Whingeing at back door is tiresome

THE arrival of the All-Ireland qualifiers this weekend has led to the usual invite for a bellyaching festival about how they need to be reformed. Some commentators even pointed to the underwhelming nature of the opening round draw.

It never ceases to amaze as to how some people feign shock when despite Carlow, Wicklow, Waterford and Leitrim going into the draw drum, Dublin and Kerry don’t come out.

It is what it is. The notion of a tiered Championship has been rejected by those who would participate, so this is as good as it gets.

The other wearisome argument that keeps getting thrown out is that the qualifiers are not benefiting those it was primarily set-up for, but it was never intended as a crutch for anyone. It was introduced to compensate for a hopelessly imbalanced provincial system and far from requiring further reform, they need to let them breathe again.

After the tedium of this summer’s provincial campaigns – Tipperary’s win last week was not enough to alleviate it – the open draw concept should be restored.

It serves no purpose to split the draws despite spurious claims that it would assist with the planning of club fixtures and it has come at the price of draining intrigue from a competition that is in dire need of all it can muster.

The build-up to the quarter-final draw and the playing of all four fixtures on the August bank holiday weekend has been torched as a result of that act of madness and the Championship is all the poorer for it.

GIVEN Offaly hurling’s declining fortunes in recent years, it is remarkable that they hold out hope of a Leinster final date. However, they might be better off avoiding the ‘prize’ of meeting Kilkenny who have inflicted some major beatings in recent years. A credible performance against Galway and a shot at an upset in the qualifiers in a fixture that carries no baggage? Arguably, a better option.