Brendan Boylan Column: The engine can only be fixed with the proper tools

What old style life hacks can you remember from when you were growing up? For example, I know there was a method of mending a puncture on a bike (or wheelchair!) involving washing up liquid. The same substance was also deployed to counteract a disease in rose bushes which I think was called blackspot.

Vinegar - the rancid, disgusting stuff - was the go-to for nettle stings. You get the picture. In the other walk of life most beloved to yours truly outside of sport, baling twine, pallets and extra gates are an essential part of anybody's arsenal.

Furthermore, older, simpler machinery is much easier maintained. The more modernising is added to the mix, the more complex maintenance becomes. Much the same principle applies to competition structure within the GAA.

It would probably be fairly well accepted at this stage that, given the commitment, dedication and sacrifice required to succeed - even at club level - a knockout Championship simply isn't fair.

But, here's the thing, how do you strike the balance between sufficient and unwieldy? If you work off the basis of having 16 Senior teams, there is the option of having two divisions of eight sides each.

That has been tried in Meath in the past and there's a small percentage of me who was very much in favour of it (purely because it meant more matches to go to) but what it also led to were numerous 'dead rubber' matches.

They are detrimental to both marketing and future production. Footfall simply won't happen at matches that mean nothing. More importantly, there will be an unavoidable diminishment in the quality of football being produced on the club scene which, naturally, will lead to a diminishment in the quality of resources becoming available at county level.

Now, the following is not meant as a dig at anybody because my own club have benefitted from the hereafter in the past, but, there has to be something wrong with a system wherein a team can qualify for the knockout stages of a competition having just won one of their three group games.

However, even with the optimal four groups of four scenario, to my mind it is still unnecessarily long winded that the bottom two teams should be dragged into the relegation calculations.

Why not just have the bottom four teams play off? Thus each side gets two shots at saving themselves. Let's be honest, if you've ended up in the relegation berths and can't take one of two shots at salvation, there can hardly be too many complaints.

Competition structure, rather than the counterproductive split season, is the key to arriving at a bipartite solution which ensures club players get a fair number of games whilst at the same time lessens the chances of players being idle during the time of year which should be abuzz with the most fervent activity. The only person that suits is Michael O'Leary.

It's all very well for the likes of Paul Mannion and David Clifford pontificating about the virtues of the split season. They come from counties - and in the former's case a club - where at least some level of success is all but guaranteed each year. In other words, a full season of activity.

But what if you're a hurler from Wexford or Kerry? Whose season has already concluded and, by dint of same, most likely won't see action again until next spring.

Returning to matters closer to home, though nothing has been confirmed either way, it can only be assumed the Regional Football Championship will be run off once the club championships are completed.

Colm O'Rourke placed great store in the Regionals last season as a means of unearthing new talent for the county panel. In my view at least, that purpose was served.

To be fair, the competition received commendable backing from sponsors Dioralyte and the unveiling of the Richie Barry Cup. Most importantly, players and spectators bought into it too.

Looking at the concept of regional teams though, it has the feel of 'A lot done, more to do' about it. Putting the amalgams into the club championship at senior level could work wonders for the standard of football and footballers being produced in the county.

Every county naturally structures their competitions to what suits them and their clubs best. Nearly every one of them will have tinkered with their setup at some point. Even Dublin eventually moved away from straight knockout championships.

Regarding some political issue or other a few years ago, all the talk was that the Scandinavian Model was the way to go. It's often the case that no matter what you're at in life,ways of betterment are always sought.

There can't be that much wrong with the club scene in Kerry if you look at their overall standing in the game. Yet there are few, if any, competitions come in for such conjecture as do the ones in The Kingdom.

Personally, it will be admitted that reservations here had their inception in misunderstanding. Most recently, though, my sources for all things football where the pale moon rises gave me a proper grounding in the workings of same.

If my understanding thereof is correct, there are 16 teams in the race for the Bishop Moynihan Cup, eight 'ordinary' club sides and the same number of Divisional/Regional combinations.

As with the new competition here in Meath, they are comprised of players from Junior and Intermediate clubs but, here's the game changer, as an amalgamation they are allowed compete in the SFC.

Furthermore, once the divisional team's campaign has concluded, players also play their clubs in whichever grade they operate. Hence how Paudie and David Clifford garnared Kerry SFC medals with their division - I honestly can't remember which one - as well as going all the way to All Ireland Club JFC glory with Fossa.

Look, there's probably no 'perfect' solution but if you stand still you get left behind. To improve football at club or county level you must always be looking for the next tweak.

Though you can only fix the engine if you have the proper tools. Alas, after weekend events, it won't have to be worried about close to home until well after the turkey and stuffing are dealt with. Now where's the Racing Post…