Niall Cahalane would like to see the straight knockout format restored to the Cork SFC.

The former Rebel County defender - a selector with Castlehaven, who open the defence of their title against Nemo Rangers in Bandon tomorrow night - believes the presence of a safety net removes some of the intensity from championship football:

"The first round is a bit of shadow boxing," he told The Irish Examiner.

"We are playing Nemo - who haven't gone away by any manner of means - but it's not the complete end of the world for either of us, because you have a second chance and then, with the last few years, you have a third chance.

"I suppose, from our point of view, I'm not too sure if it's a huge advantage to have these extra chances.

"The old system was championship football and you got on with it. Maybe you were unfortunate to be out in the second week of May but you could just as easily be scampering on to the next round." Tweet

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