Former GAA president Sean Kelly believes the provincial structures have been diminished after all four provincial winners were knocked out of the All-Ireland race last weekend.

Writing in the Irish Examiner, he said: "The downside of all this romance is at what cost to the provincial championship. A week ago we saw all provincial runners-up bite the dust. Now last weekend we saw all provincial winners follow suit.

"The fallout from that statistic will be very interesting. Managers and players and the GPA can add a lot to that debate.

"Of primary significance will be the attitude of managers of successful teams in recent years at provincial and All-Ireland level. Jack O'Connor and Mickey Harte made no secret of their desire to win at provincial level. What do they think now? If both Harte and O'Connor were to say that success at provincial level were detrimental to All-Ireland glory, it would be a massive blow to the beleaguered provincial championships.

"Right now, the most worried officials in the GAA are at provincial council level. And they have good reason to be. Already the backdoor has knocked thousands off those attending many provincial finals - when did you have a full house for a Munster provincial final last?" Tweet

Most Read Stories