Topics

Quarter-Finals

29-30.06.2024 (Sat/Sun)

The four first-place teams from Round 1 (Group Stage) shall be drawn to play against the four Preliminary Quarter-Finals winners, subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings and where possible repeat pairings from Round 1 (Group Stage)

[Scoring System:]

Contestants will pick one team from each of the 6 bowls below, and only one.  Those 6 will be your teams for the entire competition and no more needs to be done.
 
Contestants will also predict the winner and runner-up of the tournament by stating who beats whom in the Final.  Picks for the final do not have to be from the contestant's bowl picks and can have teams from the same bowl.

Scoring System:

Euro 2024 Group stages (3 games):

1 point for each goal scored.

1 point for each point earned in Group play (three for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss).

Knockout Stages:

3 points for every win (whether in normal time, extra time or after penalties), 1 point for a losing team that took the game to extra time or penalties, no points for a team beaten in normal time.
2 points per goal scored in normal time and extra-time only, no points for penalties scored in shoot-out.

Bowl 1:  England, Italy, France, Germany

Bowl 2: Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium

Bowl 3: Turkey, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark

Bowl 4: Czech Republic, Scotland, Ukraine, Croatia

Bowl 5: Serbia, Poland, Hungary, Romania

Bowl 6: Slovakia, Slovenia, Georgia, Albania



Please make your picks in bowl order and don't forget your Final match prediction (winner and runner-up).

Let's try to keep this thread about the Competition only, comments on the tournament/games/crowds/lassies in crowd and so on can be posted in the other thread.

[Group 1:]

Group 1:

18/19 May: Galway v Derry

25/26 May: Armagh v Westmeath

1/2 June: Westmeath v Galway, Derry v Armagh

15/16 June (Neutral venue): Galway v Armagh, Derry v Westmeath

[Group 2]

Group 2

18/19 May: Mayo v Cavan

25/26 May: Dublin v Roscommon

1/2 June: Roscommon v Mayo, Cavan v Dublin

15/16 June (Neutral venue): Dublin v Mayo, Roscommon v Cavan

[Group 3:]

Group 3:

18/19 May: Clare v Cork

25/26 May: Donegal v Tyrone

1/2 June: Cork v Donegal, Tyrone v Clare

15/16 June (Neutral venue): Donegal v Clare, Tyrone v Cork

[Group 4 fixtures:]

Group 4 fixtures:

18 May: Kerry v Monaghan

25/26 May: Louth v Meath

1/2 June: Monaghan v Louth, Meath v Kerry

15/16 June (Neutral venue): Kerry v Louth, Monaghan v Meath

At the end of the league, the rankings are divided into two Groups, based on the final league standings after the 4 league finals.  The Top 16 will play in the Sam Maguire competition and the Bottom 16 will play in the Tailteann Cup competition, unless a Bottom 16 team reaches its Provincial Final.  Were that to occur, lowest team listed in the Top 16 will be dropped to the Bottom 16 and play in the Tailteann Cup.

With the Provincial draws for 2024, one side of the Munster Championship has all Bottom 16 teams (Clare, Tipperary and Waterford), so the lowest rank of the Top 16 teams (Down) is dropped to Tailteann Cup status, since all Provincial finalists are guaranteed to be in the Top 16 for All-Ireland Group stages seeding.  Any team dropped from the Top 16 to the Bottom 16 can regain Top 16 status by reaching their respective Provincial final.  As Tailteann Cup holders, Meath cannot be relegated from the Top 16.

Here is the ranking of Top 16 at the start of the Provincial championships.

Derry
Dublin
Kerry
Mayo
Tyrone
Galway
Donegal
Armagh
Roscommon
Monaghan
Cavan
Cork
Meath
Louth
Westmeath
Clare/Tipperary/Waterford – whichever gets to the Munster Final

The Bottom 16 are:

Down
Fermanagh
Kildare
Clare/Tipperary/Waterford – whichever 2 do not get to the Munster final.
Sligo
Antrim
Offaly
Laois
Leitrim
Wicklow
Limerick
Wexford
Longford
Carlow
London
New York

[Connacht Senior Football Championship (6 games)]

Connacht Senior Football Championship (6 games)

Quarter-finals   
7-Apr   Leitrim 0-6 Sligo 0-15
6-Apr   London 0-9 Galway 5-21
7-Apr   New York 2-6 Mayo 2-21
   
Semi-finals   
20-Apr   Sligo 0-14 Galway 1-13
21-Apr   Mayo 1-15 Roscommon 0-13
   
Final        5 May   Galway v Mayo
   
Leinster Senior Football Championship (10 games)

