The 2021 All Ireland Senior Football Championship

ATR72

Mayo and Kerry pushing for the 6th placed team in Div 1 to be included in All-Ireland series. Colm Parkinson is having a meltdown on Twitter about it. Saying that 6th shouldn't be included because that's how leagues work. Well no, that's not how leagues work. Norwich didn't get a place in the Champions League by winning the Championship. They would have to win the FA Cup and beat top tier teams. And besides you could say the same about the 5th placed team. Monaghan could finish 6th but still beat any of the others. The Div 4 champions are unlikely to do it. I wouldn't want Pettigo competing in the Donegal senior champ if just because they won Div 4.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074944#Comment_118074944

To what purpose so every team has a chance of winning Sam. If it was seeded you would have one team each fromD1.2.3 and 4. You would have groups such as Kerry, Westmeath, Derry and Leitrim or Monoghan, Kildare, Longford and Wexford. There would be no TV demand and nobody would go to the games.

ATR72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074771#Comment_118074771

Spot on. Only in Gaelic football do we try to find a unique solution. Proposal B was just that. Div 3/4 counties want a tiered structure but also still want to compete for Sam. So we create a competition where Div 3/4 counties can leapfrog counties competing at a higher level. The club structure works.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074771#Comment_118074771

You misunderstood - I was suggesting Div 1 A and B as 8 team groups with 4 each qualifying for knockouts.

And 2A and B being the "Mickey Mouse" competition, which is in effect Intermediate championship is exactly what you are asking for.

2 up 2 down promotion/ relegation.

With early season provincial championship offering a separate route to all teams to get the provincial councils across the line, as it is clear they are the clear stumbling block to change.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074771#Comment_118074771

Kildimo/ Pallaskenry won tonight. It was a 50/50 game 2-10 to 14 points. But winning is a habit especially finals. Very hard to beat a team with players that have won 4 finals in football and hurling.

coolshannagh28

Run an open knockout championship in the winter when there is a much higher chance for lower ranked teams due to conditions and run the league in the summer on its present lines ; tie success in the championship to promotion in the league. The problem with our present system and the mooted versions are that they pretty much guarentee that the best team wins and this is not to everyones liking.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088676#Comment_118088676

Agree - current systems and ones proposed are broadly along lines of maximising success and revenue streams for the more successful counties and GAA as a organisation.

The AI football championship should be just that - an open draw, no seeding, knockout, no replays and with no backdoor. That'd bring back the spice and interest, every dog has it's day and all would be roughly competing on the same terms. Wouldn't take too long to run off.

Then have some other competitions that guarantee games and maximise revenues.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088676#Comment_118088676

There is no problems with the best team winning. What you want to do is improve the weaker teams and give players more games. To do that players must get games and compete at there own standard

joe35

You need to lesson the grà for the championship. It's only a cup/knockout competition. No other sport has their cup competition as their main event.

The best team won't always win a knockout competition, as there can be an upset.

Run the league in the summer, as your main event and have it that the team the is All Ireland champions, actually is the best team.

Two groups of 16 or 4 groups of 8. Or any sort of league format you want. Stop trying to put a cup competition into league format when you already have a league.

Might loose interest for a year or two but soon things would pick up again.

If Kerry/Dublin hadn't won a league in 2/3 years they would fairly be licking their wounds

coolshannagh28

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118089116#Comment_118089116

A genuine league run in the summer would achieve this without our bastardised compromises and run an open competition over the winter which will give shock results for a myriad of different reasons and no backdoor to advantage the better teams.

ATR72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118091190#Comment_118091190

There will be no intercounty football played in winter from next year due the split season. I'm starting to wonder if people within the GAA are paying attention to what is going on. Jan to July will be the intercounty season.

The League should retain its current structure. Proposal B was deeply flawed and punished counties for being in Div 1. Hurling still has a league first and then championship after. Football should have the same. Senior, Intermediate, and Junior just like the clubs.

Or go for the Jim McGuinness proposal if provincials are to be retained. Still a flawed proposal but miles ahead of Proposal B.

