Time to scrap the back door?

[the green man]

With the GPA threatening strike action over the grants issue, and Enda McNulty linking that to expenses, is it time for the GAA to reassess the back door system. Surely with less games for the inter county player they will accrue less expenses during the year, as well as creating more weekend time for club matches. Would it be an idea to align the senior championship along the lines of the minor, in that only the finalists get a second chance? Do you deserve to win Sam if cant even get past the first round of the province? Would this not give back a little more prestige to the provincial championships? Discuss.

[gaagaa]

definately a good idea - club football in derry being tinkered with every year so players end up having no holidays or having to cancel them

[Tankie]

Yeah lads great idea, lets cut the revenue stream of the GAA

[darbyo]

No it's not but it is important. Add in the extra exposure, the fact that lads training all year are not out because of one bad performance etc. then it's hard to see the point of reverting to the old system. The problem of too few club games is a serious one but it's incompetence and lack of backbone from many county boards that leads to this as much as too many inter-county games.

[J70]

Do you deserve to win Sam if cant even get past the first round of the province?

Didn't Galway lose their first match out in 2001?

Given that seeding isn't used (Munster next year excepted) and two top sides could end up playing each other in the first round, especially in Ulster, a first round loss is not necessarily an accurate reflection of a side's lack of a realistic shout at an All Ireland title.

Scrap the provincials and go to some sort of group format.

[ziggysego]

Money aside, I don't think the back door should be scrapped. It gives most teams a second chance for a bite of the an apple. Only think that would be to be worked out, is how to give Provincial Winners a second. It's a bit unfair that they are disadvantaged like this.

[Bogball XV]

Do you deserve to win Sam if cant even get past the first round of the province?

Didn't Galway lose their first match out in 2001?

Given that seeding isn't used (Munster next year excepted) and two top sides could end up playing each other in the first round, especially in Ulster, a first round loss is not necessarily an accurate reflection of a side's lack of a realistic shout at an All Ireland title.

Scrap the provincials and go to some sort of group format.

No, connaught final to a last gasp rossie goal if I remember rightly.

[darbyo]

Certainly the provincial system should be scrapped if we are to have a truely fair competition, but that won't happen in the foreseeable future. The sysytem as it currently stands is probably the best one we can realisticly expect

[J70]

Do you deserve to win Sam if cant even get past the first round of the province?

Didn't Galway lose their first match out in 2001?

Given that seeding isn't used (Munster next year excepted) and two top sides could end up playing each other in the first round, especially in Ulster, a first round loss is not necessarily an accurate reflection of a side's lack of a realistic shout at an All Ireland title.

Scrap the provincials and go to some sort of group format.

No, connaught final to a last gasp rossie goal if I remember rightly.

Roscommon beat Mayo with a last minute goal in '01.

[orangeman]

Back door has provided the opportunity for teams to progress where otherwise they might not have. Keep at it.

[Bogball XV]

Roscommon beat Mayo with a last minute goal in '01.

So, I don't remember rightly then
Anyway, I'm totally against any attempts to row back from where we are at present, if people fancy getting rid of the shite that is the provincial system I'll vote in favour of that though.

[johnpower]

No it's not but it is important. Add in the extra exposure, the fact that lads training all year are not out because of one bad performance etc. then it's hard to see the point of reverting to the old system. The problem of too few club games is a serious one but it's incompetence and lack of backbone from many county boards that leads to this as much as too many inter-county games.

I agree even in the old system club players were still messed about , The present system might eventually make the Provincial system obsolete

[Redhandfan]

I really do think it is time the provincial championships were done away with.  I certainly didn't detect any great enthusiasm and excitement for the recent championship draws on RTE...it has all become just a tad too boring and predictable seeing the same teams drawn against eachother year after year.  Marty Morrisey kept using the term "interesting" every time two teams were pulled out of the drums but you knew he was only saying that for the good of the 'show'.  The truth is that the vast majority of the pairings were anything but interesting. 

The outcome of these games don't even mean much in the greater scheme of things.  It says it all really when the Qualifier draws now attract much more interest than the Provincial Championship draws.  It is time for a major re-think, despite the opposition that will inevitably come from the men in suits in each of the provincial councils who will want to maintain the status quo for their own personal and selfish needs.

[orangeman]

Jesus but Clones and Tyrone v Derry is special or Armagh and Tyrone - I wouldn't like to lose those fixtures !

[carnaross]

I see some of the so-called experts are calling for the scrapping of the Provincial championships. Interesting? I've been suggesting that for ages. The way I see the game moving forward to everyone's benefit would be as follows:

The eight quarter-finalists to be seeded (winners 1, runners-up 2, losing semi-finalists 3 and 4 etc). These provide the first county in each of eight gropus A - H). An open draw would then follow to fill each of the other three places in the groups. This will enable ALL counties to have a minimum of three Championship games and the winners of each group progress into the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The Provincial's could be played another time if the counties really wanted to keep them in place.

I posted this some time ago and still I see only benefits for all. 48 championship games in the leagues before the knock-out stage.