Simple solution then - have an open draw, all teams in the hat and you are bound to get some decent big pairings in the opening round which will do away with these tedious opening round games that no-one wants to cover. Imagine a Dublin v Kerry round 1 game played in May, with one team knowing that it could all be over for them before the sun has even made its annual weekend pilgrimage to Ireland. Think of the intensity, the excitement that such occasions would bring meaning that May to September is full of fun filled Sundays. Think of the anticipation of the Sunday Game when the draw is being made for Rounds 2 or 3, the quarter or semi to see what part of the Country you are going to be headed to or the follow up check to see what rate the Euro/Pound is at against the other or to know if you are to fill up the car before you go North or make sure and top it up before you come back from the South. Think of what it will do for the gene pool in Ireland when you have lads who might actually meet a lassie from more than a mile from their house or girls who will meet real men from around North Antrim. The potential is endless.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 10/05/2016 14:54:18    1853640

Ollie, I'm also not trying to downgrade the importance of these games for the teams involved. And best of luck against Carlow.

I'm just looking at it from a TV audience/public interest perspective: If the Kerry hurlers were playing a match on the first day of the Championship I wouldn't expect it to wet the appetites of many neutrals nor would I expect RTE to be showing it.

Put a big game on the first weekend, show it live and hype it up.

It's an easy way to announce that summer and the All-Ireland are finally here!

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 10/05/2016 14:55:49    1853642

Ollie - with bragging rights up for grabs between Gerry Adams and Arlene Foster then the Fermanagh/Antrim match must be the biggie this weekend.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 10/05/2016 14:55:55    1853643

Your post is elitist regardless of how you dress it up.
Lets be honest how often are the lesser counties for want of a better phrase shown beyond 5/10 mins on the sunday game.


I will sit down and watch most games regardless of their status as potential winners of Sam or Liam, whether I stay watching depends largely on the quality of play during the games but that is equally applicable to games involving Division 1 and 2 teams. I would have gladly watched either hurling match last Saturday.

My point re promotion of the first round games would be more that we will now have had 3 weekends of championship action without seeing a live game.
Based on the assumption that the public don't want to watch and rte don't want to show Division 3 or 4 teams then tll be interesting to see how many Leinster and Munster games are shown this year given only 2 from each province played in the top 2 divisions

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 10/05/2016 15:33:49    1853663

Ollie - with bragging rights up for grabs between Gerry Adams and Arlene Foster then the Fermanagh/Antrim match must be the biggie this weekend.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts:2833 - 10/05/2016 14:55:55 1853643

Yes Gerry will be busy this weekend. On Saturday he will be in Portlaoise supporting his adoptive county that he resides in. Then on Sunday he will be in Enniskillen. Sure Gerry's son is joint manager of Antrim?

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 10/05/2016 15:36:25    1853665

Ollie, I'm also not trying to downgrade the importance of these games for the teams involved. And best of luck against Carlow.

I'm just looking at it from a TV audience/public interest perspective: If the Kerry hurlers were playing a match on the first day of the Championship I wouldn't expect it to wet the appetites of many neutrals nor would I expect RTE to be showing it.

Put a big game on the first weekend, show it live and hype it up.

It's an easy way to announce that summer and the All-Ireland are finally here!

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts:1369 - 10/05/2016 14:55:49 1853642


Cheers Hermit.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 10/05/2016 15:40:15    1853668

Yep Gearoid is the joint manager with Fitzy.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 10/05/2016 15:44:34    1853674

To be fair to RTE it costs money to provide coverage of these games as much as I'm a proud Antrim man I realise there isn't much interest for their games from neutrals.

I agree with other posters that the current competition structures do nothing for our games.

For me an ideal would be to have a league style championship with playoffs open to teams from all divisions.

I wouldn't be a fan of segregating the championship altogether into tiers. It'd be more competitive but my harm participation in counties perennially in the bottom tiers.

Some would argue that you wouldn't get the fans out for games in the way that you do now for the provincial games. I'm not so sure. If the league wasn't a preseason secondary competition I reckon people would buy into it more.

