There was a really interesting debate on last Sunday’s Panel on the structure of the Football Championships as Ger, Conor Deegan, David Brady and Colm Parkinson cast an expert eye over the teams and issues that will make a mark on the 2013 Gaelic Football year.
But there was also the question of a two-tier All Ireland senior championship. Colm Parkinson suggested that there should be a Division 2 All Ireland championship for 16 smaller counties who have an almost impossible task of taking Sam Maguire home.
His proposal does make sense as national or provincial and All Ireland silverware can be difficult to attain for most teams, bar about 10 counties such as the Kerrys, Dublins, Corks, Tyrones or Mayos.
Leitrim - with its population of 25,000 which is being buffeted by the twin winds of emigration and recession - was cited as an example of a team that should be included in a second tier competition – similar to a Europa League for the GAA.
But as a Leitrim man - and fan – a two-tier championship is not something that I would be particularly enamoured with even if it increased the county’s chances of silverware.
'Definitely Maybe'
The last Leitrim man to lift the Connacht Championship was Declan Darcy. It was 1994 and it came after a 67-year wait. Just to illustrate the length of the current drought, I was a 5-year-old, another Darcy - Ray D’Arcy - had a full head of hair and Oasis were just about to release their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’.
It is a similar issue for Carlow, Sligo, Fermanagh, Kilkenny, Westmeath and Wicklow – the other counties never to have reached an All Ireland football final.
And you could probably throw in another dozen counties that have not made a significant impact at provincial or All Ireland level in aeons.
But counties like Leitrim, Carlow and Kilkenny would suffer adversely if they were dumped into a second tier football competition.
Weaker counties do gain something from playing in a single, unified All Ireland championship. By playing the stronger counties, they are forced to raise their own game to keep up which as a by-product raises standards at local level.
If they were to be relegated to a subsidiary championship, it would almost be an admission of defeat as the bar is raised lower and lower. That would be detrimental for standards of Gaelic football outside of the traditional strongholds.
Belief
Even taking Leitrim as an example, provincial silverware cannot be ruled out at some point in the future. Although it is a very difficult task with Mayo, Galway, Roscommon and Sligo in the way, it still takes a maximum of three games to win the Connacht championship, something which is not beyond the county in the right circumstances.
Of course it would be harder for the likes of Carlow in Leinster where the pool of competition is deeper and more competitive - and not discounting a longer journey to glory. But that is where a reform of the structures of provincial championship could be made – a point Deegan, Parkinson and Brady all rightly touched upon.
The example of Donegal is an interesting one. At the start of 2011, the Ulstermen had won nothing for 19 years.
But with an impenetrable system of play and belief instilled in them by Jimmy McGuinnes – a change of tune from ‘Definitely Maybe’ to ‘Is Feidir Linn’ - they have since claimed provincial and All Ireland honours.
Of course it must be remembered that there was a fair amount of talent at Donegal’s disposal with discipline and the removal of the party boys tag playing an instrumental part in the revival of their fortunes.
It would be ten times harder for the likes of Leitrim and Carlow to achieve similar feats.
But the difficulty of ever closing the gap on the big boys would be multiplied if a schism were allowed to happen. There would be no going back from such a decision.
Emlyn Mulligan by ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Declan Darcy ©INPHO/Tom Honan
