And so, the groups and fixtures look like this...
All-Ireland round-robin
GROUP ONE
Munster winner (Kerry/Clare, Leinster runner-up (Dublin/Louth), Mayo, Cork
May 20th/21st (First-named team at home): Munster winner v Mayo; Leinster runner-up v Cork
June 3rd/4th (First-named team at home): Mayo v Leinster runner-up; Cork v Munster winner
June 17th/18th (Neutral venue): Munster winner v Leinster runner-up; Mayo v Cork
GROUP TWO
Connacht winner (Galway/Sligo), Ulster runner-up (Derry/Armagh), Tyrone, Westmeath
May 20th/21st (First-named team at home): Connacht winner v Tyrone; Ulster runner-up v Westmeath
June 3rd/4th (First-named team at home): Tyrone v Ulster runner-up; Westmeath v Connacht winner
June 17th/18th (Neutral venue): Connacht winner v Ulster runner-up; Tyrone v Westmeath
GROUP THREE
Leinster winner (Dublin/Louth), Connacht runner-up (Galway/Sligo), Roscommon, Kildare
May 20th/21st (First-named team at home): Leinster winner v Roscommon; Connacht runner-up v Kildare
June 3rd/4th (First-named team at home): Roscommon v Connacht runner-up; Kildare v Leinster winner
June 17th/18th (Neutral venue): Leinster winner v Connacht runner-up; Roscommon v Kildare
GROUP FOUR
Ulster winner (Derry/Armagh), Munster runner-up (Kerry/Clare), Monaghan, Donegal
May 20th/21st (First-named team at home): Ulster winner v Monaghan; Munster runner-up v Donegal
June 3rd/4th (First-named team at home): Monaghan v Munster runner-up; Donegal v Ulster winner
June 17th/18th (Neutral venue): Ulster winner v Munster runner-up; Donegal v Monaghan
Tailteann Cup round-robin
GROUP ONE - Cavan, Offaly, Laois, London
May 13th/14th: Cavan v Laois; Offaly v London
May 20th/21st: Laois v Offaly; London v Cavan
June 3rd/4th (neutral venues): Cavan v Offaly; Laois v London
GROUP TWO - Meath, Down, Tipperary, Waterford
May 13th/14th: Meath v Tipperary; Down v Waterford
May 20th/21st: Waterford v Meath; Tipperary v Down
June 3rd/4th (neutral venues): Meath v Down; Tipperary v Waterford
GROUP THREE - Limerick, Wicklow, Longford, Carlow
May 13th/14th: Limerick v Longford; Wicklow v Carlow
May 20th/21st:Longford v Wicklow; Carlow v Limerick
June 3rd/4th (neutral venues): Limerick v Wicklow; Longford v Carlow
GROUP FOUR - Fermanagh, Antrim, Wexford, Leitrim
May 13th/14th: Fermanagh v Wexford; Antrim v Leitrim
May 20th/21st:Wexford v Antrim; Leitrim v Fermanagh
June 3rd/4th (neutral venues): Fermanagh v Antrim; Wexford v Leitrim
As for the Tailteann Cup, which in case we forget starts a week earlier than the Sam Maguire, there’s plenty there for any team that considers itself upwardly mobile enough to go and grab it.
It’s actually a far superior competition this time around than it was last year. For one thing, it’s a round-robin tournament rather than straight knock-out. For another, it has three teams in it that would have been in the Sam Maguire under last year’s format - Meath, Cavan and Fermanagh. So we’ll see matches like Meath v Down, Cavan v Offaly, Fermanagh v Antrim.
The one downside of the round-robin is that teams towards the bottom of Division Four might be more inclined to throw their hat at the Tailteann Cup if things don’t go their way early doors. That could turn out to be be a vicious libel - and if so, apologies in advance. But the competition could do without too many teams getting discouraged and having to go through the motions. Let’s see how it all comes to pass...
Is there a Group of Death? The fact that three teams go through out of every group probably squeezes out the chances of the existance of such an animal but Group One is going to see a right battle for the third spot, I’d imagine. Taking nothing for granted, yadda, yadda - Kerry and Mayo ought to fill spots one and two, making the game between Cork and (presumably) Louth on that opening weekend a crucial encounter.
