Football qualifier route 2019

[BennyCake]

It's an awful lot of football to play just to eliminate 4 teams. (Or it's actually a great way to squeeze more money out of us idiots who go to these games).

It's the bit in brackets.

[Blowitupref]

The likely super 8 groups after that round 4 draw.

Donegal
Kerry
Mayo
Meath

Dublin
Tyrone
Roscommon
Cork

Likely All Ireland semi finals

Donegal v Tyrone
Mayo v Dublin

I recall a lot of chaps and pundits predicting a Galway v Mayowestros Conbacht Final

I do love a good underdog story and Roscommon beating Tyrone in round 1 would be memorable one.

Even on the outside chance that Roscommon beat Tyrone in Round 1, I still wouldn't fancy them to qualify.

Dublin will pummel Cork and Roscommon and will go to Omagh miles out in front on scoring difference and guaranteed qualification.

Tyrone would probably eke out a narrow win against a weakened Dublin team and beat Roscommon on scoring difference in a three way tie on four points.

I doubt Dublin will want to finish 2nd in the group and what is a weakened Dublin team?

[BennyCake]

The idea of the super 8s is to get the best 8 teams in there. The reality is, due to the lob sided nature of the provinces and randomness of the draws you have a scenario now where some very average teams like Meath and Clare coukd be in the Super 8s. It will have to be looked at again.

Example Cavan will have to beat Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone to get to it. Clare for example beat Waterford (by a point), Leitrim, Westmeath and Meath.

Says who? the championship is still somewhat of a cup competition (luck of the draw and all that) and the window of opportunity for a underdog story should not be closed shut.  My own view however is that groups for the last 8 is daft.

The underdog story is well and truly gone by the super 8's. A Cavan, Clare, Laois etc just won't be able to cope with 3 games against big teams in 3 weeks. And it gets rid of what the c'ship is all about, even more so than the qualifiers have done.

[laoislad]

The idea of the super 8s is to get the best 8 teams in there. The reality is, due to the lob sided nature of the provinces and randomness of the draws you have a scenario now where some very average teams like Meath and Clare coukd be in the Super 8s. It will have to be looked at again.

Example Cavan will have to beat Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone to get to it. Clare for example beat Waterford (by a point), Leitrim, Westmeath and Meath.

Says who? the championship is still somewhat of a cup competition (luck of the draw and all that) and the window of opportunity for a underdog story should not be closed shut.  My own view however is that groups for the last 8 is daft.

The underdog story is well and truly gone by the super 8's. A Cavan, Clare, Laois etc just won't be able to cope with 3 games against big teams in 3 weeks. And it gets rid of what the c'ship is all about, even more so than the qualifiers have done.

But they have as much right to be there as anyone else, and it is actually what the Championship IS all about imo.

[BennyCake]

The idea of the super 8s is to get the best 8 teams in there. The reality is, due to the lob sided nature of the provinces and randomness of the draws you have a scenario now where some very average teams like Meath and Clare coukd be in the Super 8s. It will have to be looked at again.

Example Cavan will have to beat Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone to get to it. Clare for example beat Waterford (by a point), Leitrim, Westmeath and Meath.

This year's FA cup semi final featured Wolves, Watford and Brighton!

There's nothing you can do to stop smaller teams in a cup stoke competition. It's just the luck of the draw, doesn't mean the system is flawed.

The only way to overcome it is to have a league, which would involve a huge amount of dead rubbers.

The FA Cup is a sideshow - not the primary competition.

The Championship is the primary competition in the GAA and it makes no sense to have teams fluking their way to quarter finals as a result of a handy draw. If Laois make the qualifiers, they will have beaten three teams that will be playing Division 3 football next year.   Mayo have two division 1 teams in a row plus a Division 3 team in the qualifiers.  Had Armagh been in the draw instead of Mayo, that would have been three Division 1 teams in a row in the qualifier draw.

Stronger teams are knocking each other out and as a result we have one Division 3 team (next year's league) who will make the Super 8s.  We will definitely have 1 Division 2 team in the Super 8s.  Let's see how they get on against Dublin. 

I'm not for one sided games and if they have to happen, let's have them in the early rounds of the championship and not in the shop window.

Who? If you're referring to Cork, then you are making a presumption they will beat Laois. Or else you didn't realise Laois are a division 2 team (next year's league!)

Fair enough, but you get the point. And I wouldn't begrudge any county getting a run in the Championship; if you got to the QF, you wouldn't know what is possible in a one-off game.  Look at Fermanagh in 2004, who then went on to draw with Mayo in their only ever AISF.  Armagh, effectively a Division 3 team in 2014 gave Donegal a great game in an AIQF.  To me, that is fantastic, but serious underdogs winning is the exception and in the last 10 years it has become even less likely (would love to see some stats on this).  But sending teams into the Super 8s to get one hammering after another is a form of cruelty.

