Backdoor Qualifier Structure

[magpie seanie]

The advantage of going out later in the championship is that you don't have a long gap before the qualifiers. The new system makes sense to me. The Tommy Murphy thing is here to stay as well so we better get used to it.

[PatDaly]

Thanks for the explanation everyone.

As far as I can tell the last of the provincial semi finals are scheduled to be played on Sunday June 24th. I would guess after these games have been played the draw for the 1st round of the backdoor might be made live on RTE later that evening.

Provincial Semi-Finals Scheduled For Sunday June 24th

Galway v Leitrim
Antrim/Derry v Down/Monaghan
Louth/Wicklow/Wexford v Longford/Laois
Meath/Dublin v Carlow/Offaly

[Msgr. Horan]

Whatever way you look at it tis a bit of an abortion of a job allright. I suppose the only thing its done is reduced the potential number of completley one sides matches, there will be quiet alot of "big hitters" in action against eachother in the 1st round of the qualifiers.

[Barney]

Laois v Louth/Wexford in on the first Sunday in July now - before Leinster Hurling Final.

Its a bit of joke that teams can be waiting 7/8 weeks for a match, have 6 days notice of who they are playing and then may face 3 games in as many weeks! And yes, I know there is a straighforward way to avoid that but something really needs to be done about the format and the calender for the championship.

[armaghniac]

Laois v Louth/Wexford in on the first Sunday in July now

Major hassle is this game is a draw, even if it is not the losers will have 6 days notice to pick themselves up and face a possible away game against a well rested team.

The draw could be be previous week, so most teams could know who they were playing.

[Lone Shark]

Laois v Louth/Wexford in on the first Sunday in July now - before Leinster Hurling Final.

Its a bit of joke that teams can be waiting 7/8 weeks for a match, have 6 days notice of who they are playing and then may face 3 games in as many weeks! And yes, I know there is a straighforward way to avoid that but something really needs to be done about the format and the calender for the championship.

And that's before anyone factors in the outside possibility that Offaly/Carlow might upset the apple cart and knock off Meath or the Dubs in the Leinster semi. Very unlikely, but if it does happen it puts seventeen teams in the qualifiers and really makes a mess of it. No idea when the extra fixture would be fitted in then.

[Blue06]

I like the new structure but would go even further and include Div 3 teams in the TM Cup.

Winning the TM Cup should guarantee Qualifier status for the following year irrespective of league position.

[criostlinn]

What are the chances of no replays from the 1st round of qualifiers. If there is then this fucks up the secong round the following weekend and subsequently the third round the following week. There will be some giving out about fixtures come July

[Deal_Me_In]

Its almost inevitable that there is going to be at least one draw in the first round of the qualifiers (does anyone know if ET will be played due to the fixtures) due to the number of higher quality teams that will be meeting. With the likes of Armagh, Mayo, Kildare, Westmeath, Fermanagh, Donegal/Tyrone, Meath/Dublin, Down/Monaghan surely a draw has to have been considered when making the fixtures.

Are the teams in the qualifiers allowed to play eachother if they have already met in the provincial series or are they the same in that respect as previous years?

[armaghniac]

Its almost inevitable that there is going to be at least one draw in the first round of the qualifiers

True, but extra time will be played, but there is some chance of draw even then.

Are the teams in the qualifiers allowed to play eachother if they have already met in the provincial series

I think they can play this year, does Donegal fancy an away game against Armagh?

[criostlinn]

I taught I read somewhere that all teams go into a hat for an open draw and the first team out gets the home fixture. Not sure though

[Rossfan]

As I pointed put in a previous thread -about 10 days ago !!!- the draw is completely open this year as Breheny and one or two other scribes spent most of last year complaining about the draws being artificial.
With likely 6 Leinster and 6 Ulster teams there's every chance of a repeat fixture or two !!!
Then Breheny and his fellow scribes will be able to repeat all their whinging articles f rom 2001 when they were moaning about the number of repeat fixtures and the need for the GAA to "do something about it"
As for fixture congestion - with 3 rounds to be played on top of each other it was a recipe for disaster.

[Farrandeelin]

Bring back the straight knock-out... anyone?

[Rossfan]

Bring back the straight knock-out... anyone?

NNNOOOOO