Keen Mayo GAA interest in proposals before Special Congress

by Martin Carney

THE last round of games in the group stages of the club championship brought the preliminary stages of this year’s competition to a conclusion.

Shocks were rare, the favoured advanced, and next week we’ll have a look at how the quarterfinalists in all grades have shaped up.

But with respect to the club scene, a potentially momentous afternoon awaits when a Special Congress of the GAA takes place in Croke Park next Saturday (October 23).

Like all such gatherings, there are motions that simply require a nod and a wink to get them passed and others that will involve lengthy debate and consideration before decisions are reached.

Of the 10 motions up for consideration, redefining the GAA development officer’s role, establishing an audit and risk assessment officer in every county and regularising international player transfers are just an example of three where little debate and difference of opinion is expected. All will be signed, sealed and passed into rule with the minimum of fuss.

On the other hand, what is sure to exercise the minds of delegates are the proposals for revamping the senior inter-county championship.

For good reason the GAA is loath to change and since its foundation the provincial championships have been the cornerstone of GAA competition. For many of us, July afternoons in MacHale Park, Clones, Killarney and Croke Park provided the high point of the season’s activities.

From the outset until the year 2000, games were played on an open-draw knockout basis, with provincial winners advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Younger followers were given a snapshot over the course of the last two Covid-dominated championships what life was like fadó fadó.

The system was unforgiving in that the stronger prevailed on any given weekend and players on the losing sides became consigned to club football or a possible summer of travel to London, the US or beyond.

Great memories

My experience of this brings back great memories. In my early years playing with Donegal, losing opening round ties became a bad habit so consequently I was able to spread my wings to places like New York and Boston. Working on construction sites in downtown Manhattan and learning the fundamentals of painting in Cape Cod brought in a few bob that eased the passage through college.

More recently, at the turn of the millennium, I happened to be a member of the committee that proposed a major shift in the championship structure which gave every team the benefit of a second chance.

The major change, colloquially known as the ‘back-door’ system, meant that one defeat didn’t herald the end of the inter-county season for teams. It gave the vanquished a second opportunity to overturn their opening result and prolong their season.

Indeed, in many cases, because of the open draw system, it often meant fixtures against teams beyond what one normally encountered. In Mayo’s case I can recall games against Derry, Longford, Wexford and many others.

This system proved very popular but, for whatever reason, the powers that be introduced another layer, the Super 8 series, in 2018, on a three-year trial basis.

The revamp saw the quarterfinalists split into two groups of four each, with the top two highest ranking teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

I never warmed to this format; it put far too much pressure on players and stretched them to the limits of their endurance. Indisputably, the financial dividend to the GAA was immense but the demands on all sectors made its introduction questionable.

Due to pandemic restrictions, the experiment was temporarily shelved and now we are looking at a new twist to the championship calendar.

In summary, the proposals before the Special Congress on Saturday are as follows:

Proposal A: The league would remain a spring competition and the championship run on the basis of four provincial conferences consisting of eight teams each.

In Connacht’s case, this would require a single team from Ulster and two from Leinster joining the western province. In Ulster’s case, because they are the lowest ranking at the moment, Antrim and Fermanagh would play off, with the loser joining Connacht and the winner competing in their home province.

Without outlining the detail involved, Connacht and Munster would each take two teams from Leinster so that in every province, two groups of four teams each would then play a round robin series of games, one at home, one away and one at a neutral venue.

Top teams from each group would subsequently contest the provincial final. The second and third across the eight groups would then play each other over two knockout rounds.

The four surviving teams would then play the losing provincial finalists, with the winners advancing to the All-Ireland quarterfinals. The bottom team in each group would compete in the Tailteann Cup on a knockout basis.

Proposal B: Provincial championships would take place in February and March, with no link whatsoever to the All-Ireland series. The All-Ireland series would then be played on the current Allianz League format between April and June, thus giving every team an opportunity to win Sam.

The top five teams from Division 1 along with the top three from Division 2 as well as the table toppers of Division 3 and 4 added all advance to the knockout stage. Here, the five from Division 1 and the winners of Division 2 would get a bye to the quarterfinals, with the remaining four teams playing off to decide the two remaining berths.

A draw on a seeded basis would decide the quarterfinalists, with the competition proceeding to the final. The second based team in Division 3 would get a bye to the quarterfinals of the Tailteann Cup, with the remaining 13 teams plus New York now competing in this competition.

To become the new template for championship over a three-year trial basis, a proposal must get 60% of the votes cast. If neither proposal gets this, the championship will revert to the format that has been the norm since 2000 or else complete the third year of the Super 8 experiment.

There hasn’t been sufficient debate within the GAA on the pros and cons of what the changes will mean if introduced. Aside from the GPA, who are advocating acceptance of Proposal B, the silence has been deafening as to which proposal Croke Park favours.

Proposal A, while far from perfect, is something I am inclined to prefer instead of Proposal B.

Without going into detail, I am yet to be convinced that Proposal B offers the panacea that many suggest.

However, if I was a betting man I would put my money on the status quo prevailing as neither A nor B will get the necessary 60% vote required.