Why have a good league when it could be great?

The battle for eyeballs is significant in the modern sporting landscape, but the GAA had as close as you’ll get to a clear run at it last weekend.

The Irish women’s rugby team kicked off their Six Nations campaign at 1pm on Saturday – so that game was finished by 3 o’clock – and the Republic of Ireland men’s football team played their Nations League play-off second leg on Sunday evening. Both of those games took place outside of the throw-in times for the bulk of the weekend’s GAA action.

It really was a feast of activity on the inter-county front, with virtually every team in the country across both codes in men’s football and hurling taking to the field. Not only that, but because the leagues are structured neatly, all of the fare was competitive and, in many cases, carried quite a bit of weight.

As it transpired, the best came last with Division 1 of the Allianz Football League delivering thrills and spills in spades with most of that centred on matters in Castlebar where Mayo – who else? – diced with relegation before finishing top of the pile and making next weekend's league final.

All things considered, the final round of league matches is always a great weekend, but it has the potential to become one of the highlights of the Irish sporting year.

There are a couple of ways to maximise this potential, and I think first and foremost the removal of the league finals now has to be seriously considered. I cannot think of any other sport, or any other competition for that matter, where managers and counties seem to be giving genuine consideration a couple of rounds in as to whether or not a league final appearance is good for them or not.

The split season has given administrators an unenviable job in trying to squeeze everything in, and to be fair to them, they are doing a very good job given the circumstances. But there has to come a point where some things fall by the wayside to help shepherd in a smarter and better way of doing things. If an extra week in the calendar can't be found, removing the league finals is the way to go.

League deciders have proven to be great occasions in the past, but the condensing of the schedule means they have run out of road. Where once counties would have time to take a break, and then even have a mini pre-season before embarking on their championship campaign, now there is barely time to take a breath between the two.

Last Sunday delivered one of the most dramatic Sundays Gaelic football has seen in modern times – yet it could have been even better. As it was, there was huge tension and high stakes at play in Castlebar, but can you imagine if Mayo had been given the trophy after the game, having finished top of Division 1 by a whisker?

I'm sure Mayo themselves would prefer that scenario and even if Donegal, Galway or anyone else got the chance to have an extra weekend's preparation time, they'd have taken it with open arms. And, with the knowledge of that distinct separation in the calendar, counties can have a proper crack at things from a distance out knowing that, without a league final, there is time to give the league a right go before resetting for their provincial assignments.

The league is the second best competition in the calendar. It is far and away ahead of the provincial championships in football and counties in the lower tiers all have a genuine chance of achieving their goals, whether it be retention of their status or earning promotion. Therefore, winning it should really matter. But, even if Mayo triumph next weekend, they'll have no time to savour claiming a national title with Sligo on the horizon seven days later.

In terms of coverage, there'd be more time to pick through the happenings of the weekend this week before stakeholders pause, take a breath, and then turn their attention to championship on the weekend after next. As it is now, we’ll have league finals taking up next weekend and then it’s straight into the championship with the GAA’s marquee competition arriving without enough oxygen to allow for a decent build up.

Always forthright, Jim McGuinness spoke a couple of weeks ago about Donegal’s predicament, with Derry lurking on April 6 in the Ulster Championship. With a league final spot in sight for his team from early on in the campaign, McGuinness said he and Donegal would be doing what is best for them ahead of the championship. He spoke about the need for there to be space in the calendar for teams to properly go after the competition, without having to keep an eye on what’s to come beyond that. Regardless of what happens with the league, championship will always be King.

I understand the argument for having finals for the lower divisions but, again, I would argue in many of those cases the achievement of gaining promotion via the final round of fixtures is what it is actually all about. I also understand the financial and sponsorship implications with having league finals, but might that be offset by a Super Saturday and Sunday style finale?

Imagine the exposure sponsors might receive with eyeballs on matches all across the weekend. Just last weekend, TG4 showed each and every Division 1 and 2 match in football, while you’d imagine RTÉ would also cover games for a final weekend scenario.

In the football leagues, we have been treated to some very good fare over the last number of weeks, even accounting for poor weather and soggy pitches. If we can help elevate the status of the league even further by assuring counties that they’ll have requisite recovery time between the two competitions, then it’s a no brainer.

The league is already good; let’s give it a chance to be even better.