The Covered Stand: In Through the Backdoor

By Rory J O'Neill

There is something about the smell of early summer and the presence of Championship football that tingles us with a tantalizing taste of what is to come. No one really cares about the leagues once they're over.

Teams get a couple of league wins to feel good about themselves, while the games whet the appetite of the genuine supporter at a time of year when Gaelic Games tend to hibernate.

Now though it's eyes down on knockout football. We all start afresh with varying hopes and ambitions for the summer road ahead. Ah, ‘but how is it knockout football?’ We hear the sceptics shout.

Backdoor faults

The backdoor has its faults. Its imperfections can be laid glaringly obvious from time to time when a team like Sligo can capture the nation’s imagination while knocking out Galway and Mayo on their way to a Connacht final, only to come unstuck to Roscommon, who have their own sense of history and tradition. Then six days later they're faced with the unenviable task of taking on a Down side rampaging its way through the qualifiers. It’s a tough life.

On the flip side it can also be laid out in all its glory when Wexford reach an All-Ireland semi-final; when Wicklow knockout Down in Aughrim; when Westmeath beat Galway in Pearse Stadium; or when Longford shock Mayo.

In an interview with League Sunday, Paraic Duffy recently made the astute assertion that ending the provincial championships is neither desirable nor wise because: ‘Winning a provincial title is a realistic ambition for a lot of counties while winning an All-Ireland is not.’

It's a fair point. A point that sometimes gets lost on supporters of the bigger counties, with realistic ambitions of winning Sam Maguire, who sometimes clamour for the disbanding of the current system in favour of an open draw or another such arrangement.

The value of provincial championships

While a Munster title might not mean much to Colm Cooper or Graham Canty, it remains the holy grail for players like John Galvin.

That Holy Grail sees him return year after year to serve Limerick football with such distinction. More’s the pity we won’t see him in action this year because of the dreaded cruciate. Let’s hope it’s not the last we’ve seen of the big man.

Winning a provincial championship remains an ambition that serves counties like Fermanagh, who have never won an Ulster title, or Wicklow who have never won Leinster.

The provincial championships give them a very real and live chance of silverware, in competitions which remain knockout in their truest form.

One of the regular criticisms often thrown at the current system is the obvious vulnerability felt by beaten provincial finalists, particularly in Connacht and Ulster, where they sometimes have to turn around and play their qualifier knockout game as little as six days later.

It does seem a little unfair, but the qualifier route was never meant to be a favourable path for teams. Sometimes the opposite can also be the case when teams complain about the lengthy gap that exists from a first round defeat to round one of the qualifiers. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Second chance for provincial champions

Another perceived failing, highlighted annually by Mickey Harte, is the absence of a second chance for provincial champions when beaten at quarter-final stage.

His suggestion to rectify this anomaly is simple. Add another round of qualifiers, thereby reducing the number of teams coming through the backdoor to two. The four provincial champions play each other with the two winning teams advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the two beaten teams playing the backdoor winners for the remaining two spots at All-Ireland semi-final stage.

Mickey’s proposal is based on the simple logic and wholly justified argument that more reward needs to accrue to provincial champions going into the quarter-final stage in August. If these competitions are to justify their existence and remain worthwhile as an entity it’s an entirely reasonable argument to make. The teams who win their provincial titles are sometimes seen to be vulnerable because of a lack of competitive football versus a team storming through the qualifiers playing week in week out. It's a moot point deserving of genuine debate and reflection.

The problem with this idea breaks down on two levels. Firstly, we would need to add another couple of layers to an already complicated and overly subscribed inter-county fixture list. Secondly, presenting a team with a second chance in the middle of August to get back into the Championship could see the unpalatable scenario emerge where you beat a team in what is still effectively a quarter-final and have to play them again a couple of weeks later in the semi-final or final. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Kieran Shannon proposal

Last year when this proposal manifested itself in a motion before congress - one that was ultimately defeated - RTÉ Sport canvassed opinion from a number of commentators. One simple and very effective alternative proposal by former Sunday Tribune GAA writer Kieran Shannon stood out.

Give the winners of the provincial championships home advantage in the quarter-final. Had this been the case last year it would've meant Cork traveling to Dr Hyde Park to play Roscommon. Down would have had to make the long journey south to Killarney. We would've had the Dubs up in Omagh trying to beat Tyrone in their own backyard in front of a packed house with an incredible atmosphere. Kildare would have been off to Pairc Tailteann in Navan. Would the results have been any different? Who knows, but at least it would incentivize the provincial championships and add something tangible to them to play for.

The backdoor has other faults. It effectively killed off the dual player. It has congested the calendar, which in turn has built up huge frustration among club players. It can create mismatches and meaningless fixtures from time to time and there’s no doubt the provincial championships have suffered in terms of prestige.

The fact is, however, there are no alternatives. Disbanding the provincial championships is never going to happen, so ultimately the system we have is as good as it gets.

There’s no going back to straight knock-out now, so as long as it is here to stay we should try and make the best of it.

Email: rory.oneill@rte.ie
Twitter: @downdepairc