Preliminary round   
7-Apr   Longford 3-12 Meath 3-19
7-Apr   Westmeath 1-11 Wicklow 2-9
7-Apr   Carlow 0-8 Wexford 4-19
   
Quarter-finals   
13-Apr   Offaly 2-13 Laois 1-8
14-Apr   Dublin 3-19 Meath 0-12
14-Apr   Kildare 0-16 Wicklow 1-12
14-Apr   Louth 4-10 Wexford 0-15

Semi-finals   
28-Apr   Dublin v Offaly
28-Apr   Kildare v Louth
   
Final    12 May   
   
Munster Senior Football Championship (5 games)

Quarter-finals   
7-Apr   Waterford 2-7 Tipperary 1-5
7-Apr   Cork 3-13 Limerick 0-11
   
Semi-finals   
20-Apr   Clare v Waterford
20-Apr   Kerry v Cork
   
Final    5 May   Clare v Kerry
   
Ulster Senior Football Championship (8 games)

Preliminary Round   
7-Apr   Monaghan 1-12 Cavan 3-12
   
Quarter-finals   
13-Apr   Down 0-13 Antrim 0-9
14-Apr   Fermanagh 0-9 Armagh 3-11
20-Apr   Derry 0-17 Donegal 4-11
21-Apr   Cavan 3-16 Tyrone 1-23

Semi-finals   
27-Apr   Down v Armagh
28-Apr   Donegal v Tyrone
   
Final     12 May   

Edit: Updated scores and remaining fixtures after 21 April games.

With Rd 1 of the league starting on 27 January, it is time for the gaaboard posters to show their undoubted expert knowledge of the game.

Same rules as the last two years...predict a winner or predict a draw.  Correctly picking the winner gets 1 point, correctly picking a draw gets 3 points.  Competition entries close the Friday night at midnight (even if no games on the Saturday).  You can change selections anytime up to the Friday midnight deadline.

I will post the games and you can list out your winners, or put the winner in boldface.  Warning...I will use an automated system to transfer your picks, so if you list your picks in a different order to the way I post the fixtures, you will be hurting yourself.  Be sure to spell things correctly as well and refrain from county nicknames.

For those interested in such things, a short summary of the last two year's games: 
In 2022, in 112 games, there were 47 home wins (42%), 50 away wins (44.5%), and 15 Draws (13.5%). 
In 2023, we had 61 Home wins (54.5%), 42 Away wins (37.5%) and 9 Draws (8%).

I plan to post each round's results by late on the Sunday night, but if I don't get back in time from a game it might be Monday evening. 

First named team is scheduled to be at home...but do your own due diligence on venue/time. 

Enjoy.

Let's have some predictions...

Kildare v Monaghan
Cork v Roscommon

Donegal v Tyrone
Galway v Mayo

May 20th   Clare v Donegal, Cusack Park, 2pm
May 27th   Derry vs Monaghan, Celtic Park, 7pm, GAAGO

June 4th   Monaghan v Clare, St Tiernach's Park, Clones, 2pm
June 4th   Donegal v Derry, MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey, 4pm (RTÉ)

June 17/18   Derry v Clare, TBD
June 17/18   Monaghan v Donegal, TBD

May 21st   Sligo v Kildare, Markievicz Park, 2.30pm
May 28th   Dublin vs Roscommon, Croke Park, 4pm

Jun 3rd   Kildare v Dublin, UPMC Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, 5pm (GAAGO)
June 4th   Roscommon vs Sligo, Dr Hyde Park, 3pm (GAAGO)

June 17/18   Dublin v Sligo, TBD
June 17/18   Roscommon v Kildare, TBD

May 20th   Galway v Tyrone, Pearse Stadium, 5.15pm, GAAGO
May 27th   Armagh vs Westmeath, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 4.45pm, GAAGO

Jun 3rd   Westmeath v Galway, TEG Cusack Park, 5pm
Jun 3rd   Tyrone v Armagh, Healy Park, 7pm, (RTÉ)

June 17/18   Galway v Armagh, TBD
June 17/18   Tyrone v Westmeath, TBD

May 20th   Kerry v Mayo, Fitzgerald Stadium, 3pm, GAAGO
May 27th   Louth vs Cork, Páirc Tailteann, 3pm

Jun 3rd   Cork v Kerry, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3pm (GAAGO)
June 4th   Mayo vs Louth, MacHale Park, 2pm (RTÉ)

June 17/18   Kerry v Louth, TBD
June 17/18   Mayo v Cork, TBD

[Tailteann Cup Round 1 (Group Stage)]

