Messages

Clare (bonus)
Waterford

Rackard Cup Semis:

Sligo v Fingal (or North Dublin)

Monaghan v Louth

Any predictions?

Not the last Connacht team. Sligo play North Dublin (Fingal is a misnomer) in the Rackard Cup semi Well done to Mayo and Derry.

Waterford (bonus)
Galway (bonus)

[cross]

Sorry Carnaross but as Hardstation pointed out only highlighting a rare error. Maybe Carnacross is a better name considering the tone of your response. Thanks Mayo for the work to date. Was just wondering what the scoring system is for bonus, etc.

Think these scores are incorrect  Mayo. Carnacross went from 13 to 20 in one week. Hoever he got the Limerick bonus incorrect. can you explain the scoring again please.

Draw made in Croke Park:

NICKY RACKARD CUP QUARTER-FINALS -
Fingal v Leitrim, Parnell Park, 3pm
South Down v Louth, Newry, 1pm
Monaghan v Cavan, Clones, 1pm
Sligo v Tyrone, Markievicz Park, 3pm

South Down or "Non-Ards" against Louth should be the tie of the round. Monaghan and Fingal look to have easy enough draw. Sligo and Tyrone should also be tight. Predictions?
Any odds available?

From BreakingNews.ie:

Next Saturday will see an incredible 23 senior inter-county football and hurling matches take place around the country, including the All-Ireland SHC qualifier double header of Cork against Galway and Waterford playing Offaly in Thurles.

The recently redeveloped Semple Stadium will play host to the two fourth phase qualifiers, which were teed up at last evening's draw in Limerick.

The Waterford/ Offaly game will get things rolling at 5pm and the Cork/Galway clash has a 7pm throw-in. Both games will be broadcast live on RTE.

Increasing the expected drama and tension, there will be extra-time if necessary in all 23 of Saturday's senior fixtures.

Saturday afternoon and evening will see all eight of the All-Ireland football first round qualifier matches take place.

The pick of those games, the all-Ulster meeting of Monaghan and Derry at Clones will be shown live by TV3 (throw-in 3pm).

Elsewhere, recently dethroned Connacht champions Sligo will take on London in the first round of the Tommy Murphy Cup.

The second tier football competition also has three other games down for decision including the clash of Waterford and last year's winners Wicklow.

Meanwhile, the hurlers of Antrim and Laois will slug it out on Saturday afternoon in their Liam McCarthy Cup relegation play-off tie.

The losers of that game will face another play-off against the 2008 Christy Cup champions to decide who will feature in next year's Liam McCarthy Cup competition.

Also on the hurling front on Saturday, the quarter-finals in the Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup will be played out.

Last year's finalists, Westmeath and Kildare, will square off in the last-eight of the Ring Cup, while there are four Ulster teams, including South Down, left in contention in the Rackard Cup.

The newly-formed Fingal side will be hoping to maintain their run in the competition when they entertain Leitrim at Parnell Park.

Interestingly, none of the remaining teams have won the Rackard Cup to date. Louth came closest when they lost to London in the inaugural 2005 final.

Sunday's GAA action - just the Leinster and Ulster football finals - is relatively sedate when compared with Saturday's blitz of games.

GAA - WEEKEND'S FIXTURES:

SATURDAY, JULY 19:

FOOTBALL:

GAA FOOTBALL ALL-IRELAND SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS - ROUND 1 - Limerick v Meath, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm Longford v Laois, Pearse Park, 7pm Kildare v Cavan, Newbridge, 7pm Offaly v Down, Tullamore, 7pm Louth v Tyrone, Drogheda, 7pm Tipperary v Westmeath, Ardfinnan, 3pm Donegal v Roscommon, Ballybofey, 5pm Monaghan v Derry, Clones, 3pm (live TV3)

TOMMY MURPHY CUP -
ROUND 1 -
London v Sligo, Ruislip, throw-in tbc
Antrim v Carlow, Casement Park, 3.30pm
Clare v Leitrim, Ennis, 7pm
Wicklow v Waterford, Aughrim, 7pm

HURLING:

GAA HURLING ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS - ROUND 4 - Waterford v Offaly, Thurles, 5pm (live RTE) Cork v Galway, Thurles, 7pm (live RTE)

GAA HURLING ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP RELEGATION PLAY-OFF - Antrim v Laois, Pairc Tailteann, 2.30pm

CHRISTY RING CUP QUARTER-FINALS -
Wicklow v Mayo, Aughrim, 5pm
Down v Derry, Newry, 3pm
Kerry v Carlow, Tralee, 3pm
Kildare v Westmeath, Newbridge, 5pm

NICKY RACKARD CUP QUARTER-FINALS -
Fingal v Leitrim, Parnell Park, 3pm
South Down v Louth, Newry, 1pm
Monaghan v Cavan, Clones, 1pm
Sligo v Tyrone, Markievicz Park, 3pm

SUNDAY, JULY 20:

FOOTBALL:

ULSTER GAA FOOTBALL SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL - Fermanagh v Armagh, Clones, 2pm (live TV3)

LEINSTER GAA FOOTBALL SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL - Dublin v Wexford, Croke Park, 4pm (live RTE)

The draw is to made at 10am tomorrow (monday). The top teams in the four groups (Fingal, Monaghan, South Down and Sligo) will get home advantage next Saturday over a second place team (Louth, Tyrone, Leitrim and Cavan). Draw will ensure that teams from the same groups are separated. Semi-finals for sat week drawn on the same basis with home advantage to the first team out.

