B championship proposal must include Croke Park reward, argues Skelly

Any “B” championship must carry the incentive of its decider being staged as the curtain-raiser to the All-Ireland final, says former Leinster chairman Martin Skelly.

Longford native Skelly watched on in anguish as Dublin drubbed his county by 26 points in Sunday’s provincial quarter-final. In principle, he is in support of a format similar to that put forward by former GAA president Sean Kelly three years ago, which would split the All-Ireland SFC into two straight knockout competitions after teams’ provincial championship interests have ended.

Kelly outlined that the top two teams in the “B” competition would qualify for the following year’s Sam Maguire Cup. Skelly is adamant such a final would have to be staged on football’s biggest day in Croke Park in September.