Tailteann Cup Round 1 (Group Stage)

Counties Participating

• The following 16 Counties shall be eligible to participate in the Tailteann Cup Round 1 (Group Stage).
(a) The 4 highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the National League who have not qualified for the Tier 1 Championship (1st seeds)
(b) The next 4 highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the National League who have not qualified for the Tier 1 Championship (2nd seeds)
(c) The next 4 highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the National League who have not qualified for the Tier 1 Championship (3rd seeds)
(d) The next 4 highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the National League who have not qualified for the Tier 1 Championship (4th seeds)

• Note: The ranking of teams in the National League referred to above shall be on the basis of the outcomes of the National League, including those of Promotion and Relegation, of the Competition Year. For the avoidance of doubt, a league final winner will be considered a higher seed than the team they defeated in the final.

Group Composition and order of games

• The Tailteann Cup Group Stage shall be on a League basis of four Groups of four teams (Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4), with each team in a Group playing the other teams in their Group once. Teams will be awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw.
• The composition of each group shall be decided by means of a draw.
• Each Group shall consist of one team from each of the seeded classifications in (a) to (d) above.
• Each team shall play one Home game, one Away game in Round 1 & 2 and one game at a neutral venue in Round 3.
• The order of games;
Round 1: Seed 1 v Seed 3, Seed 2 v Seed 4
Round 2: Seed 3 v Seed 2, Seed 4 v Seed1
Round 3, Neutral: Seed 1 v Seed 2, Seed 3 v Seed 4

• Home Venues shall be subject to approval by the Central Competitions Control Committee and shall meet the criteria set down by the National Facilities/Health and Safety Committee.

Schedule of Games
Round 1 (Home & Away)
13-14.05.2023 (Sat/Sun)
Seed 1 v Seed 3
Seed 2 v Seed 4

Round 2 (Home & Away
20-21.06.2023 (Sat/Sun)
Seed 3 v Seed 2
Seed 4 v Seed1

Round 3 (Neutral)
03-04.06.06.2023 (Sat/Sun)
Seed 1 v Seed 2
Seed 3 v Seed 4

Tie-Breakers – Group Stage

In the event of teams finishing on equal points in the Groups, the tie shall be decided by the following means and in the order specified;
(xi) Where two teams only are involved – the outcome of the meeting of the two teams in the group
(xii) Score difference – subtracting the total Scores against from the total Scores for;
(xiii) Highest Total Score For;
(xiv) Highest Total Goals For;
(xv) A Play-Off.
In the event that two teams or more finish with equal points, but have been affected by a disqualification, loss of game on a proven objection, retirement or walk over, the tie shall be decided by the following means and in the order specified below:
(vii) Score Difference from the games in which only the teams involved, (teams tied on points), have played each other. (subtracting the total Scores Against from total Scores For)
(viii) Highest Total Score For, in which only the teams involved, have played each other, and have finished equal in (i)
(ix) A Play-Off

Provision of New York reaches the Connacht final

• New York proceed to the group stages of Sam Maguire
• Tailteann Cup would become 17 teams, with three groups of four teams and one group of five teams. CCCC to confirm the ordering and scheduling of games in the group of five teams, with each team having two home & two away games.
• The 3rd place team in each of the four groups would go to the Preliminary Quarter Finals, and play the four 2nd placed teams.
• The dates of the Preliminary Quarter Finals, Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals would all be put back one week with no change to the final date.
Knock Out Stage

• The Tailteann Cup Winner shall be eligible for the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship the following year, regardless of league position.
• New York will enter the competition at the Preliminary-Quarter-Final stage and play against one of the second-placed teams from the group stage.
• All games will be winner on the day, including the final.
• Venues for the All-Ireland Semi-Finals and Final shall be determined by the Central Competitions Control Committee.
• The first-placed team in each group shall have home venue in the Quarter-Final.
• The second-placed team in each group shall have home venue in the Preliminary Quarter-Finals.
• Home Venues shall be subject to approval by the Central Competitions Control Committee and shall meet the criteria set down by the National Facilities/Health and Safety Committee.

