Top spot must be the goal for Kerry

As the All-Ireland round robin series gets underway this weekend, Adam Moynihan assesses the new format and Kerry’s potential path to Croke Park

The much anticipated (and much maligned) All-Ireland group stage is finally upon us. For months, the new championship structure has been the subject of fierce debate. For some, it goes too far. For others, it doesn’t go far enough. The coming weeks will reveal whether or not the thing actually functions in the harsh light of day.

It should be exciting for the novelty factor alone but there’s no escaping the fact that the revolutionary new format is flawed. Sixteen teams have reached the round robin series: seven by virtue of their league ranking, eight who reached their provincial final, plus 2022 Tailteann Cup winners Westmeath. Four groups of four. So far, so good.

The glaring problem is that when the group stage reaches its conclusion –four weeks and 24 games from now – 12 teams will still be standing. Only the fourth-place teams in each pool will be eliminated, with second and third advancing to the preliminary quarter-finals and the four group winners moving directly to the quarter-finals proper. It’s a lot of pushing and shoving just to get rid of four candidates.

For teams who consider themselves to be All-Ireland contenders, there appears, on the surface at least, to be very little peril in the group stage –unless things go completely haywire and they somehow finish last.

However, if you look a little deeper, there is something meaningful at stake in the group stage: an easier path to the serious business of the All-Ireland series.

Let’s take Kerry as an example. If the reigning champs successfully nav- igate Group 1 and finish first ahead of their rivals – namely Mayo, Cork and Louth – they will move on to the All-Ireland quarter-final. A second-place finish would leave them facing into a preliminary quarter-final at home to a third-place team from another group. A third-place finish would leave them facing into a preliminary quarter-final away to a second-place team from another group.

Missing out on first might not seem like an especially daunting outcome –after all, they would more than likely avoid the big guns in the preliminary round - but a quick look at Group 2 uncovers a potential banana skin. Group 2 contains Galway, Armagh, Tyrone and Westmeath, so finishing second in Group 1 could leave Kerry with a home match against one of those teams. Finishing third could set up an away match with one of those teams, which would be very difficult on paper.

The other groups don’t look to be quite as strong but either way it makes sense for the likes of Kerry and Mayo to go all out for first place and avoid the extra round altogether.

It is also worth noting that the preliminary quarter-finals will be staged the week between the final round of the group stage and the quarter-finals; this will be a free week for the group winners.

All things considered, the group phase isn’t quite as meaningless as some detractors might have you believe. You can be sure that Jack O’Connor and his players will be taking the next three games very seriously indeed.