Paul Rouse: Why an All-Ireland B Football Championship is a deeply flawed concept

This championship has also served to do is to remind us of the beauty of a straight knockout competition

Cork players Micheál Martin and Paul Kerrigan leave the pitch after victory over Kerry in the Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which knocked the Kingdom out of this year’s championship. Contrast the atmosphere created by that shock win with a backdoor situation where knowing there is a second chance dulls the desperation upon which the very best and most intense of championship matches depend. Picture: Sportsfile

Here are two things that are very hard to argue against:

1. There’s nothing quite like a knockout championship match;