All provincial championships seeded

12 teams qualify through provincial championships:
Leinster: 4 semi-finalists advance to AI series
Munster: 2 finalists advance to AI series
Ulster: 4 semi-finalists advance to AI series
Connacht: 2 finalists advance to AI series

First round qualifiers: Ulster prelim losers (a match between two lowest ranked Ulster teams), Two Munster first round losers, Three Leinster first round losers, Two Connacht first round losers. Eight teams, four eliminated, four advance.

Second round: Four losing Ulster quarter-finalists, Two losing Munster semi-finalists, Four losing Leinster quarter-finalists, Two losing Connacht semi-finalists, Four first round qualifier winners. Sixteen teams, eight eliminated, eight advance.

Third round: Eight second round winners play-off. Four eliminated, four advance to AI series.

Last Sixteen All-Ireland series: 12 Provincial Teams, Four Qualifiers. Draw could be seeded with some form of advantage for provincial champions.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 13:41:53    1663173

Would this go some way to balancing the supposed uneven nature of the Provincial system? Personally, I think three teams as opposed to four from Ulster would be fairer, but that would make the system much messier.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 15:43:10    1663223

All provincial championships seeded

12 teams qualify through provincial championships:
Leinster: 4 semi-finalists advance to AI series
Munster: 2 finalists advance to AI series
Ulster: 4 semi-finalists advance to AI series
Connacht: 2 finalists advance to AI series

First round qualifiers: Ulster prelim losers (a match between two lowest ranked Ulster teams), Two Munster first round losers, Three Leinster first round losers, Two Connacht first round losers. Eight teams, four eliminated, four advance.

Second round: Four losing Ulster quarter-finalists, Two losing Munster semi-finalists, Four losing Leinster quarter-finalists, Two losing Connacht semi-finalists, Four first round qualifier winners. Sixteen teams, eight eliminated, eight advance.

Third round: Eight second round winners play-off. Four eliminated, four advance to AI series.

Last Sixteen All-Ireland series: 12 Provincial Teams, Four Qualifiers. Draw could be seeded with some form of advantage for provincial champions

Certainly a well thought out format and it seems pretty balanced. The one major issue which I can see is the devaluation of the provincial championships, particularly for the Ulster and Leinster semi-finalists as winning this game doesn't actually see your team advance. Perhaps the 4 provincial winners & runners-up could be guaranteed home advantage for the AI series to give the semifinals greater relevance. At first look, with a bit of tinkering, I quite like this idea.

JP91 (Armagh) - Posts: 316 - 13/10/2014 15:59:35    1663231

JP91
County: Armagh
Posts: 275

1663231

Certainly a well thought out format and it seems pretty balanced. The one major issue which I can see is the devaluation of the provincial championships, particularly for the Ulster and Leinster semi-finalists as winning this game doesn't actually see your team advance. Perhaps the 4 provincial winners & runners-up could be guaranteed home advantage for the AI series to give the semifinals greater relevance. At first look, with a bit of tinkering, I quite like this idea.

I agree completely JP91 that that's the main issue with this, but I don't think it's impossible to overcome.

How about this suggestion:
For the last sixteen, have four pots, with teams in pot one drawn to meet teams in pot four, and teams in pot two drawn to meet teams in pot three.
Pot One: 4 provincial champions (this year, that would have been Kerry, Mayo, Donegal and Dublin - by far the strongest pot).
Pot Two: 4 provincial runners-up (this year, Monaghan, Cork, Meath and Galway - by far the second strongest pot).
Pot Three: 4 highest ranked teams otherwise. (Let's face it, the semi-finalists in Ulster and Leinster probably wouldn't be all that far ahead of the four qualifiers, if ahead at all.)
Pot Four: 4 lowest ranked teams otherwise.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 16:36:00    1663251

This system would be unfair on Connacht and Munster teams as those teams who have won there quarter finals would only be at the same stage as ulster/leinster teams who have lost there only match so far. Galway for example have to win 2 games to get to a semi final next year.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 13/10/2014 16:50:11    1663260

What about us club players? Will we cram the club cships into 4 weeks as intercounty is all that matters?

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 13/10/2014 17:15:43    1663270

tiobraid
County: Tipperary
Posts: 1330

1663270
What about us club players? Will we cram the club cships into 4 weeks as intercounty is all that matters?

Your point being? This system would just switch a round of qualifiers for a round of 16.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 17:33:25    1663276

Treaty...Apologies I misread that! Bad day at the office :)

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 13/10/2014 17:46:38    1663280

tiobraid
County: Tipperary
Posts: 1332

1663280
Treaty...Apologies I misread that! Bad day at the office :)

I won't hold it against you ;)

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 17:50:53    1663282

ROS1
County: Roscommon
Posts: 102

1663260
This system would be unfair on Connacht and Munster teams as those teams who have won there quarter finals would only be at the same stage as ulster/leinster teams who have lost there only match so far. Galway for example have to win 2 games to get to a semi final next year.

A very good point. Would there be some way of nullifying that disadvantage? Giving those teams home advantage against those Ulster/Leinster teams?

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 13/10/2014 18:15:12    1663287

This is my preference for a final 16 stage:

1. Provincial Preliminary Rounds
2. Provincial Quarter-finals
3. Provincial Semi-finals & Qualifier Round 1
4. Provincial Finals & Qualifier Round 2
5. All-Ireland Round of 16*
6. All-Ireland Quarter-finals
7. All-Ireland Semi-finals
8. All-Ireland Final

* Provincial winners drawn at home to a qualifier county.
* Provincial runners-up drawn against a qualifier county with a separate draw to determine the home team.

Two qualifier rounds run smoothly in parallel to the provincial semi-finals and finals. Each province could provide two qualifiers with Ulster and Leinster preliminary round losers entering the Munster and Connaught qualifier sections but not their championships.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7842 - 13/10/2014 20:54:49    1663356

To be fair to all think we need to bring in a Final 32 stage

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 14/10/2014 08:07:34    1663386