Early creaks in new football championship structure

Those of a certain vintage will remember the early Monday afternoon draws for the respective rounds of the FA Cup on BBC Radio 2.

A sense of anticipation was in the air, as fans in some cases had a wait of close to 48 hours to see who would be next up on the road to Wembley. That was then, the days before 5 Live. It would be a stretch to say that the Monday draw was 'a great English tradition' but it was part of the wrapping that encapsulated a competition that meant more back then.

The All-Ireland football championship, however, remains a cornerstone of the Irish sporting landscape - the Croke Park finale bringing the curtain down on the men's competition.

En route are the provincial battles and it was to the radio we turned for the 2023 pairings.

Saturday Sport on Radio 1 was the go-to spot on the dial. Des Cahill and Joanne Cantwell oversaw proceedings, with the GAA's Bernard Smith and representatives from the provincial councils in situ. On call for their reaction were Seán Cavanagh, Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Kerry selector Mike Quirke.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Sean Cavanagh on the importance of the provincial championships ahead of the new football format next year #GAA #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/YeHg9TeJkF

Similar bells and whistles also formed part of RTÉ's coverage when they first broadcast the draws on television in the 1990s.

The 'Sunday Sports Special' attracted a curious audience in an era, unlike now, when Leinster and Munster was a lot more competitive. Often broadcast on the October Bank Holiday weekend following the official arrival of 'winter time', the thoughts of many turned to battles ahead, fought out they hoped under sun-splashed skies.

I'm not sure a similar longing is there for the provincial jousts to come in