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Travel mix ups happen all the time, as a kid we arrived in Ballyfarnon for a match only to be greeted by St Ronans and Western Gaels players and management wondering what the f**k we were doing there. We went north instead of south to Ballyforan !! Thankfully management found a payphone in a pub ( the joy of the early 90's!)  and explained all and we played the game the next day.  No need to worry about Roscommon CCCC or any other bolloxology, just played the game although their two best players went on holidays that Sunday morning 

As someone living in Meath with 2 kids in the Colmcilles academy, it is noticeable the level of interest and the number of Meath jerseys that showed up at hurling training, the Monday night after the win against Dublin.  It doesn't hurt that we are beside Drogheda and a good local rivalry exists.  My 6 year keeps asking is he a Royal now, I have been trying to tell him he is one since birth but its starting to impact on his consciousness.

The lack of flags up etc is a still strange for me coming from Roscommon but its not a huge surprise none of my kids friends parents are from Meath originally and my wife considers herself a Dub even if she lived in Bettystown since she was 11!.

Down v Monaghan  - Armagh
Clare (more than likely)  v Louth/Meath - Tullamore
Armagh/Donegal v Mayo/Galway -  Roscommon
Tyrone v Cavan - Enniskillen
Mayo/Galway v Armagh/Donegal - Roscommon
Dublin v Derry - Clones
Roscommon v Cork - Thurles with hurling match
Louth/Meath v Kerry (more the likely) - Portlaoise

Division 2 finals are normally played Sunday before the Division 1 final but not this time with it set for Saturday at 7:15pm. Roscommon travelling to London a few days later probably played a big part there.

More likely Kildare and Offaly will bring a big support on Sunday along with Mayo and semi fill Croke Park.

Wexford v Limerick will have a small attendance, I cant see loads of Monaghan and Roscommon folk flooding Croke Park on a saturday night in March either. I live close enough so I will go but rather if we had played on the Sunday.

I would definitely bring in a back court style rule once you've crossed half or maybe the 45 yard line you cant bring the ball back over the line again and the penalty for doing so is a 20m free in front of the posts.

Once a player has control of the ball to allow for breaking ball around the half way line, the rule comes into play.

I'm happy to put on a small bet the game will not throw at 5pm !

If the GAA want casual fans to go then it's a stupid time. I'll be there as always for a Roscommon game but I'll be watching something else before hand having a pint. Will 15k even attend the game ?

There was 30K at the game last year and it included the Dublin v Galway Leinster hurling game. There was a decent smattering of maroon around Croke Park that day.

That's a rubbish time for the game. 2 Soccer cup finals on at 3 and rugby at 2.45 the same day. if any go to extra time, Croker will be empty !

I found the question which county do you associate with strange as obviously I am from Roscommon but now have kids playing in Meath. It didn't really give an option for transplants.

It will be interesting to see the results.

[Dublin]

Galway v Dublin
Tyrone v Monaghan
Roscommon v Kerry
Mayo v Derry

Armagh v Cavan
Kildare v Donegal
Meath v Cork
Louth v Fermanagh

Wicklow v Limerick
Clare v Antrim
Sligo v Offaly
Westmeath v Down

London v Waterford - DRAW
Laois v Leitrim
Tipperary v Wexford - DRAW
Longford v Carlow

[Derry]

Derry v Dublin
Mayo v Roscommon
Kerry v Tyrone
Monaghan v Galway

Fermanagh v Armagh
Cavan v Meath DRAW
Donegal v Louth
Cork v Kildare

Limerick v Clare
Antrim v Westmeath
Down v Sligo
Offaly v Wicklow

Carlow v Wexford
Laois v London
Tipperary v Waterford
Longford v Leitrim DRAW

[Mayo]

Tyrone v Mayo
Dublin v Kerry
Galway v Derry - DRAW
Roscommon v Monaghan

Fermanagh v Cork
Louth v Cavan
Meath v Kildare
Armagh v Donegal -  DRAW

Down v Offaly
Clare v Wicklow
Sligo v Antrim
Westmeath v Limerick

Wexford v Waterford
Longford v London
Carlow v Leitrim
Tipperary v Laois - DRAW

[Derry]

Derry v Monaghan
Dublin v Roscommon
Kerry v Mayo
Tyrone v Galway DRAW

Donegal v Fermanagh
Cork v Cavan
Meath v Louth
Kildare v Armagh

Antrim v Down
Limerick v Sligo
Offaly v Clare DRAW
Wicklow v Westmeath

Waterford v Longford
Laois v Carlow
London v Tipperary
Leitrim v Wexford DRAW

[Derry]

Kerry v Derry
Dublin v Monaghan
Galway v Mayo - Draw
Tyrone v Roscommon

Meath v Fermanagh
Kildare v Cavan
Armagh v Louth
Donegal v Cork

Limerick v Antrim
Clare v Sligo - Draw
Offaly v Westmeath
Wicklow v Down

Laois v Longford
Tipperary v Carlow - Draw
London v Wexford
Waterford v Leitrim

Well expenses are usually tax free but I wonder do managers report the free sponsored cars etc and other benefit in kind they get which may be taxable.

Also surely central council and the DG have the right to investigate county finances etc It would be a brave delegate to a county board seeking a breakdown to the costs.

Anecdote I heard before was one county manager is a quantity surveyor and managed to get a contract with the county board for QS services on a redevelopment project which surprisingly wasn't renewed a few weeks after he was let go. Whilst he paid contracts tax he also managed a much more inflated fee to take account of the tax issue and got his regular expenses too.   

Reading it back in my day job capacity as the PM for major Construction projects in a government dept. down south involved in tendering etc, those timelines are wildly optimistic and unrealistic even before you get an interdepartmental and cross border steering group involved along with other stakeholders and the amount of paperwork and governance DPER will require. Construction inflation is dipping slowly but all pretender estimates have been wildly optimistic the last few competitions.

Any extra's or variations or cost orders will bogged down in paperwork and bureaucracy.