Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I CIAN SEE HOW IT’D WORK
Erne star feels two tier system is viable if provinces are untouched
FERMANAGH’S Cian Mcmanus feels a second tier football competition could work – as long as it didn’t meddle with the Ulster Championship.
Fermanagh and Wicklow are the only two counties never to have won their provincial title, with Rory Gallagher’s (inset) side’s latest tilt coming undone at the Ulster final stage this year when they were well beaten by Donegal.
Central Council is set to frame a motion for GAA Congress in February around introducing a ‘B’ competition in some shape or form, with two ideas in particular having been floated.
One would see Division Three and Division Four counties play in their provincial competition and then revert to a secondary tournament rather than the qualifiers, unless they reach a provincial final.
The other suggestion is that Division Three and Division Four counties would only head for a second tier competition if they have failed to reach the third round of the qualifiers.
Given that they earned promotion to Division Two this year, a second tier competition is not something that would concern Fermanagh just now, but they have tended to yo-yo between the second and third divisions over the past decade or so.
Mcmanus said: “It would depend on the details, I wouldn’t like them just to scrap a provincial championship. I think that’s key.
“If it was just a B championship and an A championship I think they’d be as well off sticking with the provincials and then the All-irelands.
“But if there was a case of the provincials and then you could go on to a league format or something, that wouldn’t be the worst, I suppose.
“Considering they’re trialling new rules it wouldn’t be any harm to trial something like that.”
The GPA recently issued results of a player survey suggesting that 60 per cent of those polled were in favour of a second tier competition. Mcmanus didn’t take part but he’s determined that the Ulster Championship be maintained, particularly as Fermanagh have yet to win it.
“Definitely not, I don’t think Wicklow would either,” he said.
“You want to win medals when you’re playing football. You want to go out on the big days and win trophies.
“That would be always at the back of your mind, if you never won one, going down as the only Ulster county that never won an Ulster Championship.”