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Firstly i would far rather this current structure to the previous group stage structure(24 matches to eliminate 4 teams, which potentially meant team could lose 3 games and still win Sam, hardly a true champion)
This format means less option of teams maybe deciding to ease up and adds more cut and thrust to the games,.
The lack of communication and knowledge of the new structure is another prime example of lack of promotion, so much confusion and awareness even though voted this in last year(i accept some people live in bubble and will never read the information). Sunday Game flash up a slide of teams in draw, zero explanation of the format, home away?who goes through, how many rounds etc, surely this could be explained in 5 minute TV slot so public know!!
Do understand the point that very little advantage from winning provincial titles going into AI series, as all finalists get home advantage in round 1, perhaps provincial winners should be guaranteed home advantage until quarter finals as some kind of reward. I dont think this be issue for players in terms of motivation for provincial.
It is more the media attention and supporters that be distracted by looking to games after the finals, especially given the draw plus the GAA+ debacle.
Totally understand that teams need 2 weeks to plan trips with travel plus allow supporters prepare and €€€, but to avoid detracting from finals could they have waited until 17th May after Ulster final to do the draw, with all 8 games on May 30th and 31st? Accept be feast of football one weekend and some games get less coverage but least doesnt take from provincials and means all have same time in between games.
Again reiterate this format i think is better but as always some random changes with GAA competition rules, as in round 1 open draw all rematches allowed, yet as get later into the series rematches avoided where possible? Id have thought this be implemented from round 1 as more likely to have rematches then, ie Louth v Dublin(reminds me of old qualifier system whereby randomly some rounds rematches allowed others not)
Then i notice in round 2 that first team drawn has home advantage(normal procedure across most sports) but then in round 3 there will be a separate draw to determine home team???? anyone explain this?
macca999 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1209 - 07/05/2026 17:05:57
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Replying To Seanfan: "I think we may take it that the Provincials will be staying.
Do I detect opposition to the new AI format already or is it just us few posters on here?" I don't see that it's an improvement on last year. I can see why the change was made. I think it's really clear to me how structurally bad the season is and if you look at issues from 10 years ago could you actually say there's been much improvement to the main All Ireland.
The Tailteann cup has been an improvement for weaker teams but I find it tough to accept that we can't get the top tier competition right.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4664 - 07/05/2026 17:14:58
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Replying To Seanfan: "I think we may take it that the Provincials will be staying.
Do I detect opposition to the new AI format already or is it just us few posters on here?" Its the GAA aversion to having a dead rubber game driving the process. Pretty much any league will have some meaningless games - it should be an accepted fact of running a fair competition,
I preferred the groups - you get a home game, an away game and an neutral game. The main problem with the new format is that some counties won't get a home game at all now.
brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 493 - 07/05/2026 17:21:09
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Replying To tirawleybaron: "The problem continues to be the Munster Champ v the Ulster championship
with the new seeded draw in Munster - Kerry and now Cork are guaranteed to have home draws in Round 1 every year.
One of Galway/Roscommon and Mayo will always we have a home draw.
Due to the seeding in Leinster, Dublin will nearly always be there too.
So really, because Ulster is not seeded, then a few ULster counties will always get a tough draw
Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal and Derry this year.
Seeding Ulster and removing seeding in the others will throw up the odd tough draw in Connacht and Leinster. But you will never make the Munster championship anything other than a procession for Kerry.
The solution is removing the seeding from the Provincial losers.
Seeding all provincial winners, League div 1 winner, All Ireland champion and Tailteann Cup winner, then league final Rup, will solve the problem with the lopsided provincials, but the only thing that will make Leinster and Munster regularly interesting is if you merge Ulster& Munster and Connacht & Leinster - swapping Munster and Connacht in alternate years with London moved to Ulster." To make Sam entirely merit based:
- League top 12
- Prov Champs (only if not in 12)
- Field may be <16 (byes to high League placings)
omahant (USA) - Posts: 3413 - 07/05/2026 19:22:44
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Replying To tirawleybaron: "The problem continues to be the Munster Champ v the Ulster championship
with the new seeded draw in Munster - Kerry and now Cork are guaranteed to have home draws in Round 1 every year.
One of Galway/Roscommon and Mayo will always we have a home draw.
Due to the seeding in Leinster, Dublin will nearly always be there too.
So really, because Ulster is not seeded, then a few ULster counties will always get a tough draw
Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal and Derry this year.
Seeding Ulster and removing seeding in the others will throw up the odd tough draw in Connacht and Leinster. But you will never make the Munster championship anything other than a procession for Kerry.
The solution is removing the seeding from the Provincial losers.
