OIsín McConville wants a 'conversation' on third-tier football competition

Wicklow senior football manager Oisín McConville claims that the Tailteann Cup is working well for smaller counties and believes that 'there's a conversation’ to be had around creating a third-tier football competition.

McConville’s side exited the Tailteann Cup at the weekend following a 1-18 to 0-12 quarter-final defeat against Down.

However, that defeat came after a competitive round robin phase and a preliminary quarter-final victory over Leitrim, giving McConville’s men some valuable experience and competitive games.

The two-time All-Star for Armagh feels that Wicklow are benefiting from the structure of the competition and that it’s helping to raise the standards of football in the county.

"I think I like the current system," McConville said, speaking on Morning Ireland. "You know, you're going to get your seven league games at a level where you're able to compete, whether that be in Division 3 or Division 4.

"There's the possibility, the way the groups work, there’s a real good chance of you getting out of your group. And then when you do, you're playing knockout football.

"For teams like Wicklow, I think that works well. Wicklow got six Tailteann Cup games this year, you’d go a long way to try and find or gain that experience through some other routes.

"So you're talking about 13 or 14 really competitive games every year.

"I think the format works. I like the format. I like the way it works because I think it gives you an opportunity to get into the competition.

"It's tough. It is tough because there's always an outlier. There's always one or two teams that, are probably of Division 2 standard or yo-yoing between Division 2 and Division 3.

"I think that makes it tough because in order to win it, you're going to have to