And if Donegal managed to pull themselves together - it didn’t look likely when losing to Down, granted - but if they did, a group with them, Monaghan, whoever wins the Ulster final and (again, presumably) Clare, definitely has possibilities for teams taking points off each other. Three Ulster teams and Colm Collins’s perennially underestimated squad, who’ve only been dying to get championship games outside of Munster? Could be good.
Random thoughts?
Well, the fact that the draw has taken place before the provincial finals is obviously a bit of a dose. We have the draw but we know only four concrete fixtures out of a possible 24. And even at that, we don’t know where those games will be because they’re the round three neutral venue matches.
But if we do a bit of fate-tempting and assume that Galway, Kerry and Dublin are going to see out the job in the provincial finals (yes, yes, we know that’s against God and nature and the so-called weaker counties), the thing starts to take a bit more shape.
It looks, for example, quite likely that the big game of the opening weekend will be Kerry v Mayo in Killarney. Or maybe it’s Galway v Tyrone in Salthill. Or Dublin v Roscommon in Croke Park.
Group One
Group Two
Group Three
Group One
Group Two
Group Three
Right, onto the Same Maguire. Paddy Andrews had replaced Ross Munnelly and he and the prez are ready to go.
Group One
Group Two
Group Three
Group One
Cavan, Offaly, Laois, London
First round fixtures (May 13th/14th): Cavan v Laois, Offaly v London
Group Two
Meath, Down, Tipperary, Waterford
First round fixtures (May 13th/14th): Meath v Tipperary, Down v Waterford
Group Three
Limerick, Wicklow, Longford, Carlow
First round fixtures (May 13th/14th): Limerick v Longford, Wicklow v Carlow
Group Four
Fermanagh, Antrim, Wexford, Leitrim
First round fixtures (May 13th/14th): Fermanagh v Wexford, Antrim v Leitrim
Group One
Cavan, Offaly, Laois
Group Two
Meath, Down, Tipperary
Group Three
Limerick, Wicklow, Longford
Group Four
Fermanagh, Antrim, Wexford
Group One
Cavan, Offaly
Group Two
Meath, Down
Group Three
Limerick, Wicklow
Group Four
Fermanagh, Antrim
Group One
Cavan
Group Two
Meath
Group Three
Limerick
Group Four
Fermanagh
The Tailteann Cup draw is up first, Larry and Ross are just about ready to rock here.
Gráinne McElwain will be running the show when we get up and going here. GAA president Larry McCarthy will be drawing the teams, Paddy Andrews and Ross Munnelly will be on hand to lend their vast expertise. There will be no dancing girls. This is not Uefa.
The Sam Maguire begins on Saturday, May 20th. The format is the same as the Tailteann Cup – four groups of four, three games for each team. First place after three games gets you straight into the quarter-final, second and third into the preliminary quarter-final draw.
SAM MAGUIRE SEEDINGS
1st seeds: Galway/Sligo, Kerry/Clare, Dublin/Louth, Armagh/Derry (provincial champions)
2nd seeds: Galway/Sligo, Kerry/Clare, Dublin/Louth, Armagh/Derry (provincial runners-up)
3rd seeds: Mayo, Roscommon, Tyrone, Monaghan
4th seeds: Donegal, Cork, Kildare, Westmeath
Okay, so a bit of an explainer first. The Tailteann Cup begins on Saturday, May 13th. Four groups of four, every team gets three games in a round-robin system. The top team in each group goes straight into a quarter-final, the teams who come second and third go into the preliminary quarter-final draw.
There is one exception – New York come into the competition at the preliminary quarter-final stage and so to make room for them, only three of the four third-placed teams will go through. Bad news, then, for whatever team finishes with the worst record of the four third-placed teams. Their season will be over then.
TAILTEANN CUP SEEDINGS
1st seeds: Meath, Down, Longford, Leitrim.
2nd seeds: Cavan, Offaly, Tipperary. Carlow.
3rd seeds: Fermanagh, Antrim, Laois, Waterford.
4th seeds: Limerick, Wicklow, Wexford, London.
It’s a GAA Championship draw – but not as you know it. For the first time in the history of the association, the All-Ireland Football Championship starts as a stand-alone competition a with 16 teams aiming to win the Sam Maguire and 17 going for the Tailteann Cup.
The draws for both competitions begin at one o’clock. Malachy Clerkin here to take you through them.
