SUNDAY WAS THE gushing hose to end a 24-year drought. Their time had come. The guttural roar that greeted Derry captain Chrissy McKaigue when he lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup demonstrated how much it meant.
And yet.
Rewind six months and McKaigue was a vocal advocate for some form of championship restructure. Already change is on the way in 2023. Speaking at the GAA Football All-Ireland Series National Launch, the Slaughtneil stalwart said he welcomes that.
“It is difficult to know what I would replace it with but I have put my cards on the table with this one. Our system’s broken and it needs to be fixed, regardless of how special it was for us Sunday.
“I still think we can do better with the system and I think we can make it a more attractive proposition and a better model with higher quality games. I know next year, we’re moving towards that, but I would welcome that.”
How badly do we need change? The scenes on Sunday were powerful. The famed Clones grass flooded with a red and white sea. A different format could mean such feats matter less.
Would he sacrifice an Ulster title for it?
“It was unbelievably special, but you look at it for the overall health of the competition. As special as it was, I think the teams in Ulster are at a disadvantage compared to other provinces and how competitive it is.
“Opinions are great but the reality is Monaghan, Tyrone, Donegal and Armagh, all Ulster, all Division One, Derry and Down, albeit Down were relegated, so that is six out of the province Division 1 or 2.
“There is no other province to my knowledge that can boast that same record so it is competitive, to say the least. That is grand to a certain extent but it is not great if you are beaten in the first round.”
Last weekend while they climbed a mountain, Kerry and Dublin enjoyed a stroll in the park. Ulster’s voice is often the loudest in rejecting any proposal for a radical reform of the championship but the defender is adamant it is for the greater good.
“It’s not really a great system when you are comparing other provinces who get it slightly easier at times.
“A freshness is needed too and some way to incorporate the provincial system within that and use it as a grading towards it or as a seeding format perhaps.
“But I think you would be a wee bit untruthful if we all didn’t admit that a change in the system is needed at this stage.”
That is the structure. What of the spectacle? The highly competitive final was criticised in places for its conservative nature.
Rory Gallagher’s tactical nous allowed Derry to stifle Donegal and triumph in extra-time. There is no doubt they are a team designed with precision and reinforced with steel. The Oak Leaf County are extremely effective and programmed to utilise the strengths of McKaigue, Shane McGuigan, Brendan Rogers, Conor Glass and more. For that the Fermanagh native deserves credit.
Ultimately, for their captain, the style on display last weekend reflects the stakes.
“It is hard to please everybody but irrespective of what anybody thought of the game, you look at the number of scores now being scored in inter-county football in comparison to ten/fifteen years ago and it’s chalk and cheese.
“Rory is tactically brilliant and that Donegal team are also tactically brilliant so I think that’s more of a reason why the game went into that pattern more than anything else.
“When teams are that well-coached, that tactically attuned, know the match-ups and all that – everything’s pre-meditated so the risks become heightened.
“Sunday was a game where the stakes were so high that teams were unwilling to take so many risks and teams were so well set up. He has made a massive difference but he is a hugely intelligent man.”
