THERE has been much debate cover the structure of the All-Ireland League and whether or not it can be improved to suit the needs of both club and international players. Last Saturday was the final day of this year's competition which Shannon won for the third year in succession. But the way in which the competition drew to a close was criticised from various quarters.

Although the relegation battle kept up a lively tempo to the final day there was an air of resignation as far back as three weeks ago that Shannon, once more had it in their grasp.

It is not that the Limerick club won it for a third time that generated the debate but, as one captain below put it, teams had to "arse around" for the remainder of the fixtures when there was no likelihood of the team being either promoted or relegated. For almost a month some teams had nothing to play for.

Five Division One captains were canvassed yesterday for their views on how they thought the competition went this year and how they would change the structures in order to make it a more highly charged and competitive event in the future. They were also asked whether they thought a return to Ireland of the international players currently would make any difference.