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Why do they do the draw for this before the provincial finals?

It's a good question.  Some teams might now be thinking a loss wouldn't be the end of the world, so it takes the edge off things.

I'm pretty sure both Donegal and Armagh will want to avoid the group with the winners of Mayo/Galway and Derry!

Mayo and Galway are certainly in a tough position. The loser will get Dublin, Ros and Cavan; the winner the aforementioned group with Derry, Donegal/Armagh and Westmeath.

Armagh beat Galway and Westmeath last year and drew with Derry. That would do again.
In any case, teams can reach the preliminary QFs by kicking the weakest team and then you see who you get there, although the sequence of games can banjax you with injuries etc.

The draw suits me. At the start of the year I posted that I wanted Derry to give Armagh another sickener in an Ulster final. I didn't get that but they can always sicken them in Celtic park.

Any visit to Derry is always puke inducing, but perhaps we'll beat Donegal who can then go to Derry and give you another lesson.

So Dublin v Mayo/Galway losers will NOT be in Croke Park?

Gaelic Grounds?
Clones?

Thurles or Limerick if Galway or Cavan if Mayo?

Group 1 Galway/Mayo,Armagh/Donegal,Derry Westmeath

Group 2 Dublin/Louth Galway/Mayo Roscommon Cavan

Group  3 Donegal/Armagh Kerry/Clare,Tyrone Cork

Group 4 Kerry/Cork Dublin/Louth Monaghan Meath

Little bit more editing to do there.
Change Cork to Clare in group 4

We all know who is going to be in group 4 and it isn't Clare.

.......

If someone  is clearly  drunk while entering the ground , can they not be  refused entry?

There  are other events/establishments  people would be refused entry to  in such a state, so why  not a GAA match as well?

Stewarding needs to be better..

But the jovial attitude towards young lads 'enjoying' themselves usually gives them a bye ball

My parents didn't go this year cause they couldn't face the same crowd as last year (and they are very much hill or nowhere - not fans of the stand!).
I went but went to the Pat McGrane stand and it was fine but it was really obvious the same louts were back this year.

No respect for the minutes silence or anthem for a start.

Personally I would now avoid the hill in Clones (although I do get the impression that it's mostly Armagh fans)

Go in the Roslea road entrance and either sit behind the goals or stand on that side of the Hill, then no bother.

It's a whole load of games to whittle the number of teams down from 16 to 12. And when the draw is made you will be able to predict the 4 teams who will be eliminated with a fair degree of certainty. The main interest will centre around which teams top their groups. 

That's true, because after last year, we all now realise what an advantage finishing top appears to be.

I said last year, if additional jeopardy is needed, we could have the four group winners and the best 2nd place team all progress directly to the quarters. The third place team with the worst record would be eliminated - that should mean little or no dead rubbers.

I'd also tweak it by giving the provincial winners and the 4 top league places (who weren't provincial winners) two home games and get rid of the neutral ground game - this would provide better incentives for provincial winners and league placings. It would also boost attendances as the neutral games last year were very poorly attended iirc.

But this scheme basically advantages Dublin and Kerry, if they didn't have enough advantages.

Drunken louts can have loyalty too

And could well have been at all the league games

I just don't think that someone interested enough to go to all the league games would get absolutely pissed before the game.

Clarification

seeing drunken louts at a GAA game sickens me.

My apologies, I misunderstood.

When it comes to Armagh matches would the worst of the offenders in terms of the drunken louts be from a certain part of the County (near the M1)?  Previous experience would lead me to believe this is the case but I am happy to be proven wrong.

A south Armagh person would want to be sober enough to watch the game.

It's a whole load of games to whittle the number of teams down from 16 to 12. And when the draw is made you will be able to predict the 4 teams who will be eliminated with a fair degree of certainty. The main interest will centre around which teams top their groups. 

If the last 16 went to straight knock out or even a back door system where you can lose 1 game it'd be far better. Could end up with a group of Dublin, Donegal/Armagh, Derry and Cork which would be very strong. Obviously everyone will want to avoid the Connacht and Ulster runners up.

Were this to happen, Dublin would have Derry in Croke Park, Armagh would be away to Derry    but would get Dublin in a neutral venue. We might have a chance against Cork at home.

[that busloads of drunken louts did not.]

Will the final in Clones be a sell out?

Of course it will! Why wouldn't it?

it would be nice if they could ensure that all persons who attended league games got a ticket and that busloads of drunken louts did not.

In this day and age it wouldn't be hard to have some kind of loyalty scheme going surely?

Seeing that type of shite sickens me.

Do you own a bus or an off-licence?

Will the final in Clones be a sell out?

Of course it will! Why wouldn't it?

it would be nice if they could ensure that all persons who attended league games got a ticket and that busloads of drunken louts did not.

Thomas Niblock has called it a phenomenal performance from Down on Twitter.

Lol. Complete nonsense. Armagh were brutal but got away with it because they're levels above the Down team they played. Not much more do it.

Let's hope that's their low point and that they perform fully to their level from here on.

On a sourer note, the actions of the armagh contingent on the hill is becoming a black mark against the county.

Riot police had their hands full all afternoon. An embarrassment and unlikely even affiliated with any clubs.

Stay well clear ulster final day!

The jeering during the National Anthem was not something that you would see in the Athletic Grounds, even in a full house.

There will be a move to fix Dublin at some stage.  Maybe more teams instead of 1.

If the GAA were to split Dublin they would be abandoning the "county team" model for national competitions. What would replace that model?

The GAA also used a parish model, which Dublin ignored.These things are useful as far as they are useful, and can be changed. Most counties remain a useful unit, Dublin should have several teams and there is a case for a Belfast team and possibly a Cork city one