Preliminary Quarter-Finals
10-11.06.2023 (Sat/Sun)
(Four Games)
The second-placed team in each of the four groups in Round 1 shall be drawn to play at Home against New York and the three "best placed" third-placed teams in each group.
The draw shall be subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from Round 1 (Group Stage).
The three "best placed" third-placed teams across the four groups shall be determined using the following criteria.
(i) Total Number of Points
(ii) Score difference – subtracting the total Scores against from the Scores for
(iii) Highest Total Score For
(iv) Highest Total Goals For
(v) Lowest Total Goals Against
(vi) A Play-Off
Exception: In relation to means (ii) to (v) above, if the accumulated scores of a team, so involved, are affected by a disqualification, loss of game on a proven objection, retirement or walkover, the tie shall be decided by a Play-Off.
If more than two teams are involved in a Play-Off, based on a draw conducted by the CCCC, two teams shall play-off for a Preliminary Quarter-Final place, with the remaining team(s) progressing to the Preliminary Quarter-Final.

Quarter-Finals

17-18.06.2023 (Sat/Sun)
(Four Games)
The four first-place teams from Round 1 shall be drawn to play at home against the four Preliminary Quarter-Finals winners.
Subject to avoidance of repeat pairings from Round 1 (Group Stage).

Semi-Finals

25.06.2023 (Sun)
(Two Games)
The four quarter-final winners shall play against each other in the Semi-Final based on a draw, subject to avoidance of repeat pairings from the championship, where possible.

Final

15.07.2023 (Sat)
(One Game)
The winners of the All-Ireland Semi-Finals shall meet in the All-Ireland Final.

Probably worth a stand alone thread for all issues:

https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-master-fixtures-for-2023-published/

[Any questions?]

With Rd 1 of the league starting on 28 Jan, it is time for the gaaboard posters to show the expert knowledge espoused on here.

Same rules as last year...predict a winner or predict a draw.  Correctly picking the winner gets 1 point, correctly picking a draw gets 3 points.  Competition entries close the Friday night at midnight (even if no games on the Saturday).  You can change selections anytime up to the Friday midnight deadline.

I will post the games and you can list out your winners, or put the winner in boldface .  Warning...I will use an automated system to transfer your picks, so if you list your picks in a different order to the way I post the fixtures, you will be hurting yourself.

For those interested in such things, a short summary of last year's games:  Of the 112 games played, there were 47 home wins (near enough to 42%), 50 away wins (about 44.5%), and 15 Draws (just about 13.5%).  I think it was "in hiding" that took the tactical route of picking mostly draws and home advantage is not great it seems.

There were a total of nearly 60 participants last year, although some dropped out for various (legitimate) reasons...hoping we can beat that number in Week 1.

I plan to post each round's results by late on the Sunday night, but if I don't get back in time from a game it might be Monday evening, so don't go all crazy worrying about my safety or something...and I will not state which games I attend either!

First named team is scheduled to be at home...but do your own due diligence on venue/time.  I'll add the rules for the 4 finals as we get closer to that time. 

Can David McKeown repeat as champion, or will someone else have a better algo?  All to play for. 

Any questions?

Next post will have the Rd 1 fixtures...enjoy.

[Easiest way to enter will be to quote the second post in this thread, with your pick in bold, or delete the other three names in the bowl.]

Less than a month to the World Cup, so here goes a little contest to whet the appetite and keep a bit of interest in it all.  It's all a bit of craic and hopefully will be enjoyable for all contestants. 

Easiest way to enter will be to quote the second post in this thread, with your pick in bold, or delete the other three names in the bowl. 

Any joker who decides to list his/her picks in a different order to the bowls (that is 1-8) will not have the entry posted.

Contestants will pick 1 team from each of the 8 bowls below.  Those 8 will be your teams for the entire competition. 

Contestants will also predict who beats who in the Final.

Thread will be locked on Friday 18 Nov at midnight.  Results will be updated after all teams have play each round.

The Bowls are ranked by FIFA rankings, more or less, and do not resemble any Groups in the World Cup and do not contain any teams in the same group.

Scoring System

Group stages (3 games):

1 point for each goal scored.
1 point for each point earned in Group play (three for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss).

Games after group stage: 

Team that progresses gets 3 points plus 1 point per goal (penalty shoot-out goals do not count).  Team that loses gets 1 point per goal, plus 1 point if losing after extra-time or penalties.

Correctly picking the Winner gets 5 points, correctly picking the beaten finalist gets 3 points; Correctly picking both gets 10 points. 

Bowl 1:  Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, France
Bowl 2: England, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal

Bowl 3: Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Mexico
Bowl 4: Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Senegal

Bowl 5: Poland, Iran, Serbia, Morocco
Bowl 6: Japan, Wales, South Korea, Tunisia

Bowl 7: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Australia, Cameroon
Bowl 8: Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ghana

Final prediction:

Since the League competition was reasonably successful, let's see who can topple David McKeown in the white-hot Championship contest.

The Championship Competition will be run week by week.  Since there must be a result on the day in every game except the All-Ireland final, contestants must pick the team that advances. 

