Division 3 dilemma with inaugural Tailteann Cup

Tailteann Cup participation, or 'competing' for Sam Maguire. That's what is in prospect for teams currently in Division 2 and 3, but the jury remains out as to what the preferred choice would be.

The Tailteann Cup, the Tier 2 Championship featuring Division 3 and Division 4 teams that fail to reach a provincial final, was due to begin in 2020, but after a Covid delay, is now upon us.

While Galway and Derry have won both their opening games in Division 2, the remaining sextet - Clare, Cork, Roscommon, Meath, Down and Offaly - will be looking to retain their status and thus compete in the All-Ireland championship.

In the third tier, Limerick, Antrim, Westmeath, Laois, Wicklow, Louth, Longford and Fermanagh will harbour ambitions of varying degrees of promotion. The teams that remain, along with sides from Division 4 that fail to reach provincial final will compete in in the inaugural Tailteann Cup, with the final pencilled in for 9 July.

Is it more motivating for players in the bottom two tiers to have the prospect of tangible silverware put in front of them, or is competing at a higher level, even if that means some bruising defeats along the way, more palatable to inter-county players?

Speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, Kevin McStay says it could be a tall order to sell the Tailteann Cup to some of the counties that will be involved.

"It’s a big task for the GAA to launch this Tailteann Cup, nourish it and make sure it flourishes," he said.

"Think of a competitive footballer. He wants to get out of Division 3. If he’s in the Tailteann Cup, it means one thing: he didn’t get out of it. He wants to get to Division 2.

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