Going on the four quarter finals we have had this year (Roscommon v Mayo apart) it looks like the proposed Super Eights will turn out to be a damp squib and just inflict further misery on teams who really don't have the ability to compete at such a level. Galway, Monaghan, and Armagh are cases in point on the evidence so far (and possibly Roscommon also).

Imagine Monaghan having to turn around to face Tyrone in Healy Park next weekend and Armagh having to face Dublin in Croker. Following on that there would be a useless rubber game between Monaghan and Armagh while Tyrone and Dublin would shadow box each other in another meaningless game as both teams would have qualified already (only issue would be that if the other side of the Super 8's were known both teams might play to win to avoid a certain semi-final opponent).

All in all I think the Super 8's will be a disaster and will only humiliate and set back teams who are not at the level of preparedness as Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone & Mayo. Teams making incremental progress could be set back hugely by this system.

It has, in my opinion, been created for TV and for pay per view channels in particular so that they get to air more games.

I think this format deserves a rethink and should be scrapped before the damage is done,

dingle2 (Kerry) - Posts: 278 - 05/08/2017 21:00:10    2029454

This was started as a new thread but as the subject matter is the same it has been incorporated here.

Soma
Posts: 1968
UK

Are you excited?

In 12 months time things will be very different. Instead of that being the end of Armagh and Monaghan we could be looking forward to 2 more games in 7 days time - Tyrone v Monaghan in Omagh and Armagh v Dublin in Armagh. And the following week we could have Monaghan v Armagh in a totally irrelevant game in Clones as well as some shadow boxing in a Tyrone v Dublin tie as both look to the semi-final. How many spectators would games like that realistically draw? Why would Monaghan and Armagh players bother with their final game after most likely suffering 2 very heavy defeats? Who does it all benefit?

Administrator (None) - Posts: 2274 - 05/08/2017 21:08:27    2029464

i agree what you said but the gaa probably taught the same so that why next year in the supers 8 Dublin v Tyrone would play first and then the rest, to make sure there no dead rubber matches.

goingfor38 (Kerry) - Posts: 1 - 05/08/2017 21:25:15    2029484

Yep. Can't disagree. Was in favour of super 8s in beginning but I now have reservations.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 05/08/2017 21:56:20    2029494

A damp squib that is stuff with 50 euro notes.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 05/08/2017 22:00:38    2029498

OhtobeARossie (Roscommon) - Posts: 1764 - 05/08/2017 23:02:28    2029521

In my opinion, the super 8s is not the direction the game should take. Tweaks to the championship structure should be to benefit the weaker counties to reach the level of the stronger, not copperfasten the stronger teams dominance. What division 4 team benefits from this?

This stops the like of Tipperary who reached the semi final last year. The big dogs may get overturned once but not twice against weaker opposition. The magic of the competition will be gone. No Fermanagh 2004, no Wexford 2008, no Tipperary 2016. The magic ends at quarter final stage next year. Where will the upsets be at the business end?

CletusVanDamme (Kerry) - Posts: 63 - 05/08/2017 23:02:48    2029522

Galway should be getting better there's no excuse for them not being competitive with the amount of good underage players they've had. it's hard to know where Ros are yet.

i would argue that ulster football is at its lowest standard since the 80s.

Leinster had probably never been as weak as it is now.

short term Super 8s may not be great but if teams start to even out a bit they will be good idea. things are just particularly lopsided at the moment

centerfield (Mayo) - Posts: 360 - 05/08/2017 23:32:09    2029537

I agree but the championship as it is has a shadow cast over it already. We have 3 major problems this year. Tyrone hammering all in ulster, kerry hammering in munster and Dublin hammering in leinster. Hard to get excited for those 3 provinces when they all had 1 team without competition.

Then those 3 teams go onto make 3 quarter finals super boring. From this point on we should have exciting matches but I miss the days when you could have exciting provinces early on.

A super 8 will be super boring. Dublin and kerry will just hammer everyone. It's like the hurling when kilkenny dominated but at least in the football you have 2 teams and Tyrone/mayo with a chance. Only thing is these matches are boring compared to the style kilkenny played.

The hurling is where the action is now. Ever since kilkenny came back to the pack it's become a great championship.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 06/08/2017 04:06:35    2029578

Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 06/08/2017 08:40:49    2029592

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 06/08/2017 08:59:59    2029596

Are people blind to the fact that not long after O Ferghail & Duffy signed the new deal with SKY that the Super 8's suddenly emerged, it has been created for the TV merchants, it's obvious flaws in widening the gap between counties & placing further pressure on the club scene has been blatantly dismissed, this is all about money & the advent of professionalism which SKY are ready to exploit. O Ferghail & Duffy have given the GPA a percentage of all commercial Gaa revenue which is the start towards professionalism on that side. It suits Croke Park & SKY that the Dubs dominate & will continue to do so as they bring the largest crowds & viewing figures due to the population disparity in this country. The Galway Donegal match last month having the throw in delayed to accommodate SKY shows whose in charge now. Anyone who can't see this bigger picture is either complicit in the affair or in denial. Super 8's is bad news for the Gaa as it does nothing but boost the Elites & the weaker will see Gaa slide further back & Gaa activity in those counties die out.

moc.dna (Galway) - Posts: 1212 - 06/08/2017 09:27:13    2029616

The first two posts on this thread assume a particular order to the group fixtures which given form etc, would trust in dead rubbers.

As a Monaghan man I'm in little mood to discuss any form of Championship on a morning after heavy defeat. But the initial posters miss something.

Dead rubbers would be less likely if the top two seeds ( in this example, Tyrone & Dublin) played each other in game 2.

Just saying.

Knoxboya (Monaghan) - Posts: 357 - 06/08/2017 10:12:58    2029640

Aww spellchuck.

Would RESULT in dead rubbers....was the intended statement.

Knoxboya (Monaghan) - Posts: 357 - 06/08/2017 10:23:23    2029645

I think super 8 also goes against smaller counties who manage to get to a quarter final. Counties like dublin/kerry with far bigger squads would find it far easier to handle 3 games in a row. It does nothing to address the widening of standards between the top couple of counties and the rest, if anything makes the gap wider

. And for the likes of my own county coming through winning a provincial title or through the back door it makes it far harder to get to a semi final. Which devalues the achievement of getting to a quarter final.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 06/08/2017 11:07:55    2029665

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 06/08/2017 11:50:43    2029687

Yes the super 8s will be a damp squid and good enough for the GAA, this is a TV rights deal and nothing to do with helping weaker counties, I would go I better and ask the question 'should the qualifiers be scrapped'? At the end of the day it only helps stronger teams like Tyrone, Donegal, Cork all in the past and last year and this Mayo, is it time to go and bring in a new plan, don't know what plan should be used though, last night it showed the gulf between the top 3 and the rest

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 06/08/2017 12:21:38    2029699

I was never a fan of the Super 8's as they will just make it harder for the mid ranking counties from Div 3, Div 2 and a few from Div 1 to make the semi finals. Good to know though, that not all in Kerry are willing to see these counties struggle to get to semi finals in place of a few more matches for the big boys

eoghan6688 (Galway) - Posts: 154 - 06/08/2017 12:31:14    2029702

I think it will be brilliant myself, more games the better and its great for us Dubs to at least get an away game.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 06/08/2017 13:53:06    2029732

Surely the GAA won't allow the dubs have 2 games at crokepark in the super 8.

Surely the dubs could use some of their millions to build a proper stadium fit for purpose, it is the year 2017 after all.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 06/08/2017 15:09:24    2029755