Provincials are in for next year so GPA should be pushing for more games within that structure. Andy Moran says he would like to see a group stage for Leitrim, Sligo, and London at the start. That would give Leitrim at least 3 or 4 championship games depending on how far they go. They'll get 2 games in the group, a game against one of the big boys, and then a qualifier game afterwards.

blowitupref

The All star winners, 8 for Tyrone, 3 for Mayo, 3 for Kerry and 1 for Dublin

Niall Morgan (Tyrone)

Padraig Hampsey (Tyrone) Lee Keegan (Mayo) Tom O'Sullivan (Kerry)

Kieran McGeary (Tyrone) Peter Harte (Tyrone)

Conor Meyler (Tyrone)

Brian Kennedy (Tyrone) Matthew Ruane (Mayo)

Niall Sludden (Tyrone) Paudie Clifford (Kerry)

Darren McCurry (Tyrone)

Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin) Ryan O Donoghue (Mayo)

David Clifford (Kerry)

Footballer of the year Kieran McGeary and for a 2nd year in a row young player of the year Oisín Mullin

castletownman

The lack of Seanie O'Shea and Matty Donnelly is farcical. The former was Kerry's most consistent forward (didn't Clifford not score from play in some trouncing?) and the latter was arguably the footballer of the year up to the final.

tanko

How did Cathal McShane not get on the team?

Avon8

Daniel Flynn is/was well more deserving than Paudie Clifford or ROD. Tommy Conroy probably hard done by to lose out to his teammate, albiet less so than Flynn or McKenna. Backs look spot on. Arguable which Tyrone midfielder could be included.

A sad state of affairs the Mullen wins YPOTY for a decent half of football in the 'quarter final'. Missed the semi and had a poor final. Not that there was much competition. They need to increase that awards qualifying criteria by a year

bucketybuck

Niall Morgan wins an allstar. Now I've seen everything.

And the sooner the fawning over David Clifford ends the better, yet another allstar he didn't deserve.

Avon8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118303364#Comment_118303364

Hard to know which one he didn't deserve. Maybe the first one. He certainly deserved this one. This was a much condensed championship and all the focus was on the last 3 games. His semi final performance was probably the standout out of anyone across the 3.

Whatever about Clifford, Morgan was a footballer of the year candidate never mind an all star. How on earth did he not deserve one?

Treble double

The All Stars are an outdated concept and should be scrapped, giving all stars to players in positions from 1 to 15 is ridiculous when positions have no relevance in any code any more especially football.

Take Tyrone for example they have a goalkeeper, a couple of specialist man markers in the full back line and two marquee forwards, a couple of bean poles in the middle of the field and then the remaining 8 are all a similar type of player, a middle third workhorse, ball carrier type, doesn't make a difference what number they have on their back. This is replicated in most counties.

Scrap your All star 1 to 15 team and just pick the best keeper in the country, the best man marker, the best midfielder, the best inside forward and the best middle third worker bee. In my opinion Tyrone would get 2 all stars in that set up, Morgan and Mcgreary

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118304185#Comment_118304185

To be fair the way they pick.it along FB line, HB line now allows for that. Only reservation I have too many all-stars go to the winners. Tyrone getting eight, Limerick getting 12, are they that much better than the rest of the team's around.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118304305#Comment_118304305

In reality, Limerick could have got 15. They are that much better than the rest of the teams.

Don't know there is the begrudgery towards David Clifford. I would definitely have in the All Stars. Best player in Ireland for me. Just because he has an average game or 2 doesn't mean he drops out of the pecking order.

Ryan O'Donoghue lucky to be on the list.

mystic86

Imagine thinking that David Clifford didn't deserve an all star, Jesus christ I've heard it all

Dr. Bre

It’s all opinion . Never understand people getting upset about all stars - it’s all Ireland’s players want to be remembered for

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118305691#Comment_118305691

True - But I'm sure its still a huge honour for players to be recognised in the top 15 players of the year.

I'm not from Kerry, but to not include David Clifford on the team of the year is silly and smells of some begrudgery. He had an excellent year, from what I recollect. Wonderful footballer. I'm from Mayo - but who would you want on your team first based on current form - Ryan O'Donoghue or David Clifford.

Tyrone can count their blessings he got injured in the semi-final - otherwise they wouldn't have got over the line.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118303364#Comment_118303364

You must be a Dub 🙄