Now that the first of our major competitions is over we should be able to reflect on the recent finals and form some sort of prediction based on the performances. Unfortunately, this would not be a great decision for any punter to make for were he to do so he could soon find himself running out of cash. If the football finals were in fact horse races then a steward's enquiry would surely follow with some of the trainers charged with holding back their mounts. Also noteworthy is the fact that four Ulster teams were beaten in the finals. An event that will hardly draw any regret from Gaels south of the border. Out of the four league finals the Division 3 and 4 encounters proved to be the most competitive, probably because those involved felt that there was much more at stake than did their counterparts in the higher divisions. The Tipperary v Down game had some very good passages of play and the skills of both squads of players were of a very high standard. Given that the scores were tied on eleven different occasions and the quality of scoring was quite high kept the viewers on their toes. However, there was an edge missing to the game and the space afforded some of the forwards is something neither team will experience in their next outing. Down have fallen at a couple of big hurdles in the past couple of years and are perhaps guilty at times of underestimating teams, especially those traditionally recognised as a 'weaker' county in footballing circles, and almost expect to win because of that Down tradition. It is certainly good to see Tipperary come to the fore and have always adopted an honest approach to their style of play. A great achievement and not a Declan Browne point among their final tally of 18! Sligo and Antrim gave it a right lash and couldn't be accused of holding anything back. Antrim, unbeaten going into the game, seem to have found a new unity under Liam Bradley and will be disappointed not to have some silverware on the table after their impressive campaign. Sligo will be happy to finish their steady campaign on a winning note - the perfect start to their championship run-in to the Galway encounter in late June. I'm sure Cork would have preferred a much tougher encounter (in fact expected one) with Monaghan in the Division 2 final. While the Leesiders were positive and took the game to Monaghan from the first whistle they were too often given the space up front that most forwards only dream of and subsequently came up with nine players scoring from play over the hour. We certainly cannot take anything away from Cork's improving style of football, in fact we should be taking a keen note of it because they will certainly be playing football in the latter months of the championship. Monaghan's performance is still open to debate. Were they happy with their promotion secured and didn't go out with all guns blazing lest they set alarm bells ringing in the Derry camp? Did they get caught up in their own hype and stumble on the day? Were they simply beaten by a much better team? The answer is in there somewhere. Certainly, it is difficult to see Banty do anything other than put out a team to win but with a massive game looming every tactic must be considered. Kerry and Derry took to Croke Park and gave us a very mediocre final. This is in no way a reflection of the commitment given by the players whose competitive nature and will-to-win will always kick in once the ball has been thrown in. It is the preparation period leading up to the game and the importance placed on winning that inevitably dictates the passion displayed on the day. I believe Kerry were only going through the motions, intent on winning of course, but still viewing it only as a preparatory stage of their championship campaign. Derry were taking the same approach with the only difference being that their championship encounter with Monaghan was only about a month away thus meriting more attention than what was now basically a meaningless trophy. Derry had enjoyed a very good league campaign under the newly appointed Damien Cassidy and were improving steadily as the year progressed. As Damien conceded himself it would be their progress in the championship that would ultimately determine how successful their season had been. Besides, winning the league final in 2008 had failed to contribute anything to their championship run and seemed of little importance to the supporters in general. I'm quite sure Damien and the Derry followers would liked to have taken the scalp of Kerry en route to their Monaghan encounter but the only scalp they want displayed on their lodge pole for now is that of the Farneymen. It is very disappointing to see the second most important competition in our sporting calendar losing the appeal of a lot of our top managers and many of our supporters. Everyone will agree that in Gaelic games competitions the championship takes precedence over all other competitions. Rightly so. Even with the introduction of the back-door system there's an adrenalin rush that hits player and supporter alike whenever two championship contenders take to the field. Provincial titles are fought for with all the verve and passion of an All-Ireland itself. Old rivalries and sheer pride see to that. And this is good. We all want to see a full-blooded contest and a capacity crowd frantically, and sometimes fanatically, urging their team to success. But why should this detract from the league. In most other sports it is the competition that is fought out over a series of games or a league format that is the recognised major trophy for the season. Some competitions are decided by a league based season culminating in a play-off or knockout stage. Thus, the winning team is the one who has been tried and tested over the season has proven to be the best for that year. Why such a competition has lost its appeal can be blamed on several 'factors'. The priority of championship over all else pressurises managers into 'saving' players for the big day or 'not showing their hand' too soon to their provincial rivals. I think the Kilkenny v Tipperary league final blows that first factor out of the water. Whether players are injured or not should not prevent the remainder of the team from contesting the game with all the vigour they can muster. Winning the league might not be the best preparation for our championship game. Another factor that sometimes arises. Players might get too cocky, take their eye of the big game, maybe lose their hunger. Nonsense! Since when did losing ever help a team? What better boost could you get than winning a keenly contested national trophy. Too many competitive games for our players, will lose their edge, maybe get injured. Again, nonsense! Teams like Manchester United can play well in excess of 50 games per season and the national major trophy is for league winners. We continually compare ourselves to professional soccer players so why should we only play an average of 10 to 13 competitive county games per season and feel concerned about player injury. I'm well aware of the problem of player burnout involving some college and underage players but this is where the full county squads can be tested. Many county players will miss a few league games at club level as well because of county commitments so 'too many games' can not be used as an excuse. Marketing (or lack of) and poor pricing structures have also proven to be detrimental to the success of our leagues. When we have so few county games throughout the year we should be doing our utmost to attract as many supporters as possible and to make the games as appealing as possible. The aforementioned soccer is 'in your face' all the time and we should be counteracting this with our own promotional drive. High prices in recessionary times also gives cause for concern. It is so difficult to understand the logic behind the much-hyped reduction in league final tickets from 30 to 25 Euros. Was this meant to attract more supporters or was it meant as a good gesture to the loyal fans who were attending? Not only did it fail on both counts but many supporters in fact seen it as a bad gesture and an insult to those supporters who had travelled the country all year in support of their team. The league competitions are a valued and important part of our season and everyone should be encouraged to recognise them as so. Every county should be totally committed to winning their relevant league and not just happy to stay out of relegation trouble. Perhaps financial incentives, training camp weekends or health spa weekends could be awarded to the winners. Not necessary but it would help elevate the competition. A major advertising campaign designed with the grassroots supporter in mind. National TV coverage would be a great boost for supporters. The decision to award viewing rights to Setanta last year deprived many families and supporters, young and old, from viewing not just their own team but all the many teams involved. Instead it drove many young people into the bars and hotels of the country where they could keep an eye on both the football and soccer while knocking back a few pints. Hopefully next year we will see National League Finals that will enthral and thrill us while whetting our appetites for similar championship encounters as we pat the backs of the heroic winning players who, at that moment in time, are the best in the country. Tweet

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