Ciarán Whelan Has One Concern With New All-Ireland Format

Ciarán Whelan has questioned whether reaching a provincial final will actually be an advantage under the GAA’s revamped All-Ireland series format.

Speaking on RTÉ during live coverage of Down v Armagh, Whelan suggested that the benefits of making a provincial decider may not be as clear-cut as in previous years.

The new structure sees the eight provincial finalists drawn against the other eight qualified teams, those who progress via league standings or as Tailteann Cup winners, in Round 1 of the Sam Maguire series.

From there, things move quickly.

Win your Round 1 game, and you move into Round 2A, where victory again sends you straight through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Lose, and you drop into Round 2B, where another defeat means elimination.

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In simple terms, teams now need just two wins to reach the last eight.

Ciarán Whelan Has One Concern With New All-Ireland Format

But with so little between teams this year, Ciarán Whelan believes the traditional reward of reaching a provincial final may not carry the same weight.

I think it’s going to be a really interesting format and whether we’ll reflect later on in the year and wonder was it a real advantage getting to a provincial final.

I know teams want provincial titles and they can look back at the end of the year on them…

However, the unpredictability of this year’s championship could change how teams view that achievement.

What we have seen over the past few weeks is that any team can take out anybody.

With the draw set to determine match-ups between provincial finalists and the rest, there is no guarantee of an easier route, something Ciarán Whelan is eager to see play out.

For now, provincial finals still carry serious prestige.

But in this new system, their true value might only become clear when the dust settles later in the summer.

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