I tuned into the All-Ireland and Tailteann Cup draws on Tuesday with great anticipation. More fool me.
We’ve all had an idea how this new format will play out in our heads having read the papers and listened to podcasts about it over the past few months, but it’s only when you see it in front of you in black and white that you get a proper feel for it.
And having looked at the draw, it’s hard not to feel a bit underwhelmed, particularly with the Sam Maguire.
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Yes, there are some good games to look forward to, in particular Kerry and Mayo in Killarney, which should be fascinating.
But there won’t be a huge lot riding on it given the lack of jeopardy in the groups, from which three teams emerge.
The GAA has got it badly wrong here - 24 games to eliminate four teams is ridiculous. It was simply not possible to have a group of death. Instead we have four groups of life!
Let’s take my own county, Mayo, who lost a Connacht quarter-final four weeks ago, for example.
There is a scenario where they could lose to Kerry and Louth and if both of them beat Cork, a draw between Mayo and Cork would see one of them into a play-off to get to a quarter final on score difference.
So, theoretically, one win in five Championship games would be enough to get to a quarter-final, which is absolute madness.
It is also extremely difficult for a team trying to make a breakthrough, like Louth, to get through to a quarter-final. They could beat Mayo and Cork in the group stage and lose to a third place team from Group Two which is likely to be one of Armagh, Tyrone or Galway.
That is, of course, assuming Louth are in Group One and do lose the provincial final to Dublin, which is also something that needs to be tweaked going forward.
It must be terrible preparation for Sligo this week going into a Connacht final knowing that they would have an easier group if they were to lose.
For Galway, the likely winners, the reward is huge battles with Armagh and Tyrone - not much of an incentive there.
Having said that, it appears that this system is bulletproof for a top six team looking to reach a quarter-final. There are so many openings that if you don’t get there, then you really don’t deserve to be there.
There is a lot to like about the new format and we’ll see how it plays out, but it really feels like a dry run with tweaks to be made next year. But that really shouldn’t be the case.
There was plenty of time to get this right and it’s obvious now, before a ball is kicked in the round robin, that three teams qualifying from a group of four dilutes the concept and will take the edge off games. So why wait until it actually plays out like that to change it?
After 28 games, not including the provincials, we will be down to the last eight and that is deeply flawed.
More games is certainly good but you can have too much of a good thing too.
Clare must take the game to Kerry
It's almost impossible to see anything other than a comfortable Kerry win tomorrow.
They have won the last two Munster finals against Cork and Limerick by a combined margin of 45 points and have already beaten Tipperary in this year’s Munster Championship by 20.
Realistically, this is just a game Jack O’Connor is looking to get out of the way before turning all the focus to Mayo in two weeks’ time.
That might sound disrespectful to Clare but it’s just the reality of the gap between Kerry and the rest in Munster.
Clare and Colm Collins are probably fed up with being told what a great group they are. For them, it’s crucially important that they throw everything at Kerry tomorrow.
Sitting deep and allowing Kerry possession and time on the ball will ultimately lead to a long afternoon of chasing shadows. From playing Clare in the past, they are at their best when they push up and get physical. They have a combative nature that brings out the best in them.
If they bring that mentality and a bit of madness, they might rattle Kerry’s cage a bit.
But ultimately, whatever way this plays out, Kerry have too much firepower up front.
We've yet to see peak Clifford in 2023
It'll be interesting to note the form of David Clifford this weekend.
After a long season with club and county, which only ended in January, Clifford was given just a couple of weeks off before returning for the third round of the League against Mayo.
He wasn’t his magical self during the League and was held scoreless from play in the facile win against Tipperary.
Still, I don’t doubt that he will hit the high notes when his team needs him later in the summer.
Step-up too great for Sligo
When the Connacht draw was made last October, it was always going to be a Division One team against a Division Four team in the final.
So expectations were never too high about what kind of spectacle it would be.
Galway are looking for back-to-back Connacht titles and despite Mayo being League champions, it would cement their status as the best team in Connacht for now at least.
The reality is that the All-Ireland is the ultimate goal for Padraic Joyce. For the first time in his reign, Galway will go into the All-Ireland series with expectation from both inside and outside the group.
They looked like a well-oiled machine for long parts of that game against Roscommon.
The only area that let them down was kickouts, coming from both ends. They won only 10 of the 39 in the whole game.
It’s usually an area they are strong in and one I am sure they are looking to target this Sunday.
Sligo have had a really good season so far with a Division Four title in the bag and now a Connacht final appearance.
For a county that has been at a low ebb for a number of years, that is real progression. Add in the under-20s’ back-to-back Connacht titles and there is a real sense of optimism that Sligo are on the way up.
But this is too big an ask for them. Galway are too far down the road to get caught in a game like this and I expect a comfortable win for the Tribesmen.
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