WE'LL LEAVE IT THERE: Unfair leagues need to be looked at

After 11 rounds of a long, gruelling league campaign and in some cases 13 rounds, we finally have our champions, but in most cases those champions didn't finish top of their leagues, in fact seven of the eight places available for promotion from Divs 2, 3, 4 and 5 went to sides outside the top two.

Even in Div 1, previously unbeaten Ratoath, who had won all 11 of their league games and their semi-final against Wolfe Tones, missed out on winning the title following a thrilling final clash with second placed Summerhill.

The main objective for every team in all the league campaigns is to secure promotion and then as a cherry on the pie, to win it - so imagine the frustrations of those teams that finished in the top two, but then missed out on those aspirations because they lost needless semi-finals.

Leagues are leagues and championships are championships. League tables should not lie. The best two teams over an 11-game league programme should be promoted. Championships are for semi-finals and knockout games

It has been a bone of contention for the last few years that a team can go through their entire league campaign unbeaten, or near perfect, finish top of their group, but then miss out on deserved promotion because of a poor decision, or a rare mistake, a piece of bad luck or pre-arranged holidays that causes them to lose out in a semi-final against a fourth placed team - it's not right and Meath Co Board need to correct the anomaly.

Lets run through the leagues.

In Div 2 Intermediate sides Navan O'Mahonys and Duleek-Bellewstown finished first and second in the table, but then lost semi-finals to Simonstown and Seneschalstown respectively. Seneschalstown, who finished FOURTH in the Division were crowned champions after they beat Simonstown in final.

In Div 3 Slane finished top, four points clear of their nearest rival St Michael's in second place, but both sides missed out on promotion with THIRD placed Kilbride declared champions and promoted along side fourth placed Castletown.

Bective lost just one game in Div 4 as they finished three points clear at the top, but they too lost in the semi-final, as did second placed St Brigid's with Ratoath's second team securing the title and promotion along with Drumbaragh who were seven points off top and four off second place.

Div 5 was the last of the divisions where semi-finals were in operation and thankfully justice prevailed with Gaeil Colmcille gaining promotion, but not the title as they surrendered their winning run and lost out to Moylagh in the final, a Moylagh side that finished third in the table and had suffered four losses in the campaign.

I'm not entirely sure of the logic behind the need for semi-finals, or even finals for that matter. Surely if you top the league you should be declared champions and if you finish second, where two go up and two go down, then you should be promoted.

Imagine telling Arsenal at the end of last year's Premier League that they would have to play Aston Villa in a semi-final and then the winners of Man Utd and Man City before they could be declared champions, even though they finished seven points clear of City and 20 points ahead of Villa!

Crazy.

Maybe the Co Board want to avoid dead rubbers in the league, maybe they see the semi-finals and finals as extra revenue at the gates?

However, there are better ways to avoid dead rubbers. Also, towards the latter stages of the league teams use the games as ideal prep for championship, where there is always a bit of bite, and higher intensity about round eight, nine, 10 and 11 games.

There needs to be some reward for topping the division. If the Co Board insist on playing a semi-final and final for extra revenue, at least ensure the team that finishes top gets promoted.

The top team in every division should go up automatically. Second and third can play off in a semi-final to see who will join them, and then play a final if that's what they feel the need to do.

Alternatively, the top two should be promoted and play a final (fairest way IMO), the bottom two should be relegated and then a play-off between third from top in Div 2, for example, and third from bottom in Div 1 in a promotion/relegation play-off.

That would maintain the interest for the majority of teams right until the end and give the Co Board the extra revenue of those knockout games (albeit one less game with no need for two semi-finals).

As it stands it's not fair that seven of the eight teams that finished in the top two in Divs 2, 3, 4 and 5 all missed out on promotion - something needs to change and the Co Board can't just sit on their hands and ignore the problem. Ask the players and the clubs what they'd like.

There's also need for a change to the championship structures, and we all saw how well this year's All-Ireland SFC worked out - that might be worth a shot. One second chance, lose twice and you're out.

And before anyone comes at me to say Mayo lost twice and look what happened. One of those defeats was in the provincial championship - effectively a different competition.

We'll come back to championship structures another day, just fix the leagues now.

AND ANOTHER THING....

To win just once (more)

The west's awake and even without Willie Joe Mayo managed to climb to the top of the mountain for the first time in 75 years as they stunned Kerry in one of the most memorable All-Ireland finals in history.

The old Saw Doctors song, of which many are getting a good airing this week - the royalties will be flying in, suggested that Mayo had a better chance of beating Galway in Connacht if they had Willie Joe McPadden, but last Sunday they proved they can beat anyone in the country with players like Ryan O'Donoghue, Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald.

The love between Meath and Mayo hasn't always been the strongest, but the majority of the county, and indeed the country, were cheering on the men in white last Sunday in their bid to prevent the juggernaut claiming their 40th title while Mayo aimed to halt a run of 11 successive All-Ireland SFC final defeats.

Whether it was Meath's disappointment at losing to Mayo the last time the Connacht side won an All-Ireland in 1951, or Mayo's frustration at throwing it away in 1996 there has always been a bit of animosity between the two counties, but there was nothing but love for the Mayo side on Sunday.

They won the All-Ireland the way it should be won. Through hard work, bravery, endeavour and no small sprinkling of magic, they overcame a dire start to sweep Kerry aside in one of the most pulsating finals of all time.

It was a pleasure and joy to be perched up high on the intersection between Cusack Stand and Canal End (or Davin Stand in new money) on Sunday. The atmosphere was the most electric I ever felt in the stadium and the aftermath of the final hooter brought scenes of unprecedented, unbridled joy.

Congratulations to Mayo, and as a word of encouragement for our lads, we had them bet up a stick in Castlebar just 37 days earlier only for a cruel refereeing call to hinder the Royals and boost Andy Moran's side.

If Mayo's win proves anything, there's anyways next year for the Royals.