8 Provinces finalists lose out?

[John Martin]

If Tyrone played Roscommon with the winner into the semi then that winner would still have a minimum of a fortnight off with the prospect of playing a team from the qualifiers.
How would this new system be any fairer than what happens already?

[ONeill]

If Tyrone played Roscommon with the winner into the semi then that winner would still have a minimum of a fortnight off with the prospect of playing a team from the qualifiers.
How would this new system be any fairer than what happens already?

Because it guards against having to play straight knockout in the years when you have 3-4 week lay off after the provincial with the possibility of being dumped out due to inactivity. That's the real problem. Also bear in mind that there's sometimes a gap of a month between the provincial semi and the final before that.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

I have a deep gra for Tyrone people and Tyrone football but yis are starting to sound like Kerrymen

[John Martin]

If Tyrone played Roscommon with the winner into the semi then that winner would still have a minimum of a fortnight off with the prospect of playing a team from the qualifiers.
How would this new system be any fairer than what happens already?

Because it guards against having to play straight knockout in the years when you have 3-4 week lay off after the provincial with the possibility of being dumped out due to inactivity. That's the real problem. Also bear in mind that there's sometimes a gap of a month between the provincial semi and the final before that.

There would still be a team playing after a 3 week break.

Weekend 1- Provincial winners play each other and 4 qualifiers play to get down to 2.

Weekend 2- 2 qualifiers play against the 2 losers form the provincial games. (Only 1 week to regroup after that loss so there may be complaints there)

Weekend 3- 1st semi final.

Weekend 4- 2nd semi final. (3 weeks after a provincial winner has last played, Where is their backdoor?)

This system also fails to take into account Hurling fixtures which mean some more Saturday games in Croke Park. The current system is not perfect but you aren't really fixing any problems with this alternative.

[ONeill]

Why do semi-finals need to be played on separate weekends? A 7:30pm semi-final at Croker under lights if needed would be a brilliant occasion.

Also, with the way attendances are and the half empty stands, it'd be worth looking at playing most rounds before the semis away from Croker, freeing it up for hurling fixtures. There are some wonderful grounds around the country capable of hosting All-Ireland quarters/round 4 games.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Weekend 4- 2nd semi final. (3 weeks after a provincial winner has last played, Where is their backdoor?)

I think the point here is as much about the provincial winners a) being allowed a one-game loss like all the other teams, and b) alternatively, should they win the provincial quarter-final, then they're at the same point as they would have been at, pre-Qualifiers, i.e., with the introduction of the Qualifiers an extra stage needs to be negotiated by the prov champs but without the luxury of a defeat; this proposal would give some compensation for that inequity.

(At the risk of sounding like a Kerry man  )

[magpie seanie]

What happened the provincial winners this weekend is explainable and I don't think the system is to blame.

Tyrone beat themselves with all the aides, many of them ridiculous (no disrespect to Dublin who also played very well). I think they've fcuked away an All Ireland due to one bad days shooting.

Kerry were a sitting duck without Galvin and O'Sé (and all the other players lost from last year alone). They would not have beaten any of the qualifiers bar possibly Cork.

Roscommon didn't really think they were going to win. The way their supporters applauded them off the field for capitulating in a game they could easily have won tells its own tale. They would have got a huge hiding off Dublin, Kildare or Down.

Meath were slightly fortunate to win Leinster (Louth aside, some of the goals against Dublin were fortunate) and once they met a team who had a decent defence they were in trouble. Meath's defence is simply terrible and their midfield disappears for long spells.

The qualifiers does let teams address their weaknesses and rebuild and in 3 of the 4 teams cases this has been done very well (Cork still don't have a clue but at the same time are hard to beat). It should also provide lots of evidence to the provincial winners of what they are doing and in time provincial winners will use this to their advantage.

What is clear though is that you do not want to lose a provincial final under this system. I think if you get to a provincial final you've obviously won a game or two so you'd deserve more than 6 days to get yourself up for a crack at the AI.

[OverThePostsAWide]

Why do semi-finals need to be played on separate weekends? A 7:30pm semi-final at Croker under lights if needed would be a brilliant occasion.

