RTÉ football analyst Peter Canavan argues the seeding system for the All-Ireland football championship group phase requires an overhaul ahead of the inaugural season under the new format.
Following the provincial championships, counties will be sorted into the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup competitions, the former comprising of four groups of four, consisting of the provincial winners and runners-up, the next best seven placed teams in the league (who didn't reach a provincial final), and the 2022 Tailteann Cup winners Westmeath.
At the conclusion of the league, Allianz League Sunday assessed the current top-16 ranked teams a week out from the provincial championships.
With the provincial finalists usually - though not always - drawn from the top two divisions, it would be anticipated that the composition of the Sam Maguire will look roughly as it does now, though Meath, ranked in 14th spot could be vulnerable if Clare, for instance, reached the Munster final.
Ordinarily, Division 3 winners Cavan would now be occupying the 15th spot, however the peculiarly lop-sided Connacht draw means that a Division 4 outfit - or a non-competitor in the league in New York - is destined to reach the provincial decider.
"I think that's a bit harsh on teams that have performed really well in the league"
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Peter Canavan pinpoints tweaks he feels should be made to the championship seedings and structure#RTEGAA #AllianzLeagueSunday pic.twitter.com/hPOvPqWtzX
What will alter is the seedings, with performance in the provincial championship taking precedence over the league. Should league champions Mayo stumble in their Connacht opener against Roscommon next week, they will slip from number one spot to being a third seed for the All-Ireland group phase.
Two-time All-Ireland winner Canavan feels this is the wrong way around, arguing that league performance should be given priority, especially given the varying strength of the provinces.
"The provincial winners are seeded first, the provincial losers are seeded second, I think that's a bit harsh on teams that have performed really well in the league," Canavan said on Allianz League Sunday.
"Bear in mind, all some teams have to do to get to a provincial final is win one game. Whereas I think you should be judged over the entirety of a really competitive league. That could be tweaked, moving forward.
"The other thing is, there's no incentive to win the league and there's a lot of talk in different circles within the GAA that league finals should be done away with completely.
"The GAA have commercial commitments and I think players like to play in Croke Park in league finals. So, I think they should be incentivised (with championship seeding) so you wouldn't get a scenario where counties are putting out dud teams in the league final because they're thinking of the bigger picture further down the line."
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