The current system could be improved by shortening it. There's only 59 games plus replies getting played out over about 18 weeks. It should be run off quicker leaving more time for club games. More games every week means more chance for at least one decent game a weekend.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4240 - 10/05/2016 16:55:23    1853714

59 football games, obviously you've hurling also, still the amount of time taken to play 80 odd games is silly.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4240 - 10/05/2016 17:00:22    1853717

If you look at next years league Tipp vs Cork isn't any 'higher quality' than Antrim vs Fermanagh. Divison 2 vs 3 in both. I don't agree with you Hermit that they should have put on bigger matches this weekend. Hype up the games this week. I remember watching the Antrim Fermanagh game on BBC NI either last year or the year before and it was indeed a very good game. Any of the Royals on here will tell you of the scare we gave them for the majority of the match last year in a very entertaining game.

Real football fans will sit down and watch a championship game on a Sunday no matter who is playing, Laois have had some really exciting players over the past decade and have another in O'Beirne coming through.

Why not let Spillane and the lads earn their money and do a bit of research on these teams, maybe learn a few names of Divison 4 players. The least they deserve is a bit of coverage for one weekend a year. Last year our game was given two minutes at the end of the Sunday Game, the likes of the Hermit will never have to experience that but maybe you could show these lads a bit of respect for a weekend?

Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 597 - 10/05/2016 17:06:32    1853722

Victorious I was referencing the Munster hurling clash between Cork and Tipp the week after next. The first big hurling game of the Championship.

I'd sit down and watch Antrim and Fermanagh on tv now problem if it was on this Sunday, I'll watch any game that's on because its the Championship and I love it. Probably most of us on here would love to see as many matches on tv as possible regardless or what teams they are.

My point is however that the general sporting public in this country are probably no where near as interested in any of the matches on this weekend as they would be for a big clash like Tipp and Cork next week or an intriguing battle up in Derry when many people have Tyrone earmarked as a dark horse this summer.

I want our Championship to generate as much media and public attention as possible, especially when the GAA will find itself up against Ireland's campaign in the euro's and the Olympics.

In general this whole thing goes back to how poorly l feel the GAA markets and promotes its products.

Let's take the example of radio. We've had the League, the GAA's secondary competition. running for the last 4 months. Now like a few of you I'd listen to Off the Ball and Second Captains a decent bit. Off the Ball run a Monday and a Wednesday night rugby slot and also have Brian O'Driscoll as a guest presenter on Friday's where the talk generally turns to rugby. In addition a lot of the 7-9pm slot of the show is devoted to soccer news and then 4 nights a week it has a dedicated soccer show from 9-10pm.

In contrast its GAA coverage is reduced to a slot here and there is something unusual/controversial happened at the weekend. No weekly or bi-weekly round up/discussion of Gaelic games at least until the summer.

Now down in Kerry we have Terrace Talk so at least I get a weekly bit of GAA discussion but obviously its very Kerry-centric so I'm still left wanting more of a national perspective.

Is it not a reasonable point to make that if the draw turns up a really tie that maybe you begin your competition with that and get as much interest and hype as possible straight away??? I'd rather not have soccer and athletics dominating the radio and print media these next two months, because the Championship has started so meekly and no one outside of the diehard GAA supporters is really noticing.

Now why does a fella making a simple point like this get criticised for someone not having respect for the counties or players involved this weekend?

A poster above is right, the Sunday game/League Sunday should devote far more time to a highlights package of Divisions 2,3,4 and the weaker counties in the Championship. But that's a separate issue.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 10/05/2016 19:12:57    1853759

Good call re Off The Ball hermit.They show scant regard for GAA during the league.It is a disgrace.Wooly,if your reading any of this,can you try and have more GAA on please?The amount of rugby on this show is ridiculous and since O Driscoll has been on every Friday,i tune into Talksport across the water - ive no time for Rugby.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 10/05/2016 20:08:45    1853775

So not only are Kerry bad losers but they are condescending and arrogant as well.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9706 - 10/05/2016 20:21:40    1853783

Personally, I'd welcome any increase in the amount of GAA shown over here. Sky have yet to concede the season's already started and does anyone else who happens to be stuck this side of the Irish Sea resent just how poor Premier Sports actually are? I'll probably have no choice but to give them a tenner per month from now till Sept but they really are amateurs.

