All Ireland Championship 2025.

[Armagh18]

All of these group games to lose 4 teams.

Probably Cavan, Derry, Clare will be 3 of them.

There will be some good ties on the face of it and winning the group is an advantage but they aren't exactly do or die and that's what brings the crowds.

Our draw against Galway last year felt like a win in a do or die game. Left us top of the group and avoiding a tougher quarter final, who knows how we would have fared in a prelim and then against Dublin.

[Mario]

All of these group games to lose 4 teams.

Probably Cavan, Derry, Clare will be 3 of them.

There will be some good ties on the face of it and winning the group is an advantage but they aren't exactly do or die and that's what brings the crowds.

Our draw against Galway last year felt like a win in a do or die game. Left us top of the group and avoiding a tougher quarter final, who knows how we would have fared in a prelim and then against Dublin.

In the 2 years of this format only 2 of the 8 semi finalists have come through the prelim qf route and 1 of the 4 finalists. It's a big advantage topping the group and getting a rest. No jeopardy is nonsense.

[Milltown Row2]

Pointless competition this group game thingy.. provincial winners should go straight to semifinals

Everyone else fights it out for a place in the semi finals

Just extending things for no reason..

[flowerpot]

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ is the reason.

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Pointless competition this group game thingy.. provincial winners should go straight to semifinals

Everyone else fights it out for a place in the semi finals

Just extending things for no reason..

Not sure that would work for a number of reasons.

There are 4 provincial winners so there would be no more places in a semi finals to be fought for if all 4 provincial winners were fast tracked to a semi.

[meatsy86]

Pointless competition this group game thingy.. provincial winners should go straight to semifinals

Everyone else fights it out for a place in the semi finals

Just extending things for no reason..

I think you mean Quarter Finals.

If Provincial winners go straight to semi-finals there's no room for anyone else.

[David McKeown]

It would also mean a very long break between provincial final and quarter final. As you would need at least two if not three matches in between if you had 8 or 12 other teams competing to play the provincial winners.

[galwayman]

Why the f**k do they do this draw before the provincial finals.
Like some teams know they get an easier group (on paper I know) if they lose their provincial final.
Madness.

[Milltown Row2]

Pointless competition this group game thingy.. provincial winners should go straight to semifinals

Everyone else fights it out for a place in the semi finals

Just extending things for no reason..

I think you mean Quarter Finals.

If Provincial winners go straight to semi-finals there's no room for anyone else.

Yes, sorry, quarters

[Rossfan]

We had that and weren't happy. One reason was Dublin and Kerry in effect getting automatic entry to last 8.
 
51% voted for a "flawed concept"
Large cohort of the 49% said they wanted change but not that change.
Then the present system was voted in by over 90%.

Jeopardy Jarlath came along and said that had to go.
The new "sigerson" system for 2026 was voted in by over 90%.

Maybe like the hurley crowd we might one day hit on an excellent system by accident.

[meatsy86]

Why the f**k do they do this draw before the provincial finals.
Like some teams know they get an easier group (on paper I know) if they lose their provincial final.
Madness.

I don't think any team in a Provincial Final over the next 2 weekends will be going out to lose it to get into an "easier group". Take Armagh for example. You have 6 maybe 7 players in the last 12-18 months of their inter-county careers and yes they have an All-Ireland medal in their back pockets but haven't a single Ulster Title between them. Can't see them boys going out to lose an Ulster Final. Same goes for Mayo and Galway, silverware is silverware at the end of the day as are local bragging rights. Its fantastical to think any county team or player would throw a Provincial Final just to play in a so-called easier group. Runners up in Connacht have to travel Tyrone, Runners Up in Ulster have to travel to Dublin. You wouldn't fancy either of them.

[thewobbler]

I've looked at the groups a dozen times since yesterday and for the life of me I can't work out why G4 is being labelled a "group of death", but not G1.

Have people not been paying attention to the recent decline of Dublin and Derry?

[Armagh18]

Why the f**k do they do this draw before the provincial finals.
Like some teams know they get an easier group (on paper I know) if they lose their provincial final.
Madness.

Yeah said the same the other day. Detracts from what should be 3 excellent finals

[mouview]

I've looked at the groups a dozen times since yesterday and for the life of me I can't work out why G4 is being labelled a "group of death", but not G1.

Have people not been paying attention to the recent decline of Dublin and Derry?

Cavan in G1 would be seen to be the weakest team overall though. Should Galway win on Sunday, they'd be at home to Dublin first; not an easy start against a county with whom they have an atrocious record. Away to a revenge-seeking Derry (who weren't that bad v Donegal) wouldn't be much easier, and a neutral-venue game v Donegal/Armagh, maybe needing a result to progress, would be tough as well. No gimmes in G4.

[flowerpot]

Why the f**k do they do this draw before the provincial finals.
Like some teams know they get an easier group (on paper I know) if they lose their provincial final.
Madness.

Yeah said the same the other day. Detracts from what should be 3 excellent finals

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