Hurling set-up just not cricket

For the sake of hurling we have to bring to an end once and for all mismatches like the Galway Antrim game on Saturday.
They wouldn't allow a match like this in boxing never mind let the manager throw the towel in.
Even in the great imperialist game of cricket the winning team can declare to spare the blushes of weaker opposition.
In hurling however, it's just murder for the two teams involved, the supporters and the officials when one team is simply running away with the game.
And it's not that we don't know that the gap between Antrim and Galway is a chasm.
The 'reward' for the Tribesmen is to go through this same ritualistic killing next weekend when they go to the Midlands to slaughter the O'Moore county men of Laois.
Not that this even benefits the Tribesmen who have endured weeks of inaction as the hurlers of Munster cut lumps out of each other for local honours and the hurlers of Leinster apart from the Gods of Kilkenny at least have had a decent rattle at each other.
But for Ger Loughnane's team these games are fraught with danger as the only thing they can get out of them is the risk of injury to a top player.
No good player gets any better playing against poor opposition and if anything they can pick up bad habits, through having extra yards and time on the sliotar.
For the Antrim lads it is purely reinforcement of what they already know that they are not good enough to be at the top table and that they are on an annual hiding to nothing.
There is a need for an intermediate championship which could include Dublin, Wexford, Offaly, Antrim, Laois and either Westmeath, Down or Kerry.
The provincial championships should be scrapped. Ulster is meaningless and gets mediocre a bad name. Leinster is a side show with only Munster providing any thrills.
But can we go on with the championship charade simply because Munster still has something to offer in terms of crowds and local bragging rights, can it not be played outside the championship structure if it still means so much?
Realistically there are only seven sides in the country in the top grade, the five top Munster sides, Kilkenny and Galway, all of whom outside of Waterford have featured in All-Ireland finals in this decade and the Decies have a National League and three Munsters to their credit since 2002.
Let the others fight for the last place and then play two groups of four for the right to contest the semis.
It might not be the solution but can anyone defend a system which allows teams to be slaughtered physically and psychologically like Saturday's 'game' at Casement.
It's just not cricket!