Listen to the full interview via the GAA podcast.
Yesterday the Football Review Committee revealed a number of proposed changes to the All Ireland club and inter-county championships.
It was the former that has stirred much debate with the FRC suggesting that each provincial championship starts with eight teams.
Because the Connacht and Munster championships can only call upon seven (including London and New York) and six counties respectively, it means Leinster and Ulster teams would end up competing in other provinces once they are knocked out of their own.
FRC chairman Eugene McGee joined Joe, Wooly and Gizzy on the show tonight to tell us why he thinks the 4x8 proposal is the best route forward.
Acknowledging that the proposal is "slightly artificial", McGee feels the FRC plan is the best way to satisfy as many people as possible.
"We have set up a situation where you can play your way out of not being changed to a different province, if that's what you want. In other words in Leinster at the moment, there are always 11 counties. For Leinster to get down to eight, we are suggesting that there are qualifying matches and the losers of those matches are moved to a different province. So it does allow for four eights," explained McGee.
He does not think that a Champions League style system or an open draw without provincial championships would be workable even though he admits that they were popular solutions in a fan survey.
"We have to face reality. In Gaelic football, the four provincial championships are big business. Occasionally they fluctuate into mediocrity but at the same time, there are terrible anomalies. In Connacht, you can have two Division 4 teams playing in the semi-final and then they are in the second or third round of the qualifiers which means they have moved up the scale," said McGee, who believes four eights will bring greater equality between counties in different provinces and means that teams play a similar number of games.
But he confirmed that the consultation document gives plenty of scope for provinces to tweak the system and stated that the proposed new structure could be in place by 2015 if accepted by Congress.
Do you agree with the proposals? Let us know below.
Main image: Chairman of Football Review Committee (FRC) Eugene McGee ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
