How can it be fair? A team coming into a big semi final with all the momentum of winning games in the qualifiers versus a team who haven't played in 5 weeks? Ok Kilkenny won last week but they were very flat aswell, but anyway surely the provincial winners should have some advantage but it seems to me all the advantages are with the qualifier team IMO. Thoughts?

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 18/08/2014 09:02:02    1638155

The whole championship needs a re-think. You have teams starting in early May and other not until last June. Its all very stop start and all over the place. Some teams might play 5 games and win an All Ireland and others 7-8 games to win one. Fans also get fed up. Every team should be playing every 3 weeks at least. It is summer time and the best time to be playing football and our county stars should be on show.

It is ironic most football is played for the majority of teams from Jan to April when the weather is at its worst and pitches are hard. The long breaks as Cork had do no good to a team to keep up the momentum.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 18/08/2014 09:33:50    1638164

It must be different in hurling, as kerry were out 3 weeks after the munster final. As were mayo. Donegal likewise. As were the dubs. All won, and it is about right. 5 weeks is a long time, but to be fair, it has happened in the past where teams have come good after long breaks and pushed on. I think that the worst case scenario is when a team is off the bridal for a long time, a long championship season and no let up means no hope of winning an all ireland.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 18/08/2014 09:52:31    1638176

Yeah I would agree there, been saying so to people over the last few seasons. Just look at last years AI final with 2 teams from the qualifier/ quarter final route. The best thing it seems a team can do to compete for the AI now is just try make the provincial final as in the Munster final losers play 2 weeks after final then another 2 weeks later they are in an AI semi (if they win of course). The GAA should look to change this to maybe a have maximum 3 week break between games.

Gavin94 (Limerick) - Posts: 77 - 18/08/2014 09:55:42    1638179

Needs a re-think alright.

5 weeks with no game, yet some teams had to play 3 in 4 weeks...

Rustiness has to come into it at some stage.
4 weeks of a gap is long enough imo.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3724 - 18/08/2014 10:18:34    1638197

Too long of a gap from the National League to Championship. Kerry had a 11 week break between the League and Championship this year.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2763 - 18/08/2014 10:26:40    1638208

Since Cork won Munster and AI in 2005, no other team has managed the double and only 3 times have the Munster Champions even won the semi final after the break.
OK KK have managed semis well but they are exceptional.
Both Dublin and Limerick were losers last year after the layoff.
It is a major factor.

conordee (Galway) - Posts: 440 - 18/08/2014 10:48:52    1638232

Stop your complaining. The advantage of playing at home swings the fairness back your way.

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 18/08/2014 10:57:03    1638237

Lk won the Munster Final last year. This year we have first game, a semi final, on 1st of June and Final six weeks later. Absurd.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4316 - 18/08/2014 11:00:03    1638239

Definitely not an ideal and it should be looked at for all teams.

However, I hope nobody in Cork will use this as an excuse for what happened yesterday. We were simply outplayed by a better team and there are no excuses.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 18/08/2014 11:24:45    1638252

There are two options as I see it; two weeks after the provincial final, have the provincial champions play a QF against whoever comes out of the qualifiers. The winner than plays the All Ireland semi final two/three weeks later. This of course leaves the provincial champion at risk of drawing a strong team in the QF or maybe having to go to a replay, thus cutting out any recovery time for the semi-final, as what happened Waterford in '07.

The second option is to have the provincial champions qualify directly for the AI Semi Final (as is currently the case) but have a gap of no more than 3 weeks between the provincial final and AI Semi Final. This leaves the risk of the provincial final ending in a draw and a replay being required a week later, in order to maintain a 2 week gap to the AI semi final. The likelihood in this scenario is that extra time in provincial finals would need to be played first time out, there'll be very little wriggle room for replays.

I think the second option is probably the most equitable as it rewards the provincial champions by giving them direct passage to the All Ireland semi final, and it also gives them a manageable 3 week gap to prepare.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 18/08/2014 13:37:19    1638326

18/08/2014 13:37:19 ballydalane
There are two options as I see it; two weeks after the provincial final, have the provincial champions play a QF against whoever comes out of the qualifiers. The winner than plays the All Ireland semi final two/three weeks later. This of course leaves the provincial champion at risk of drawing a strong team in the QF or maybe having to go to a replay, thus cutting out any recovery time for the semi-final, as what happened Waterford in '07.
The second option is to have the provincial champions qualify directly for the AI Semi Final (as is currently the case) but have a gap of no more than 3 weeks between the provincial final and AI Semi Final. This leaves the risk of the provincial final ending in a draw and a replay being required a week later, in order to maintain a 2 week gap to the AI semi final. The likelihood in this scenario is that extra time in provincial finals would need to be played first time out, there'll be very little wriggle room for replays.
I think the second option is probably the most equitable as it rewards the provincial champions by giving them direct passage to the All Ireland semi final, and it also gives them a manageable 3 week gap to prepare. Would it not be an option for more games to be decided on the day with extra time to ensure replays don't happen and throw schedule out any bit?
How would you make it happen that there would only be 3 weeks between provincial final and AI semi?

