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Replying To omahant: " Replying To Viking66: "[quote=omahant: "[quote=Viking66: "[quote=tirawleybaron: "IN Hurling, only the munster championship was worth watching. Leinster, League and All ireland series were poor fair.
In Football, Div 1 of the league and the knock out stage of the Sam Magure werent great - the rest was very good.
Both Hurling and football need to revamp their seasons.
Hurling - merge Munster with Leinster and have an 8 team round robing championship for Liam McCarthy with a second level McDonagh Cup of 8 teams.
Change the hurling league to 7 groups of 5.
Would like to see groups like
1A: Cork, Clare, Limerick, Galway, Offaly
1B: Tipp, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford, Dublin
2: Antrim, Laois, Carlow, Kildare, Down
3: Westmeath, Kerry, Meath, Derry, London
4: Donegal, Tyrone, Mayo, Wicklow, Roscommon
5: Armagh, Cavan, SLigo, Louth, Fermanagh
6: Lietrim, Longford, Warickshire, Lancashire, Monaghan
top 4 in Di 1 : into league semi finals
bottom 2 in each group enter relegation play off - win first game - qualify for Liam Mc Carth - lose second game - relegated to Div 2
All other divisions top 2 into league final and bottom 2 into relegation play off - 1 up and 1 down.
LIam Mc Carthy to have 8 teams playing 7 group matches - with
Top two Munster teams go to munster final, top 2 in Leinster into Leinster final.
Provincial winners into All ireland semi final,
2 best in Liam who dont qualify for provincials play off against top 2 in McDonagh.- winners play provincial r up for semi final spots
Mc Donagh = 2 from Div 1, 5 from div 2 and 1 from div 3
Christy Ring = 4 from div 3 and 4 from div 4
Lorg Meagher = 2 from div 4 and div 5&6 = 3 groups of 4.
5/6 league matches
7-9 championship matches
In football
The best part of the football season was the group stages - they are now gone.
The league needs to change to 2 groups of 7 and 3 group of 6.
1A: Kerry, Galway, Armagh, Monaghan, Tyrone, Meath,
1B: Mayo, Donegal, Dublin, Roscommon, Derry, Cork,
2: Cavan, Louth, Down, Meath, Kildare, Offaly, Westmeath
3: Clare, Fermanagh, SLigo, Laois, Antrim, Wexford, Limerick
4: Lietrim, Wicklow, Carlow, Tipp, Longford, London, Waterford
Div 1 league semis and final - bottom two in each group into relegation play off.
Div 2 - top 2 into league final - 3rd place guaranteed SAM Maguire football
Div 3 league final - bottom 2 relegated
Div 4 league final - bottom team into tailteann cup qualifier in New York
Provincial Championship round robin (like U20 format)
Connacht: A (Mayo, Galway, Ross) & B (Lietrim, Sligo, London) - top A into final, B Rup & top of B into semi
Munster as per Connacht
Ulster: A (Armagh, Donegal, Tyrone), B (Derry, Monaghan, Cavan) C (Down, Fermanagh, Antrim) - top A v Top C, Rup A v top B in semis
Leinster: A (Dublin, Louth, Meath), B (Kildare, Offaly, Laois. Westmeath), C (Wicklow, Carlow, Longford, Wexford) - top A v top V. Rup A v top B in semis
6 league matches each
4 matches to win Ulster & Leinster, 3/4 to win Connacht & Munster
then the round robin (2-5 matches)
Every county would get 22/23 matches (Hurling and football) as a min
Counties reaching league or all Ireland finals get 25 matches in 30 weeks.
An opening league weekend on St Brigids weekend with Donegal v Dublin, Kerry V Armagh, Galway v Tyrone and Cork V Limerick, Tipp V Kilkenny
hurling 1 week, football the next
Hurling championship starting on May Bank Holiday weekend, with Football league finals on the same weekend
Provincial football on through May and provincial finals in football and hurling in June
knock out championship through July and All Ireland Hurling and football finals on August Bank Holiday weekend.
I wont see it in 2026 but it is where we need to get to.
Also, a smaller boss on senior county hurls is needed - its way to easy to hit long range points over with a half door." Did you watch any Leinster hurling games? Or indeed any games of hurling at all? Plenty of 1 sided games in Munster this year. Also did you ever play hurling? If you ever watched a game of hurling I'm sure you would have noticed that keepers use an ordinary sized hurl for puckouts instead of the big bas keepers hurl. Why would that be do you wonder? And I still think we should get rid of League finals. Or if you insist on keeping them stop referring to the competition as a League. A League has a League table, the winners are the team that finish top of it."
