Armagh selector Ciaran McKeever has claimed the changes to the football championship structure are “the beginning of the end” for the Ulster Championship.
McKeever even suggested 2023 could potentially be the last ever Ulster Championship – and insisted winning it will damage that team’s chances of All-Ireland glory.
The former Armagh skipper believes the three-game All-Ireland series is now where it’s at and slammed: “there is no incentive now to go and win an Ulster Championship”.
Read next: Allianz League final fixture details confirmed by GAA with Mayo request rejected
After relegation from Division One on Sunday, Armagh have little time to prepare for the championship as they take on Antrim in Ulster’s preliminary round on Saturday week.
“It’s new to us all, normally you’d have a five-week gap,” said McKeever.
“I see the Munster teams are still allowed to keep that but up here in Ulster, we try to cram everything in and put our own teams under pressure - but nothing new there.
“The way the whole season is crammed in now it looks like this is the beginning of the end of the Ulster Championship the way it’s all going.
“We will be going out to try and win every match but we are under no illusion – our main priority is the Super 16s.
“They have set up the Super 16s to try to mirror the leagues and that is when the real football starts.”
McKeever, now in his third year in Kieran McGeeney’s backroom team, used to win Ulster titles for fun during Armagh’s period of dominance in the province in the noughties.
“I have five Ulster medals and I’m really proud of them but sure what are Dublin going for (in Leinster), is it 13 in a row? And they win most of their matches by 10 points plus.
“We are all competitors up in Ulster and nobody wants to lose.
“In one sense it’s good because it keeps the football in Ulster healthy and competitive but at the same time I think it damages whoever comes out of it, and their potential to go and win an All-Ireland.
“You’re after slogging for six weeks and you’re going up against teams who are fresher.
“I think everybody knows it’s the beginning of the end of the Ulster Championship.
“That’s the route the GAA want to go down.
“This could potentially be the last Ulster Championship so it would be nice to win it if it’s going to be the last one.”
Armagh haven’t won an Ulster title since 2008 and after watching Derry end their 24-year drought last year, the orchard fans would love another memorable final day at Clones.
McKeever accepts the players would love that too, but is adamant the significance of an Ulster title has been badly eroded by the structural change-up.
“Without a doubt,” he says.
“There’s always this hype every year about the Ulster Championship and Armagh, that Armagh haven’t done this or that, but there’s numerous other teams haven’t done it either.
“Look at the last decade it was Donegal, Tyrone and Monaghan, the decade before that it was Armagh and Tyrone.
“There are only two competitive championships anyway, Ulster and Connacht.
“I just feel it’s the beginning of the end, there is no other way around it.
“You have Kerry going away now for a two-week training camp to Portugal and we’re going to…. ach it just doesn’t make sense.
“Look, we’re going out to play Antrim and obviously we are going out to win, but the Super 16s is when the real football starts.”
After such a good start to the Allianz League, Armagh lost their way and ended up being dragged into a relegation scrap.
It was a scrap they lost when Monaghan pulled off another miraculous last-day escape with a win over Mayo in Castlebar, and Armagh lost 0-18 to 0-16 to bitter rivals Tyrone in Omagh.
“It’s frustrating, to have left ourselves in a position we shouldn’t have been in, but that’s football at the top tier,” admitted McKeever.
“It’s fine margins and unfortunately we found ourselves on the wrong side of it.
“There’s a lot of other stuff happening in life that is worse.
“It will have no bearing coming into the championship.
“It will take care of itself next January. We just have 10 days to prep for Antrim.
“We’ve been here before and it’s something as a sports person that you’ll always face. We will circle the wagons and get back at it hard.
“You would like to think we will have a big reaction come the championship.”
READ NEXT:
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
