Leinster SFC 2023

[thejuice]

Well with Clares win against Cork, Meath need to reach the final to avoid the Tailteann Cup.

Offaly beat Longford
Wicklow beat Carlow

Qtr Finals 22/04/23

Westmeath vs Louth
Offaly vs Meath
Laois vs Dublin
Kildare vs Wicklow

[seafoid]

Louth looks like a stretch for Meath

[armaghniac]

Louth looks like a stretch for Meath

Louth have great Harte.

[bennydorano]

If Kildare or Meath end up in the Tailteann they'd obviously be among the big favourites but would you put the house on them? Don't think so.

[Rossfan]

They'd probably think it's beneath them!

[thejuice]

The general feeling is if we end up in the TC it'll be exactly what we deserve. Will the players put everything into it, not sure. Not sure what way we'll show against Offaly either.

[Hound]

Venues & times confirmed

Qtr Finals 23/04/23

Westmeath vs Louth - 2pm - Navan
Offaly vs Meath - 4pm - Tullamore
Laois vs Dublin - 3.30pm - Portlaoise
Kildare vs Wicklow - 2.30pm - Carlow

Semis on 30 April

Final in Croke Park on 14 May with a 2pm throw-in

https://leinstergaa.ie/competitions/leinster-gaa-senior-football-championship-2023/

[Rossfan]

Louth will be expected to beat Westmeath but then League and Championship are different animals.
Kildare and Meath vulnerable especially if the camps are unhappy as rumoured.
Laois to qualify for Tailteann.

[Blowitupref]

Be interesting to see can Louth bring in their league form into the championship if they do they'll reach the final.  How much will Westmeath put into the Leinster championship knowing they are already qualified for the All Ireland group stage? Would it be better for them to be 2nd or 4th seed?

Meath have to improve defensively to reach the final.  Dublin was less convincing in half of their Div 2 league games so might have one or two competitive contests on route to winning this title.

[seafoid]

One of the things about the current system in comparison to the old one with a longer gap between League and championship  is that teams bring their league form into the championship because there is no time to fix anything. Expecting Meath to roll up as a coherent unit is fanciful, unfortunately.

[Captain Scarlet]

Louth have stepped up again this year. BUT they played Kildare last year fancying themselves and were given a fair trimming.

I don't see Louth failing the step this year as they already have shown they are better. Kildare are poor but Meath were woeful in that last game and I don't think they have the players to turn it around.

Kildare are all over the shop but if they click they can still play, so bar the Dubs they could take most teams in the province still.

I do fancy Louth to get to the Final and so Meath will be dropping down to the TC.

[seafoid]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2023/0411/1376399-championship-permutations-field-for-sam-taking-shape/
All-Ireland senior football championship permutations: Field for Sam Maguire Cup starts to take shape
Updated / Tuesday, 11 Apr 2023 18:31

By Eoin Ryan
RTÉ Sport Journalist

Following the first weekend of the football championship, the qualifying picture for the Sam Maguire Cup has become slightly clearer, though the new format is still as transparent as a muddy puddle for some.

Don't worry though, we're here to explain it to you. We hope.

The basics are:

16 teams will qualify for the seeded four-team groups that comprise the All-Ireland SFC group stages.
Eight of those places are reserved for the provincial finalists. The next eight come from the final league rankings, which take promotion/relegation and league finals into account.
Although ranked 20th after the league, as last year's Tailteann Cup winners, Westmeath will take one of the 16 places.
There is some confusion that if Westmeath reached the Leinster final that would somehow open up another spot, but a place is only reserved for the Tailteann Cup winners if they haven't already qualified. So, Westmeath will be taking the place of a higher-ranked team regardless and making the Leinster final would just mean a higher seeding for them in the group phase.

The top 16-ranked teams from the league were: 1. Mayo, 2. Galway, 3. Roscommon, 4. Tyrone, 5. Kerry, 6. Monaghan, 7. Dublin, 8. Derry, 9. Armagh, 10. Donegal, 11. Louth, 12. Cork, 13. Kildare, 14. Meath, 15. Cavan, 16. Fermanagh.

Clare's Munster quarter-final win over Cork on Sunday means that the Banner (17th) or their semi-final opponents Limerick (18th) will take one of the 16 Sam Maguire spots. History-makers New York or Sligo (23rd) will take another, as will Westmeath .

That means Division 2 side Meath are now effectively ranked 17th and will have to reach the Leinster final to make the All-Ireland series.

Kildare (now 16th) would drop to the Tailteann Cup if the Royals (or Offaly) did make the Leinster decider, unless the Lilywhites also reached the provincial final by coming through the side of the draw containing Dublin. In that somewhat unlikely scenario, Cork would be the team to miss out.

Even if Louth or Westmeath take care of their Leinster rivals, Kildare also have to worry about Cavan or Fermanagh reaching the Ulster final, and the more remote prospect of Tipperary shocking Kerry in Munster.



Kildare will therefore be hoping Derry get off to a good start in their Ulster SFC defence against Fermanagh on Saturday but we can expect a few more twists before the final line-ups for the summer are confirmed.

If we were somehow to end up with both a Cavan v Fermanagh Ulster final and a Meath-Kildare Leinster decider then even Donegal, just relegated from Division 1, would end up in the Tailteann Cup.

League champions Mayo will be in the All-Ireland series, as third seeds, despite their defeat to Roscommon but the seven other teams who lost at the weekend will definitely play in the Tailteann: Antrim, Carlow, Leitrim, London, Longford, Waterford and Wexford.

The 17-team tournament (Kilkenny play in the JFC) is being played on a similar format to the Sam Maguire: four four-team groups, with the group winners advancing directly to quarter-finals. The four second-placed teams and three best third-placed teams, plus New York, will then contest preliminary quarter-finals.

However, if New York beat Sligo, then the Exiles will participate in the All-Ireland series instead and one of the Tailteann Cup groups will contain five teams, with all four third-placed teams reaching preliminary quarter-finals.

If you've made it this far, well done. We'll be back with Paper 2 later in the month.

[Laois Rising]

With Sligo/New York, Westmeath and Limerick/Clare already guaranteed spots in the All-Ireland series and Cavan holding genuine prospects of making an Ulster final it shows how important it is to finish in the top 3/4 places of division 2 for Leinster teams in that division. With the potential to land on the same side of the draw as Dublin in Leinster, it effectively ends your participation in the All-Ireland series if you have a bottom half finish in the league and draw Dublin prior to the Leinster final.

Kildare and Meath may both end up competing for the Tailteann Cup as opposed to for Sam. What the Tailteann Cup doesn't need are teams playing in and winning this competition who see themselves as "too good" or "above it". Westmeath's genuine delight and celebration in winning the competition added great value to it in it's first year. This is what the Tailteann Cup needs. If we have a couple of years of counties winning the Tailteann Cup who don't really embrace that success then it's going to devalue the competition a little. The Tailteann Cup is to give the Leitrim's, Laois' and Wickow's a genuine shot at an All-Ireland title not the likes of Kildare or Meath an opprtunity to get their hands on a trophy that they may show the proper appreciation for.   

[thejuice]

While I agree with what you're saying we in Meath have no right to think we're above the TC. I haven't seen us lift many trophies apart from the O'Byrne Cup this century. Hopefully our supporters and players will show up for it.

[trailer]

Fair play to the Leinster council. Their commitment to running this sham competition is unrivalled anywhere in modern day sport.

Apart from maybe the SFA and their "Premier League"