. Plenty of teams can't win the competition.

You could apply this to hurling championship, champions league, premier league, tennis majors, golf majors or any sport.

To me the bigger problem is getting hammered with the bigger gaps and going in with no chance. The gap just keeps widening between the top and bottom and the football is like the hurling used to be. The commitment is too great and the reward for the investment just isn't worth it. In "lesser" counties all you read about is dropouts these days. Everyone wants to see the best players playing for their counties and that needs addressed. I am from a "lesser" county and when growing up it was always seen as the dream to play for the county whereas now it just doesn't feel like it's like this in so many counties.

If tiered championship fixes that then it's the answer. Who knows if it would though.