Seeding all provincial winners, League div 1 winner, All Ireland champion and Tailteann Cup winner, then league final Rup, will solve the problem with the lopsided provincials, but the only thing that will make Leinster and Munster regularly interesting is if you merge Ulster& Munster and Connacht & Leinster - swapping Munster and Connacht in alternate years with London moved to Ulster." I wonder where the most opposition to your proposal would come from? Those mergers could be tasty.
Expertinall (UK) - Posts: 63 - 07/05/2026 21:00:42
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Replying To macca999: "Firstly i would far rather this current structure to the previous group stage structure(24 matches to eliminate 4 teams, which potentially meant team could lose 3 games and still win Sam, hardly a true champion)
This format means less option of teams maybe deciding to ease up and adds more cut and thrust to the games,.
The lack of communication and knowledge of the new structure is another prime example of lack of promotion, so much confusion and awareness even though voted this in last year(i accept some people live in bubble and will never read the information). Sunday Game flash up a slide of teams in draw, zero explanation of the format, home away?who goes through, how many rounds etc, surely this could be explained in 5 minute TV slot so public know!!
Do understand the point that very little advantage from winning provincial titles going into AI series, as all finalists get home advantage in round 1, perhaps provincial winners should be guaranteed home advantage until quarter finals as some kind of reward. I dont think this be issue for players in terms of motivation for provincial.
It is more the media attention and supporters that be distracted by looking to games after the finals, especially given the draw plus the GAA+ debacle.
Totally understand that teams need 2 weeks to plan trips with travel plus allow supporters prepare and €€€, but to avoid detracting from finals could they have waited until 17th May after Ulster final to do the draw, with all 8 games on May 30th and 31st? Accept be feast of football one weekend and some games get less coverage but least doesnt take from provincials and means all have same time in between games.
Again reiterate this format i think is better but as always some random changes with GAA competition rules, as in round 1 open draw all rematches allowed, yet as get later into the series rematches avoided where possible? Id have thought this be implemented from round 1 as more likely to have rematches then, ie Louth v Dublin(reminds me of old qualifier system whereby randomly some rounds rematches allowed others not)
Then i notice in round 2 that first team drawn has home advantage(normal procedure across most sports) but then in round 3 there will be a separate draw to determine home team???? anyone explain this?" Your last paragraph: yes. In round 2A (and 2B), it's an open draw (apart from provincial finals and anything else I might have missed). But in round 3, there's one pot with round 2A losers and another one with round 2B winners, so because they're coming from different pots, you need a draw to determine which team gets home advantage.
Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1290 - 07/05/2026 23:51:03
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Replying To Expertinall: "I wonder where the most opposition to your proposal would come from? Those mergers could be tasty." Running a National championship is better than merging Ulster and Munster.
Whatever merits the Provincial championships have, bite of local rivalries, the prestige garnered from their traditional place in the organisation doesn't exist in a merged Ulster and Munster championship.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4664 - 08/05/2026 06:44:17
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Replying To Expertinall: "I wonder where the most opposition to your proposal would come from? Those mergers could be tasty." Munster counties would definitely object. Kerry don't want to have to worry about provincial championships. The other counties are that serious about football so don't want a competition to rival the Munster hurling championship.
The biggest match in Kerry this month is Kerry v Donegal - not the munster final.
Connacht Counties would be against it also -
So if it went to congress, you have 12 counties + New york all against it.
You usually would have a few Ulster counties against any kind of change - Ulster often says no, no matter what church you go to.
But form a purely football point of view - its a no brainer.
Kerry: 86 (Munster), Dublin: 63 (Leinster), Galway: 51 (Connacht), Mayo: 48 (Connacht) - have enough handy provincial titles picked up. Are the counties below going to be any worse off?
Wicklow, London & New York, Fermanagh, Carlow, Sligo, Longford, Leitrim and Waterford going to be any worse off?
If we really want to keep provincials are relevant competitions going forward, this is the only way.
Munster/Ulster
Group A - Donegal, Armagh, Cork, Cavan
Group B - Kerry, Tyrone, Derry, Monaghan,
Group C - Limerick, Tipp, London, Down
Group D - Fermanagh, Antrim, Clare, Waterford,
Top A and B into semis
2nd A and 2nd B into qfinals v top C and D
Connacht/Leinster
Group A - Dublin, Mayo, Louth, Westmeath
Group B - Galway, Meath, Roscommon, Kildare,
Group C - Sligo, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow,
Group D - Offaly, Laois, Leitrim, Longford
A lot of good games - just need to trim the league to group of 6.
tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1800 - 08/05/2026 09:10:53
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