Mid June and a little GAA history. The weekend of the first football and hurling qualifiers will go down as the busiest senior inter county schedule since the organisation was founded. Footballers and hurlers parading their skills in front of big crowds-Croke Park was a sell out with 82,000 patrons squeezed into the new stadium. And of course opinion is divided on just about every topic imaginable-the rules, the referees, the treatment of the strong counties, The Dubs, Armagh and whatever you are having yourself. Another little history to go along with the record set above -17 red cards and 84 yellow are flashed in a series of matches, which lent support to the growing sense that the game of Gaelic football is becoming impossible to referee. When you hear Brian McEniff call for officials from Ulster to select local referees, well, I'm astounded. The subtext is they will understand the particular rhythms and let the lads get on with matters. Such a comment from a former county board chairman indicates where this debate is heading. In the same breath he states we do not have an advantage rule! And therein lies one of the main sources of the growing problem - players and managers do NOT actually know many of the rules. It really should become mandatory when coaching badges are awarded - I have often wondered how a snooker player might hope to survive if he did not know the rules of his game. Truth to tell we are an island that does not take correction easily - we have a grá for the 'stroke' or favour. How many times have you heard an argument for a certain player to be treated leniently that begins something like: 'I've known Mick all my life and he is not a dirty player ....'. The referee cannot take such mitigation into consideration. After all, well-known serial killers may brag about winning a 'Bonny Baby' title in their infancy. Unlikely to cut the mustard with a jury! ++++++++++++++++++++++ To date, championship 2005 stands out for one single development - the lack of surprise results within each province. Indeed at the time of writing the only shock we have witnessed is the defeat of Offaly at the hands of Carlow. Some followers here in my own province deem the Leitrim win over Sligo as a big upset, but I doubt if that is the reality. Both teams are evenly matched and on any given day either side can emerge. If you examine the teams already confirmed for the provincial finals and if we suppose for a moment that Armagh and Tyrone will eventually make their way to the Ulster version, then it is obvious the forecasts of the majority of pundits hit the button. Out west, traditional rivals Mayo and Galway will square up in mid July; Munster is as you were for the best part of the last one hundred years - Cork taking on the champions. And Leinster has produced the two teams, Dublin and Laois, that stood out from day one. And should any of those teams trip up at this late stage, be sure the Qualifiers will offer solace to the big hitters. Ostensibly, the introduction of the Qualifiers was to improve the lot of the teams who rarely make the winners podium, but the passage of time shows the new system has done little except ensure the traditionalists get to the quarter finals and extra finances pour into the bank. For sure, each year has thrown up a Cinderella story - Sligo, Roscommon, Fermanagh, and others captured our imagination, and two teams (Galway and Armagh) made their way back to a final with Galway actually winning one. Last year both Fermanagh and Derry clawed their way back into contention with the former literally a kick away from a historic first final when they had Mayo on the rack. And still and still. Okay, it ensures every team gets a second chance up to the quarterfinal but it has become so difficult to recover from the earlier defeat one has to wonder if it really is the best format. In broad terms, I am a supporter of a second chance but favour the Champions League style arrangements over the one we have. One only has to witness the joy down Carlow way after they took Offaly out in a senior championship fixture for the first time in decades. That particular result confirms the idea of every team having another go at the summer. We would never have heard of this side and the story they have to tell if proposals at the beginning of the century hit on deaf ears. It needs fine-tuning but a system based loosely on the present is needed. Because of the financial dividend if not the betterment of the group of counties known as 'so-called-weaker counties' this tweaking will be done and some method found to keep as many teams as possible in the pot. The hurling approach is all the football one is with bells on. The draw for their Qualifiers has ensured no team outside the Top 8 has a chance of pushing on and improving their lot. With Munster and Leinster getting the main benefits, the remainder is carved up as a nod to the also rans. Nobody can argue this concept is geared at improving Down, Antrim, Dublin or Laois. What it does give us is more big hurling games - no bad thing by the way - but do not try to sell it as something it patently is not and never can be. My contention for both codes remains constant: a secondary competition for those teams no longer competitive at the top level is urgently required. The hurlers are on their way to this end state but the football governors in each county will fight it to the bitter end. Hard to have sympathy for them then. +++++++++++++++++++ Dublin remains the story of the championship. A slow start against Longford was followed by a real character-building win over Meath, even if they hit a little black ice along the road. Next up, despite a speed wobble, the Dubs chisel the necessary scores to ensure a win against Wexford. The crowds, the colour, the noise, the atmosphere. Leaving aside a small group of idiots on the Hill, big match days are enhanced when Dublin come marching through. They don't even have to be that good; it appears their fans just want to get behind the push for victory. In fact it may transpire that they are only an average outfit but it is going to take a serious effort by any opponent to flush them out of the competition. And the reason for that is the type of momentum they can generate when they get on a roll. From a GAA perspective, they must welcome the continued relative strength of Dublin as, similar to the argument with the Qualifiers, they are a cash machine at the turnstiles. Love them or hate them they are big box office. Now their goal must be to win one of their next two championship outings and thus ensure an appearance at quarterfinal stage. They would certainly prefer the front door entrance but will find comfort in the back door if needs must. Tweet

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