Interpros don’t need a crutch

There are bound to be those who will overlook the excitement of Sunday’s M Donnelly Interprovincial semi-finals and go straight to the admittedly risible attendance figures to claim the competition is dead.

Yet the GAA has often thrown up the most absorbing of spectacles when supporters have opted to stay away. We recall the stunning 2003 Division One hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary, which provided 10 goals, a one-point game and yet only 17,023 attended the Croke Park decider.

In Armagh on Sunday, one point separated Ulster from Munster. It was two last year. The average margin of victory/defeat between them over their last five meetings is three points.

The football final’s association with Our Lady’s Hospital for Children is an entirely laudable one but the GAA might consider the Interprovincials don’t need a crutch when, on the basis of the quality offered, they stand up on their own.

A few signposts pointing to that wouldn’t go astray.