Former Dublin midfielder Ciarán Whelan hopes the introduction of the so-called 'Super 8' for the 2018 football championship will be the first step towards a more radical change and disagrees with the view that hurling will suffer as a result.
Writing in his column in the Herald, Whelan said that "the current football championship structure is dead on its feet and the provincial championship has been a snorefest for the last few years."
He also feels that the Ulster campaign "has gradually lost its passion".
Looking ahead to the changes that will see a round-robin format replace the existing All-Ireland quarter-finals, The Sunday Game analyst added: "The Super 8 will put our game back in the shop window and whet the appetite of the neutrals once the summer of 2018 comes around.
"Could the Super 8 become the Super 12 or Super 16 in three years' time? It may also be the first step in diluting the importance of the stale provincial championships."
"The other key factor is that the game of hurling is in a good place and does not need to be fixed or reinvigorated"
Pointedly, Whelan goes on to reference the 'it does nothing for hurling' brigade.
"Again it is the prestige of the provincial hurling championship that is probably preventing progress in hurling.
"Why not have a Super 6 competition from quarter-final onwards for the hurling counties?
"The other key factor is that the game of hurling is in a good place and does not need to be fixed or reinvigorated.
"When I started working on The Sunday Game in 2010, football was always deemed the flagship code.
"By all means have a look at the hurling structures and look for a way of doing these better but do not use it as a lazy excuse to hamper a restructuring of the football championship."