MedwayIrish (Wexford) - Posts: 2324 - 10/05/2016 20:43:29    1853800

A brilliant and thoughtful contribution to this discussion Ulsterman.

Seeing as you have obviously nothing of note to contribute why don't you, Gerry from Derry, Dubhlinn, Galwayford, Same on Eirgall and all the other Kerry haters on here go off and start ANOTHER thinly disguised topic thread about how much you can't stand us. You can all congregate there and have a great time with yourselves.

Heck why don't you go all out and start an entire website about it?

You're all so obsessed with Kerry one of ye can barely contribute to ANY discussion on ANY topic on here without saying something disparaging about us.

But hey whatever gets ya guys through the day.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 10/05/2016 21:07:34    1853811

Sorry TheHermit I may have slightly misunderstood what you meant, I do agree that the big games should be marketed more as the GAA seem to hope that the rivalries between the big 4 and the likes of Kerry Cork, Donegal Tyrone market themselves.

However, instead of putting the games on the opening weekend, overshadowing the Leinster prelims I'd rather they market these games as a chance to see some of the stars in lower leagues and then do the big hype for the likes of Derry Tyrone.

I think we both want the same thing just slightly different thought processes

Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 597 - 10/05/2016 21:33:52    1853824

Anyone that follows the GAA will tell you that a high profile clash isn't a given to be entertaining. How many turkeys have we had to endure on the last Sunday in September in recent years? The championship is like any tournament format. It starts with preliminaries and lower ranked teams with maybe the odd note worthy fixture in the first few weeks. Why must every round provide ultimate satisfaction for viewers? when almost every tournament style event in the world would care not a jot if people aren't as fussed about the start of a tournament as they are a few rounds down the line.

Hermit I think it was you who mentioned the EPL starting with a high profile fixture on TV, but that is the league were most weeks there will be a stand out fixture to televise. A better comparison would be the CL (because its a tournament) and does UEFA make any apologies for the low profile fixtures they show at the start of the year? nope, but most people accept that's the stage of the year they are at. You say your a proper GAA fan Hermit so I hope you'll enjoy the first few weeks because sometimes the game of the year just happens to be an early one, going on previous experience. As for the rest of the non GAA through and through fans, are you really that bothered about them? they'll be struck with Euro 2016 fever anyway. You'll hardly want Cork and Kerry to sacrifice their seeding in Munster to keep them happy, would you? Personally, I prefer the championship to built towards the higher profile fixtures and these early fixtures give us all a chance to see teams who deserve coverage as they put in as much sacrifice as most high profile counties and its a chance for the GAA to show that they are inclusive to all counties...

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2386 - 11/05/2016 09:37:37    1853851

Look lads it will only be a week old when you will have the mother of all battles in Celtic park -- Derry v Tyrone. Now that's as good a pairing as you could ask for. But in saying that It's a shame Antrim v Fermanagh is not being shown ( it's is deferred --- 7 o clock I think by BBC NI )
That is the thing about this T V deal the GAA done , it has stopped BBC NI show certain games, a few years ago and Sunday's game would have been shown
Mark my words Sunday's game Antrim v Fermanagh could be as good a game as you will see all year.

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 11/05/2016 10:05:26    1853862

Good post Saffron.I agree with you.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 11/05/2016 10:09:18    1853863

Saffron, I'm not suggesting that teams like Antrim should somehow be bumped off the airwaves to make way for the higher profile teams. Of course a load of these early games produce some brilliant entertainment.

I'm simply saying this: You have Antrim v Fermanagh, Louth v Carlow etc this weekend (the weekend where the Championship begins proper).

Next weekend you have two high profile matches: Tipp v Cork and Derry v Tyrone.

So couldn't you simply swap the fixture lists around to ensure as high profile a match as possible to launch the Championship with - to get the media/public interest going, to make it register with the man and women on the street that the Championship is back.

Then the weekend after have the Antrim v Fermanagh etc games on live.

It's just a question of starting with a bang to get some momentum behind the competition, after that you can share out the live games as evenly as possible between all counties involved.

The fact the Sunday Game live does not return until 22 May and no station is covering any of the matches this weekend seems to suggest RTE are thinking the same way.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 11/05/2016 10:28:17    1853870