There are 33 teams in the All-Ireland football championship.
Split four ways.
But not split the way you think it should be. Imagine telling someone from outside of this country that the provincial system leads to the same place – even though some teams have to play four games and others just two. Imagine telling anyone that 33 is divided by four like this: 12, 9, 7, 6.
The provincial champions directly correlating with how teams qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals remains the biggest problem with inter-county GAA because it simply does not have any argument to stand over. It’s not fair, it’s not logical and it’s not acceptable.
The variation in the numbers of obstacles that each team have to face is not right and the way they have to play the same teams – and thus the same standard – over and over again because of old-fashioned provincial boundaries is bizarre.
So Kerry start every year in the Munster semi-final. Usually, they beat Clare and they beat Cork or Tipp and they’re in the last eight of Gaelic football’s premier competition.
This weekend, Clare prepare for the provincial quarter-final with Limerick knowing that a win sets them up for a showdown with the Kingdom again. Asked by the Clare Champion about the excitement of the championship, he giggled.
“The excitement of the Munster championship,” he laughed.
“I’ve a pain in my face talking about this. It’s ridiculous. What I can’t understand is why nobody is grasping this nettle and saying what a fantastic championship there would be to have the 32 teams in groups, where anybody could draw anybody.”
Maybe an open draw would be a bit too chaotic – you could have Dublin, Tyrone, Mayo and Kerry in one group and four Division Four teams in the other but maybe that’s the idea too.
You could also do this system by seeding each team in accordance with their national league position. You’d have a Division One, Two, Three and Four team in each group – the best two qualify for the last 16 meaning you’re left with the best last 16 who have come through the same path and the bottom two can co into the last 16 of the B championship.
It’s so f**king simple and sensible but the GAA won’t even listen to it.
Here’s a look from a couple of years ago about how a World Cup-style GAA championship would look.