Are you serious? They would both need to be played at the same time on the same day of the week or Mickey would be calling foul (when Tyrone lose...). Even then, God forbid that a qualifier replay would be played under lights in an earlier round and the winner subsequently meet Tyrone with that "unfair advantage" under their belts...

For all his undoubted success, Mickey is an awful whinge sometimes. Only outdone by Jack O'C with his added chip 

[eyeswideopen]

Am i missing something?
Has the qualifier system changed this year to that of the past 9 years?
Why all of a sudden is there a cry for change?
Is it because the mighty have fallen this year?
There has been talk of teams building up a head of steam through the qualifiers.
In the past teams complained about having to play week in week out as it was too much for amateur players.
Hard to keep everyone happy.

[Hound]

This shíte does my head in. whether it be Dublin complaining or Tyrone or whoever.

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win their provincial title.

And subsequently, when they are finished with the provincial championship...

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win the All Ireland.

Completely fair, completely open. The suggestions going round to try and make things easier for provincial winners and provincial runners-up are just pure nonsense.

The first time ever all the provincial finalists are out by the SF stage, and suddenly the system is wrong 
Balls

[eyeswideopen]

This shíte does my head in. whether it be Dublin complaining or Tyrone or whoever.

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win their provincial title.

And subsequently, when they are finished with the provincial championship...

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win the All Ireland.

Completely fair, completely open. The suggestions going round to try and make things easier for provincial winners and provincial runners-up are just pure nonsense.

The first time ever all the provincial finalists are out by the SF stage, and suddenly the system is wrong 
Balls

Totally agree Hound!!!

[IolarCoisCuain]

I think the most frightening result of the weekend is the detente that has broken out between Tyrone and Kerry about the "unfairness" of the qualifiers. It's like a movie where Superman finds common ground with Lex Luthor because the Joker has come over from Gotham City to take over Metropolis. Really lads - what are you like?

Saw this on Twitter -
http://twitpic.com/2aqk1z

Messing aside, these are interesting stats. Don't forget, that one Provincial finalist isn't like another. Tyrone or Kerry going down this year isn't like Westmeath losing in 2004 or Sligo in 2007, for instance. We shouldn't give them equal weighing.

This looking at the system up and down is typical of our mindset in Ireland. Rather than look at our own failings and address them, we look at the system to see what bastard has one up on us.

It was the same with Galway in the hurling twenty years ago, when they had a bye to the All-Ireland semis. Did the lack of games help them or hinder them? Galway haven't won any hurling titles since that ended - is that because they don't get the bye to the semi anymore, or because their teams aren't good enough? Who knows?

The search for "fairness" is fool's gold. Bring back the right Championship, where you lived or died after every game. Better all round. At least you knew where you bloody stood.

[Rossfan]

This shíte does my head in. whether it be Dublin complaining or Tyrone or whoever.

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win their provincial title.

And subsequently, when they are finished with the provincial championship...

Every team has ONE CHANCE to win the All Ireland.

Completely fair, completely open. The suggestions going round to try and make things easier for provincial winners and provincial runners-up are just pure nonsense.

The first time ever all the provincial finalists are out by the SF stage, and suddenly the system is wrong 
Balls

Totally agree Hound!!!

So do I.

By the way Magpie Seanie ....how did you figure we could have easily beaten Cork yesterday?

[ONeill]

Personally I'd go even further and scrap the provincial system. Have always said that. It makes no sense. In one province you can play 2 games and arrive at the quarter final stage. In another it could take 4 games with no replays. That's just mixed up. Imagine in the World Cup of soccer or rugby having one group of 12, one of 9, one of 6 and one of 5. Tradition my arse.

[Rossfan]

Never mind soccer or that effin rugby. We'll do things our way.
You can not scrap the Provincials.... it gives a lot of teams something to aim for.
Also there was some great excitement in this years Provincial Championships with us ,Sligo, Louth,Limerick, the Cork/Kerry games, Monaghan etc.
Much better than a dry old system with 26+ teams not having a hope of winning it.