We need a shock to the system

The format and fairness of the All-Ireland Football Championship comes into sharp focus on weekends such as this.

And so here it is. With bigger days shimmering on the midsummer horizon, Kerry and Cork enter the Championship arena with as little fanfare as there has been in a long, long time.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the football qualifiers also begin this weekend as the early casualties of Championship 2014 do battle.