Joe Brolly believes that the GAA should follow the example of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association [LGFA] in introducing a tiered system for the inter-county football championship.
The LGFA currently has three tiers of football which are divided into senior, intermediate and junior competitions. The All-Ireland finals from each championship are combined into a triple-header of finals at Croke Park every year.
Brolly believes that the GAA should adopt a similar format to give teams in the lower divisions of the Allianz Football League a better chance of playing competitive Championship football at their own level.
Speaking on the back of Roscommon's 3-17 to 0-12 victory over Leitrim in the Connacht SFC quarter-final, the Sunday Game pundit said:
"It's cruel what's happening and until teams like Leitrim are treated with the same respect in the association as Kerry and Dublin and Tyrone and Mayo, we do not have an equitable [and] fair association.
"You look at Leitrim's Division 4 campaign which was terrific. They played some terrific football at their level. It was their first time in Croke Park in 12 years. Emlyn Mulligan had never played there [and] Leitrim gaels from all over the world assembled in Croke Park.
"And then you get this thoroughly deflating experience today which was absolutely inevitable. The sooner we get to a situation where we've got a competitive championship that mirrors the league. We need at least three tiers."
Brolly went to echo the sentiments of GAA managers including London boss Ciaran Deely, who recently made a similar argument for tiered football championships.
"Managers like Ciaran Deely from London and Jack Cooney from Westmeath - they're saying exactly what we all know to be the reality, 'give us a vibrant championship at our level that is treated with respect and has the same money pumped into it where we're playing three All-Ireland finals on the same day in Croke Park.'
"I would say the argument is being won around the country. We've been talking about this for five or six years as the gulf has widened. I think the argument is being won but we're very slow in the GAA to start putting nuts in bolts."
Brolly concluded by referring to the system which is operated by the LGFA which he believes can act as a blueprint for the GAA.
"John Horan is a man of good intent in relation to this. He's talking about two tiers [but] it's not enough.
"Two tiers will not be enough because the teams in Division 4 need that slightly special treatment [to] afford them respect, give them a vibrant championship where they play their All-Ireland on All-Ireland final day with the other two tiers and you've got a festival of football.
"It works brilliantly for the Ladies [LGFA]. They are so far ahead of us when it comes to this and there's no reason why it wouldn't work for us."
