End The Provincials

I wouldn't go that far, but I get the idea.

Football would be easy enough. Given a full clean slate to do what I want and the power to start from scratch, with 33 teams in football I'd create; 3 tiers (Senior, Intermediate & Junior) of 11 teams playing round robin, top 2 to SF's, next 4 to QF's. Two up (the finalists)/two down in promotion /relegation.

And I'd have a separate straight knockout, finish-on-the-day cup competition based on the traditional provincial system, which would be played during the round robin phase, with the cup final played before the penultimate round of the round robin phase.

Football has the teams, and the competitiveness to make that work well.

Hurling is a lot more difficult, and there's a catch 22. The system is completely unfair and lopsided due to protecting Munster at every level which means there's no chance of a fair competition in the championship. And yet without the quality of Munster, there's a real case to be had that hurling could be dying off, that Munster is holding it together, especially in the last few years.

Obviously the National League is the fairest competition out there, especially in it's current format, but hurling simply doesn't have enough good teams to make any significant changes work. The NHL works simply because there are 7 team groups are two up/two down. Dublin/Wexford/Galway have been poor for a while now and haven't show much at any level, so that's leaving Kilkenny and the 5 Munster counties, and Waterford are barely keeping their nose above water there as well, while Kilkenny have also badly regressed.

The provincials aren't the problem in hurling. The sheer lack of competitive teams is. If the Munster final had had a replay as some wanted (for the record, extra time and penalties are the correct choice), and say Limerick and Cork went to the AI final, and that went to a replay (I think there are replays for a final now, it's wanted) then Limerick and Cork would have met 5 times in the championship. That's not good for the sport.

It is getting towards your way of thinking. But the GAA has to be nudged along. If that new series on RTE on football has reminded me of anything. It is that the GAA (covid excluded) moves in extremely slow motion.
The truth is in the GAA local normally has massive sway over that national. When it should be the other way around!
Ulster provincial council holds football hostage. And the Munster provincial council holds hurling hostage (although to a lesser degree than football as there is less depth)

Until the GAA becomes more autocratic nationally this won’t change soon. At least in football the championship is now linked with league performance. Major step forwards lost in the rule changes of football and the split season.
But your issue is fundamentally too much democracy in the the GAA and they try and please everyone partly while at the same time pleasing no one. They love giving teams chances and lots of safety nets. Which is why their competitions become so unnecessarily complicated after the provincials. While still having one foot in local tradition. It is the oddest thing about the GAA. Slow to change. But when they do invariably it is a fudge. It is why I am pleased they “outsourced” the football rule changes. And it only took a pandemic for the split season to occur!

If Covid never happened I would argue that the GAA would not have been as “brave” on the football rule changes. As Covid gave an air of change, releasing the handbrake.

But now I predict the GAA will revert to type listening to everyone and no one.. Tying itself in knots. In that comfortable slow motion cloak while thinking of local “tradition” above all else.

Which I suspect is ar the heart of the OP’s frustration.

The GAA aren't opposed to change. Sure they've massively changed the rules of football, moved the All-Irelands to July and foreign sports in their grounds is now a common occurrence. They even allowed Muslim prayers in the sacred turf of Croke Park.

Still they, inexplicably, won't drop the provincials. That's a bridge too far apparently.

Monaghan and Derry won Ulsters in recent years. Down will likely get their act together again. Fermanagh does not have the population, only Antrim under perform.

In a functioning Leinster championship Louth would win from time to time, and Meath and Kildare would win some, so that each would value it when they won one.

All winners showed at the full time whistle in those provincial finals how much they cared. Discussion over.

Hurling is in a real odd position though. So few competitive teams. Mostly localised in the one area. Munster hurling is the defacto AI let’s be honest. Repeated again later more than likely which is a cod. That is the real reason why Munster hurling gets such hype. Bar Galway and Kilkenny it is the only competitive high standard hurling area.

Hurling is not a true National sport. But that is never said, by the Munster affectionado’s . It is not a sport that wants to expand really. They revel in the local not the national. Hurling has no hope of progression. It is a niche local sport with few competitors. And will unlikely ever change because the pool is so shallow.

Football on the other hand has more depth.

There should be no excuse to be tied to an archaic system designed for a different era.

Whichever of the league or provincial championships that comes first should not be providing direct access to the All Ireland. Whether people like it or not, provincial championships currently come after the league.

After the 8 provincial semi finals are complete for the 8 finalists qualifying automatically, the remaining 23 counties should enter league playoffs for the 7 league qualifier spots. Byes and seeding on league placing.

LEAGUE PLAYOFF SEMI FINALS

Dublin bye

Monaghan bye

Roscommon bye

Tyrone bye

Derry bye

Cavan v Wexford

Cork v Antrim

Offaly v Leitrim

Kildare v Wicklow

Westmeath v Carlow

Fermanagh v Tipperary

Sligo v Longford

Laois v London

Limerick v Waterford

LEAGUE PLAYOFF FINALS

Dublin v Offaly

Monaghan v Kildare

Roscommon v Westmeath

Tyrone v Fermanagh

Derry v Sligo

Cavan v Limerick

Cork v Laois

This way there is some danger in missing out on provincial finals. The big guns will obviously be expected to get through but they'll have to sweat over it.

As all counties will have two goes at getting through to the All Ireland, the Tailteann Cup 16 could be direct knockout.

Im not to old to remember the 4 provinces hurling competition.

Ulster - Always Antrim and the usual turkey shoot of every other team

Connaught - Always Galway and see above point

Leinster - Always Kilkenny and arguably closer games but ultimately a forgone conclusion.

Munster - Somewhat of a mixed bag with 2 or 3 teams capable of wining and a rise and dip of form for each respective county. ( and Kerry not even 'allowed' to play)

What do we have now?

Ulster and connaght hurling effectively sacrificed for a failed Leinster experiment ( of which only 3 of the said counties in a province of 12 continuously play) , and the lobsided munster competition.

To be clear , clare and waterford are out because they didnt win enough games. But can anyone seriously argue the merits of throwing in the Mcdonagh cup winners/ runners into a game ( and i use that term deliberately) for a guaranteed hiding other than a patronising pat on the head ?

Does anyone think the either clare or waterford could have beaten Tipp or Dublin instead ? Possibly not but I wouldnt rule it out either .( and no i'm not advocating for another chance for the 2 'failed' munster teams, I am just pointing out it would have been an interesting contest as opposed to the exhibition matches we saw).