Provincial championships in their current format for me at least are losing their appeal very quickly and there needs to be a rapid change in how it is setup.
Munster and Connacht have a seriously unfair advantage over Ulster and Leinster. Dublin have ruined Leinster and have done since 2005. Ulster is a minefield and after Derry today (whether it is a flash in the pan remains to be seen) could have five challengers in the next 2 or 3 seasons.
I think there should be an integration of the league and the provincial championship if we are to keep both. I would be in favour of having rotational leagues over the period of two years and the top four teams playing against each other for provincial honours.
How would it work I hear you ask?
- The divisions will be rotated every two/three seasons to keep pairing fresh - some seasons you are going to have it difficult some seasons you might have it easy.
- To start it all off the provincial finalists are seeded and cannot play each other.
- What league a county goes into is determined by an open draw as seen below
Each county plays the other counties in the league only once. The four best placed teams are put straight into a semi-final against each other. If the league was to finish with the example below - Ulster for example will have Armagh, Donegal, Monaghan and Tyrone playing against each other. If two counties finish in the same position but are in different divisions it will be decided on points difference. In Leinster it will be Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Laois. Connacht will be Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Leitrim whilst Munster has Kerry, Cork, Tipperary and Clare.
With this format every county is getting the advantage of playing more than one game each championship and are getting a chance to develop. For the All Ireland I am not completely sure how to work it. I am split between using the top two teams in the leagues or only using provincial winners.