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 18/08/2014 14:14:35    1638358

Munster champions have a 25% winning record in all Ireland hurling semi finals sense 2007,an amazing fact

bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 18/08/2014 19:12:37    1638533

Both championships are too long. There is no reason why it can't be condensed into a three month competition. Its poor planning but from a logistical perspective games planning in generally poor in my opinion.

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1658 - 18/08/2014 20:05:37    1638556

Wexico that is a stat that seriously devalues Munster c ship. I said last year that I didnt care about munster I be more interested in having a go at Ai. I am of the same opinion now.

Evidence is damning that winning Munster cship is detrimental to a teams AI prospects.

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 18/08/2014 21:36:03    1638621

Some of the Wexford hurlers played 5 in that length....which is too much.

Catch 22!

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 18/08/2014 21:38:31    1638623

why cant the munster final be played off in the month of june

and like football the provencial winner goes to a quarter final rather than semi

The big problem is unlike football there are realistically only a hand full of teams
And its to try get a team playing every 2/3 weeks
If the munster championship was run off over 4 weeks then it would allow the all ireland series start earlier and have more frequest games for everyone

Cork got destroyed by tipperarys intensity and were out played by a superior team. But on the flip side of that they looked tired rusty and way off the pace and the lack of game time has to be a contributing factor

and lets not forget the previous week kilkenny were the same they were nearly caught be limerick and didnt look at all like the kilkenny side were used to seeing .

Its getting to the point where winning the provencial in a curse rather that a benefit
Last year the all ireland contested by wo back door teams

both tips all ireland since the inception of the back door were through that route
cork in 2004 was through the back door

It definitely seems there is a benefit to loosing in munster

ritchie (Cork) - Posts: 346 - 19/08/2014 10:11:42    1638703

Heres an idea which would address the 5 week gap- hardly revolutionary stuff and be interested in comments from others

Play both Munster and Leinster finals same day - 2nd week of July
Play quarter finals 2 weeks later
Play both Semi finals the same weekend Sat/Sun the following week
Play All ireland final 3 weeks later last sunday in august

ADV - Provincial winner only has 3 week gap, Team in semi that came through quarter finals at serious disadvantage coz they had game week before, Frees up a week in championship for club games, Having 2 semi finals in one week does well for game promotion
DIS - A saturday semi final , a provincial final replay can muck things up

Also the teams that come through leinster qualifier group should have 2 week gap to Leinster Quarter final

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 19/08/2014 10:15:34    1638711

Kilkenny consistently win Leinster and go on to the final. Galway won Leinster in 2012 and went onto the final. Dublin's best performance last year was in the semi final v Cork. And again this year Kilkenny are in the final.

This 5 week break seems to be a Munster excuse for some reason. It doesn't seem to affect the Leinster winners one bit

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 19/08/2014 11:15:58    1638760

DF I remember you saying that earlier in the year that you would like to see Limerick have a go at winning the AI instead of Munster.
You were dead right in the context and ye nearly pulled it off. Many including me thought you were probably bonkers but when I see Tipp now just 70 mins away form winning an AI after Limerick beating us in a Munster Semi Final and Galway had us on the racks seems the 5-6 week break is catching a lot of teams out.
No Munster Champions since 2005 have won the AI. Before that it was Tipp in 2001. 2 winners in nearly 13/14 season is quite abysmal.
Kilkeny have obviously perfected something in that break to keep their intensity levels up. What that is we will never know. They are the out and out masters at that.
Just on a side note I was on the hill watching the Cork warm up and apart from Patrick Horgan every other Cork player was dropping balls hit to him or hand passed. I couldnt believe my eyes that the Cork trainer was letting them away with it.
I see Tipp do it a few years ago and Sheedy pulled them in and gave em a roasting.Think that was against Cork in 2009 in Thurles.

WildPundit (Tipperary) - Posts: 1709 - 19/08/2014 13:10:40    1638848