All changed, changed utterly.
Whether it is a terrible beauty or otherwise we will have to wait and see, but we do know that there was widespread opposition to the Championship restructures that were Saturday passed through Congress.
To recap, the All-Ireland hurling and football finals will now both be played before the end of August, replays have been abolished in all Championship matches bar provincial and All-Ireland finals and the All-Ireland football quarter-finals will now take the form of a ‘Super 8’ format with two groups of four teams.
Massive change coming in #GAAhttps://t.co/f9T4VnSeK2
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 25, 2017
All had their proponents and their objectors, but on the Congress floor all three easily reached the two-thirds majority required to introduce them on a three-year trial basis.
That majority of county delegates at Congress in Croke Park seem to be in the minority however.
To recap. SportsJOE readers are against the Super 8 proposal.
The manager of last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists, Tipperary’s Liam Kearns, is against the proposal. So are his players.
The Club Players’ Association were against the proposal.
The Gaelic Players’ Association were against the Super 8 proposal also.
Joe Brolly was against just about everything the outgoing GAA president has got.
So, in light of ALL that opposition, it is no surprise the playing population are this afternoon asking what the fuck happened.
Retired Meath full-back Kevin Reilly put it as well as anyone on Twitter.
70% of players rejected #Super8 proposal, 76% of delegates supported it. Theres a serious disconnect here…. #GAAcongress17
— Kevin Reilly (@kevreilly1) February 25, 2017
What player wants to play 3 games @Qtr final stage? #super8 =More big games for fans and GAA, BUT loses the appeal of pure knockout football
— Kevin Reilly (@kevreilly1) February 25, 2017
Please stop messing around with our games. Significant rule & structural change each year. What have they really achieved? #GAAcongress17
— Kevin Reilly (@kevreilly1) February 25, 2017
Having only stepped away from the intercounty scene in 2015, the 2010 Leinster SFC winner is tuned into what players are thinking.
Unlike the Congress delegates, it would seem.
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