For counties like Longford, the introduction of the Tailteann Cup marked a new avenue through which to climb through the ranks of Gaelic football.
Introduced in 2022, the second-tier All-Ireland competition sees the 17 teams not competing in the Sam Maguire series fight it out for silverware and a guaranteed place in the following year's All-Ireland.
There have been mixed results so far from the winning teams who have progressed to the Sam Maguire. Westmeath have undoubtedly put it up to some of football's bigwigs since claiming the inaugural title in 2022, though the level of Colm O'Rourke's Meath has been inconsistent since they followed that up in 2023.
It remains to be seen how Down will progress in the 2025 championship and, though the Tailteann Cup has generally been received favourably by GAA punters, there have been a few teething problems.
Former Longford footballer Mickey Quinn has this week put his finger on what he sees as a problem for counties in Divisions Three and Four who are forced to juggle their League efforts against the Tailteann Cup.
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Former Longford star Mickey Quinn shares thoughts on Tailteann Cup
Mickey Quinn lined out for Longford for 13 years, either side of a three-year spell down under playing for Essendon in the AFL. He would earn an All-Star nomination for his efforts in the 2012 season, during which Longford claimed the Division Three title.
However, the veteran half-back recently stepped away from inter-county football having endured a miserable 2024 season with Longford.
The county missed out on promotion to Division Three, and then proceeded to lose all four of their championship games across the Leinster championship and Tailteann Cup.
26 May 2022; Mickey Quinn of Longford poses for a portrait during the Tailteann Cup launch at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Speaking to RTÉ's Damian Lawlor this week, Mickey Quinn shared his belief that lower-ranked counties would have to "section off" their efforts across a season better in future, if they were to get the most out of the Tailteann Cup.
I suppose with the Tailteann Cup we didn’t have the progress we would have wanted and that has to be the focus for a county like Longford going forward - where does the like of a Longford benefit from the Tailteann Cup?
There was excitement with the Tailteann Cup but you have to place a heavy focus on the league too and it is hard trying to peak and go again.
You are dealing with a gap there and maybe counties need to look at sectioning off their seasons better.
There is certainly more jeopardy for Division Three and Four counties in the Tailteann Cup than there is for counties higher up.
A bone of contention during this year's All-Ireland championship was the ability of high-flying teams to pace themselves during the league before attacking the Sam Maguire series. That is not a luxury afforded to counties that are fighting their way up the ladder in two separate areas.
It will be fascinating to see how the likes of Longford tackle this issue in seasons to come.
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