Jack urges structure review
August 04, 2010

Kerry manager Jack O'Connor with Ger O'Keeffe and Eamon Fitzmaurice.
Jack O'Connor has joined his Tyrone counterpart Mickey Harte in calling for a review of the All-Ireland football championship structure.
All eight teams who contested provincial finals this year crashed out in their next game with the four champions all losing their respective All-Ireland quarter-finals last weekend, including O'Connor's Kerry.
"I am not just saying this after we have been beaten - I have said this consistently that the provincial championships will have to be changed or provincial winners will have to get a second shot at it," the Kingdom boss said.
"I mean you would say that next year, it's not worth trying to win a provincial championship because you are sitting around for four weeks while other teams get match practice.
"Of course its going to have to be changed because its an unfair system at the moment and the proof of the pudding is there for all to see at the moment because the eight provincial finalists are now all gone out of the championship, and the teams who have the match practice and the momentum through the backdoor are through to the semi final.
"It worked in our favour last year and it worked against us this year but all I am saying is that down the line this in an inequitable system and it will have to be changed."
Speaking on Radio Kerry, O'Connor insisted there were 'no sour grapes' after the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Down, but again questioned the controversial handpass rule which led to Killian Young's first half goal being disallowed.
"There are no sour grapes because Down played good football but we just got no break in the game," he claimed.
"I mean Killian Young's disallowed goal was important because we had overcome the bad start and had the momentum so we needed that score to nail the momentum down.
"The fact that it was not allowed still gnaws at us a bit. What other game in the world will have grown men inside in a studio wondering was a pass lateral, was it underhand or overhand?
"Sure I mean that is a ridiculous, crazy situation where men looking at it in slow motion cannot agree whether it was legal or not. So what else will you have only chaos when you have a rule so loose that its up to the discretion of a referee on any given day?
"That was disappointing and I have been consistently against that interpretation of the handpass so there are just a few things about the way the GAA have gone this year that are gnawing away at me and that handpass is certainly one of them."
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