Yes, one hammering is bad. Three would be so deflating for the progress of any team.

[fearsiuil]

Don't see any double headers because of the teams involved.

Alot of Ros underage games are played in Kiltoom.

This thing about the Hyde being unavailable stems from last year's Connacht Final. It was agreed with Connacht Council/Prenty that another final wouldn't take place there until certain works were completed (Prenty being an ass)
But the Mayo/Galway qualifier game is fixed by Central Council so these apparent remedial works shouldn't be a factor.

Any of these works completed since?

It's irrelevant if they are or not. They are not hindering the holding of this match.... upgrade of surface leading into stadium, upgrade of toilets etc.
They are conditions set by Connacht Council, Prenty just wants to avoid us getting all Connacht Finals.

The actual stadium itself is sound and the playing surface is one of the best around.

Told what needs doing and if done or not is irrelevant? Bizzare logic.

Heard Hyde needed more turnstiles etc as a healrh and safety requirement. Always someone elses fault.

[BennyCake]

What's wrong with Hyde now?
Was the bus parked there too long?

Ah when you win your Provincial you have to do a lot of hanging around waiting for the failures to sort themselves out.
If th'oul Tier 2 gets past Hardstation and Benny the process will be speeded up next year.

@hardstation - do you want the 'Down with this sort of thing' placard, or the 'Careful Now' one?

[Farrandeelin]

What's wrong with Hyde now?
Was the bus parked there too long?

Ah when you win your Provincial you have to do a lot of hanging around waiting for the failures to sort themselves out.
If th'oul Tier 2 gets past Hardstation and Benny the process will be speeded up next year.

@hardstation - do you want the 'Down with this sort of thing' placard, or the 'Careful Now' one?

I'll be behind you both.

[BennyCake]

The idea of the super 8s is to get the best 8 teams in there. The reality is, due to the lob sided nature of the provinces and randomness of the draws you have a scenario now where some very average teams like Meath and Clare coukd be in the Super 8s. It will have to be looked at again.

Example Cavan will have to beat Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone to get to it. Clare for example beat Waterford (by a point), Leitrim, Westmeath and Meath.

Says who? the championship is still somewhat of a cup competition (luck of the draw and all that) and the window of opportunity for a underdog story should not be closed shut.  My own view however is that groups for the last 8 is daft.

The underdog story is well and truly gone by the super 8's. A Cavan, Clare, Laois etc just won't be able to cope with 3 games against big teams in 3 weeks. And it gets rid of what the c'ship is all about, even more so than the qualifiers have done.

But they have as much right to be there as anyone else, and it is actually what the Championship IS all about imo.

Calm down there LL. I didn't say they've no right to be there. It's just when they get there, they are very much up against it.

They may pull off one knock out victory and take out a big gun, but they'll really struggle over 3 games. Plus it gives the big guns a second and third chance.

[irish345]

they trying to copy the champions league the first few years of european cup as champions league had went from straigh knockout to two groups of 4 in the last 8


i think a 16 team tier one with two group stages could work  4 groups of 4 then the 8 qualifiers  go into two groups of 4

[seafoid]

Exciting for who? Kildare and Roscommon were hammered. Go back to straight knockout for quarter finals and scrap the super 8s. We don't have 8 super teams.

very good point

[Over the Bar]

Exciting for who? Kildare and Roscommon were hammered. Go back to straight knockout for quarter finals and scrap the super 8s. We don't have 8 super teams.

very good point

The super 8s was created primarily for 2 reasons:

1. To ensure Dublin could not be caught cold in a one-off game coming out of Leinster and meeting a good team in the quarter finals
2. To give more TV coverage for sponsors which disproportionally benefits Dublin again.

[BennyCake]

Exciting for who? Kildare and Roscommon were hammered. Go back to straight knockout for quarter finals and scrap the super 8s. We don't have 8 super teams.

very good point

The super 8s was created primarily for 2 reasons:

1. To ensure Dublin could not be caught cold in a one-off game coming out of Leinster and meeting a good team in the quarter finals
2. To give more TV coverage for sponsors which disproportionally benefits Dublin again.

I disagree. It's like this:

1. More money

There is no 2.

[shark]

Exciting for who? Kildare and Roscommon were hammered. Go back to straight knockout for quarter finals and scrap the super 8s. We don't have 8 super teams.

very good point

The super 8s was created primarily for 2 reasons:

1. To ensure Dublin could not be caught cold in a one-off game coming out of Leinster and meeting a good team in the quarter finals
2. To give more TV coverage for sponsors which disproportionally benefits Dublin again.

I disagree. It's like this:

1. More money

There is no 2.

Bingo

[meathie]

So confirmed now.
Meath v Clare Portlaoise Sunday 2pm (live RTE)
Tyrone v Cavan Clones saturday 5pm (live sky)
Mayo v Galway Limerick 7pm saturday (live sky)
Cork v Laois Thurles saturday 5pm