Pick the winning team correctly and you get 1 point.  A bonus point is available for getting the margin of victory correct, within a 3-point band.  Band 1 is 1-3 points, so if you pick 1, 2 or 3 point margin, you get the bonus point.  Band 2 is 4-6 points; Band 3 is 7-9 points, and so on upward in 3-point increments.
 
Contestants need only pick the margin of victory in points, as was in the League competition.  I'll translate it to bands as I input the selections.  So a pick that reads "Tyrone by 2" and if Tyrone win by 1,2 or 3 you get the bonus point in addition to the 1 point for getting the winning team correct.  There is no additional bonus for getting the margin exactly right.

Extra time is not considered here...if Tyrone win by 2 after 70 minutes or after extra time, the margin of victory is 2.  The only difference is for a game that is decided by penalties: the winning team is deemed to have a 1 point winning margin, no matter how many penalties are taken.

The Tailteann Cup will also be included in the competition. 

I foresee a maximum of 14 weeks in the championship season and for ease of viewing, here is the announced schedule (although there may be schedule changes along the way):

Week 1
Saturday 16 April
Ulster SFC preliminary round: Fermanagh v Tyrone
Sunday 17 April
Connacht SFC quarter-finals: London v Leitrim; New York v Sligo

Week 2
Saturday 23 April
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Antrim v Cavan
Sunday 24 April
Connacht SFC quarter-final: Mayo v Galway
Leinster SFC round 1: Laois v Wicklow; Louth v Carlow; Offaly v Wexford
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Donegal v Armagh

Week 3
Saturday 30 April
Leinster SFC quarter-final: Dublin v Offaly/Wexford; Westmeath v Longford
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Monaghan v Down
Sunday 1 May
Connacht SFC semi-final: Roscommon v New York/Sligo
Leinster SFC q-finals: Kildare v Louth/Carlow; Meath v Laois/Wicklow;
Munster SFC quarter-finals: Clare v Limerick; Waterford v Tipperary
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Derry v Fermanagh/Tyrone

Week 4
Saturday 7 May
Munster SFC semi-final: Cork v Kerry
Sunday 8 May
Connacht SFC semi-final: London/Leitrim v Galway/Mayo
Ulster SFC semi-final: Donegal/Armagh v Antrim/Cavan

Week 5
Sunday 15 May
Leinster SFC semi-finals: TBD
Munster SFC semi-final: Tipperary/Waterford v Clare/Limerick
Ulster SFC semi-final: Monaghan/Down v Fermanagh/Tyrone/Derry

Week 6
Saturday 21/Sunday 22 May
All-Ireland SFC preliminary round (If required); Tailteann Cup preliminary round (If required)

Week 7
Saturday 28 May
Leinster SFC final: Munster SFC final
Sunday 29 May
Connacht SFC final; Ulster SFC final
Saturday 28/Sunday 29 May
Tailteann Cup round 1

Week 8
Saturday 4/Sunday 5 June
All-Ireland SFC round 1; Tailteann Cup quarter-finals

Week 9
Saturday 11/Sunday 12 June
All-Ireland SFC round 2

Week 10
Sunday 19 June
Tailteann Cup semi-finals

Week 11
Saturday 25/Sunday 26 June
All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals

Week 12
Saturday 9 July
Tailteann Cup final
Saturday 9/Sunday 10 July
All-Ireland SFC semi-finals: Connacht* v Ulster*; Leinster* v Munster* 
*the provincial champions or the team that defeats them in the quarter-final

Week 13
Sunday 24 July
All-Ireland SFC final

Week 14
Saturday 6 August
All-Ireland SFC final replay (if required)

Time to see who are the real experts on the board by having a prediction competition for the National Football League.  I haven't run one of these before, but I think a simple prediction competition is best - no spreads or margin of victory type contests.

Just predict the winner of each game (16 games in each of the 7 rounds).  For now, 1 point for predicting the winner and 3 for correctly predicting a draw is the plan...is 3 for a draw about right?

I'll be putting up the fixtures on this thread by the Sunday night prior to a Round (so you'll be able to pick Rd 1 late Sunday night).  Quote the post and highlight your selection, or name winning team in the order the games are listed.  Hopefully the results for each round and a running total will be up each Sunday night as well.

Closing date for entries will be midnight Friday on the weekend of the fixtures.  You will be able to edit fixtures up to midnight on Friday.  Any entries/edits after the deadline get "null points" for that round...no exceptions.

Comments/Questions?

Edit:  No objections/improvements suggested, so 1 point for picking the winner and 3 for calling the draw.