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 10/08/2025 18:04:15
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Replying To Tirchonaill1: "Just after watching the intermediate All Ireland camogie final and a thought occurs to me,
why don't we have senior intermediate and junior All Irelands in mens senior football?
every county gets a chance to win a National Championship at their own level.
The Sam Maguire is still the blue ribbon everyone has a chance to aspire to.
Championships seeding based on league positions, no more league finals, league position/winners based as it should be on league position when the last league games are played." Spot on
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 10/08/2025 18:04:29
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Replying To Tirchonaill1: "Just after watching the intermediate All Ireland camogie final and a thought occurs to me,
why don't we have senior intermediate and junior All Irelands in mens senior football?
every county gets a chance to win a National Championship at their own level.
The Sam Maguire is still the blue ribbon everyone has a chance to aspire to.
Championships seeding based on league positions, no more league finals, league position/winners based as it should be on league position when the last league games are played." Sure that'd only be doing it right..
Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2493 - 10/08/2025 20:12:10
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Replying To Tirchonaill1: "Just after watching the intermediate All Ireland camogie final and a thought occurs to me,
why don't we have senior intermediate and junior All Irelands in mens senior football?
every county gets a chance to win a National Championship at their own level.
The Sam Maguire is still the blue ribbon everyone has a chance to aspire to.
Championships seeding based on league positions, no more league finals, league position/winners based as it should be on league position when the last league games are played." Yes Tirchonaill.The Ladies gaa is the same.3 finals with junior intermediate and Senior.Its worth tbinking about and if yoi win you are promoted accordingly.
CiarraiMick (Dublin) - Posts: 4081 - 10/08/2025 20:15:30
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Replying To Seanfan: "The present 2 tier system hasn't really been accepted so not much hope of a 3 tier one.
Women know how to do things right.
Hurling people know how to do things right
Every County Board in GAA, LGFA, Camogie know how to do things right.
But men's Senior inter County football......." My AILC takes a stab at getting it right -
✓ 2 League tiers of 16
✓ 12-match season, combining League & Prov KO
✓ Top 8 to Sam (Senior); 9-20 to Shield KO (Intermediate); and 21-28 to Plate KO (Junior)
✓ 17 & 18 go up; 11v20 & 12v19 are Promo/Relag/PQF KO
✓ 13v16 & 14v15 are Relag/PQF KO with losers going down
omahant (USA) - Posts: 3340 - 11/08/2025 02:55:09
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Replying To omahant: "My AILC takes a stab at getting it right -
✓ 2 League tiers of 16
✓ 12-match season, combining League & Prov KO
✓ Top 8 to Sam (Senior); 9-20 to Shield KO (Intermediate); and 21-28 to Plate KO (Junior)
✓ 17 & 18 go up; 11v20 & 12v19 are Promo/Relag/PQF KO
✓ 13v16 & 14v15 are Relag/PQF KO with losers going down" The club championships are a great time of year. Clubs in Kerry who are without a win after Round 1 will have to go in search of a win in Round 2 of the round robins to avoid being knocked out. All counties have whatever format suits them. At the end of the day, all counties can only produce one champion per tiered level.
The 2026 championship format is locked in. Towards the end of the club championships the provincial draws will take place for next year. Whoever make provincial finals will have home advantage in Round 1.
legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9150 - 11/08/2025 09:45:33
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Replying To legendzxix: "The club championships are a great time of year. Clubs in Kerry who are without a win after Round 1 will have to go in search of a win in Round 2 of the round robins to avoid being knocked out. All counties have whatever format suits them. At the end of the day, all counties can only produce one champion per tiered level.
The 2026 championship format is locked in. Towards the end of the club championships the provincial draws will take place for next year. Whoever make provincial finals will have home advantage in Round 1." There's a lot to be said for giving Club Champions from counties that played in the inter-county AIC Final in either code, byes in the Prov Club Championships - e g. in 2025, Kerry & Donegal Club Champs each get byes to Prov SFs.
omahant (USA) - Posts: 3340 - 11/08/2025 22:53:04
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Replying To legendzxix: "The club championships are a great time of year. Clubs in Kerry who are without a win after Round 1 will have to go in search of a win in Round 2 of the round robins to avoid being knocked out. All counties have whatever format suits them. At the end of the day, all counties can only produce one champion per tiered level.
