Oak Leaf boss Cassidy slams ‘unfair’ championship system

DERRY manager Damian Cassidy has called for the GAA to show the courage to take on the provincial councils and tackle the current All-Ireland championship format.

The Oak Leafers kick off their Ulster championship campaign with a preliminary round encounter with Armagh at Celtic Park next Sunday, and if successful would then have to beat Monaghan and the winners of Cavan and Fermanagh in order to even reach the provincial final in July.

The fact that Armagh in 2005 are the only team in the past 65 years to win an Ulster title from the preliminary round highlights how difficult a task that is.

In contrast Cork and Kerry are almost guaranteed safe passage to the last four in Munster every year, Galway and Mayo enjoy a similar duopoly in Connacht, while teams in Leinster and Ulster have to scrap their way through what Cassidy calls the “blood and guts” to get to a provincial final.

“This is going on 100 years and we haven’t had anyone with the foresight and strong leadership to look at it and face down the provincial councils and allow a system to be put in place that’s equitable for all the teams involved,’’ Cassidy fumed.

“That’s not a dig at any particular team. It’s sticking up for all of those teams who have to battle through blood and guts in championship football terms to get themselves playing football at the end of June.”

Derry have enjoyed a degree of success through the back door over the past decade, reaching the 2004 All-Ireland semi-final and the 2007 All-Ireland quarter-final but Cassidy believes the championship should be revamped with everyone involved in an open first round draw with no back door.

“I’m not going to criticise teams that have been involved in that particular passage and where it’s got them to.

“But the system’s unfair and imbalanced system and until it’s evened out and everyone has the same opportunity from scratch, you can always point that finger at them and say it’s unfair.

“If we get beat next Sunday, we’re going to have to wait until the start of July for the start of the qualifiers, while other teams are playing teams not of the same quality in a semi-final in June. The safety net was designed to make money. It’s clear to be seen the system’s not fair and an open draw would be a fair system.”