The 2026 championship format is locked in. Towards the end of the club championships the provincial draws will take place for next year. Whoever make provincial finals will have home advantage in Round 1." If I could "unlock" 2026 -
in lieu of Rd 2A/2B, I'd prefer:
8 Rd 1 losers host 8 Rd 1 winners in Rd 2.
This could send everyone to Rd 3, a "Rd of 16" before QFs.
Would this be more exciting?
omahant (USA) - Posts: 3340 - 11/08/2025 23:04:00
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Replying To omahant: "If I could "unlock" 2026 -
in lieu of Rd 2A/2B, I'd prefer:
8 Rd 1 losers host 8 Rd 1 winners in Rd 2.
This could send everyone to Rd 3, a "Rd of 16" before QFs.
Would this be more exciting?" I suppose what is more exciting is subjective.
Armagh emerged from the pack last year. Kerry's 1984 All Ireland winning captain agrees with my assessment that Kerry were probably written off as 4th or 5th ranked going into the quarter finals, possibly even ranked 6th, and emerged as impressive winners.
Following on from fine seasons for Meath and Monaghan, and Derry likely to improve - 10 counties could emerge as strong contenders on the other side of the club championships.
legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9150 - 12/08/2025 07:46:59
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Replying To omahant: "If I could "unlock" 2026 -
in lieu of Rd 2A/2B, I'd prefer:
8 Rd 1 losers host 8 Rd 1 winners in Rd 2.
This could send everyone to Rd 3, a "Rd of 16" before QFs.
Would this be more exciting?" More meaningless extra games would hardly be more exciting?
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 12/08/2025 08:35:35
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Replying To Viking66: "More meaningless extra games would hardly be more exciting?" I disagree - in Rd 2, if loser wins, both go to Rd 3, but if winner wins, they go to QFs and double loser is out.
It's similar to 2026, but Rd 3 is not fixed at 4 pairings.
omahant (USA) - Posts: 3340 - 14/08/2025 13:45:25
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I hope the Leinster Council don't bottle it and bring the semis back to Croke Park.
trimmer (Meath) - Posts: 558 - 14/08/2025 14:09:45
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Replying To trimmer: "I hope the Leinster Council don't bottle it and bring the semis back to Croke Park." Of course they will.
If its a Dublin v Meath semi - its a certainty - and Meath County board would vote for it too.
tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1565 - 14/08/2025 14:28:15
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Replying To omahant: "I disagree - in Rd 2, if loser wins, both go to Rd 3, but if winner wins, they go to QFs and double loser is out.
It's similar to 2026, but Rd 3 is not fixed at 4 pairings." Still too complicated. Still unnecessary games. What is your aim with all the formats you propose? More games? Or games that have more meaning? Or trying to do both when the first goal is not only not needed, but we actually need less games for so many reasons ranging from player welfare, cost to supporters, quality of games, games having real jeopardy etc etc.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 14/08/2025 14:38:13
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Replying To tirawleybaron: "Of course they will.
If its a Dublin v Meath semi - its a certainty - and Meath County board would vote for it too." Of course Meath CB would.
Meath will have played All their Home league games in Croker before then so they will be very happy for it to be played there. And with the renewed interest in Meath GAA, it is sure to get over 30k fans I reckon.
If it is not a Dublin v Meath semi-final, it wont be played in HQ though.
Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4627 - 14/08/2025 14:51:29
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Replying To Fionn: "Of course Meath CB would.
Meath will have played All their Home league games in Croker before then so they will be very happy for it to be played there. And with the renewed interest in Meath GAA, it is sure to get over 30k fans I reckon.
If it is not a Dublin v Meath semi-final, it wont be played in HQ though." Where would a Meath Louth SF be played?
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 14/08/2025 15:51:20
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Replying To Viking66: "Where would a Meath Louth SF be played?" Well Louth might object to it on the grounds that Croke Park is Meath's Home Ground next year.....
When in Rome.... ;o)
Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4627 - 14/08/2025 16:16:50
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Replying To Fionn: "Well Louth might object to it on the grounds that Croke Park is Meath's Home Ground next year.....
When in Rome.... ;o)" :-D
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 14/08/2025 16:24:52
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Replying To Viking66: "Where would a Meath Louth SF be played?" Croke Park.
Ollie2 (Louth) - Posts: 1122 - 14/08/2025 16:27:08
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Replying To Ollie2: "Croke Park." Have to be
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16915 - 14/08/2025 17:26:13
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