Some fancied teams (Donegal, Longford) are out with Cavan and Leitrim the suprise quarter-finalists.

Cork (bonus)
Offaly (bonus)
Tipperary.

Antrim
Galway (bonus)
Wexford

Would agree with nrico's predictions for the Rackard Cup games this weekend. No mention of them on P241 of Aertel. Tyrone beat a very understrength Donegal team last weekend short of 6 starting players. The Fingal v Longford game will be interesting in what is probably the group of death as louth (Div3 Champs) are also in this section.
Fingal seem to have a fair smattering of ex-Dublin minors and U-21's in their ranks and could be the improving team if they overcome Longford.
Heard that Warwickshire have one or two useful new recruits. Expect that all of the British teams will improve with emigration increasing.

Some close games in the First round apart from Sligo's 14 point defeat of Cavan.

From rte.ie

"In the Ulster derby in Letterkenny, Tyrone pipped their provincial rivals Donegal by 2-12 to 2-11 to start their Nicky Rackard Cup Group 3C campaign on a winning note.

Corner forward Peter O'Connor picked off Tyrone's two goals, with both of them scored early in the first half.

The throw-in had to be delayed by 20 minutes as a crash in Strabane had caused a traffic tail-back which the Red Hands' coach was caught up in.

Although they shot into a 2-01 to 0-02 lead, Tyrone were only 2-08 to 2-07 ahead the break as Donegal bagged goals through Kevin and Niall Campbell.

However, the Tir Chonaill men, who lost the 2006 Rackard Cup final, were still behind by the minimum by the time referee Owen Elliot blew for full-time.

Goals win games and Sligo hit Cavan for three at Markievicz Park as the hosts beat the Breffni men by 3-15 to 1-07 in Group 3D.

Cavan got off to a perfect start with Philip Brady accounting for the visitors' goal, but a quick hat-trick - with Aidan Walsh, Joe Bannerton and Paul Severs each raising a green flag - ensured that Sligo held a 3-10 to 1-05 interval lead.

In a low-scoring second half, Sligo's defence stood firm with half-back Walter Gill giving a strong display while Sligo captain Damien Burke contributed five points.

In Group 3B, South Down opened the competition with a 3-16 to 2-16 win over Leitrim in Newry.

Referee Tommy McIntyre ensured a 30-minute delay to the start of what proved to be a cracking game of hurling at Pairc Esler, after the Antrim official was caught up in traffic.

Leitrim got stuck in early on and led by 2-11 to 1-07 at the interval thanks to goals from Clement Cunniffe and Liam Byrnes, with Eoin McGuinness registering the hosts' first half goal.

However, South Down came into their own in the second half, with Liam Morgan scoring a goal within two minutes of the restart.

Although defender Michael Poniard replied for Leitrim, the Mourne men scored eight points without reply to take a two-point lead and they cemented the win with a second McGuinness goal.

In Group 3A, Fingal almost got their first ever Nicky Rackard Cup campaign off to a historic start, but Louth held enough in resolve to finish as 1-13 to 0-14 winners at Dundalk.

Fingal led by 0-09 to 0-02 after 15 minutes, having relied heavily on free-taker Emmet McCabe, who slotted over seven first half frees, but Louth cut the gap to two points by the interval.

Diarmuid Murphy and goalkeeper Stephen Smith were among those who performed strongly for the hosts, and it was a goal from substitute Ronan Byrne with his first touch, which stole the win for Louth."

Longford and Monaghan had byes and could be possible quarter-finalists, though Longford seem to have major County Board problems with club championship football fixtures on next weekend.
Would say the potential quarter-finalists are Group A: Louth and Fingal, Group B: South Down and Fermanagh, Group C: Tyrone and Donegal/Monaghan, and Group D: Sligo and Warwickshire.

Anyone at any of the games?

Antrim (no bonus)

This is typical Loughnane territory. The thing is he has never had any respect for Ulster hurling. Remember a comment about the inexperienced umpires from Antrim not having enough experience to make a correct decision when Keith Higgins from mayo was wrongly judged to have a goal ruled out for a square ball. he was very disingenuous in front of the cameras.
Last year when Antrim was putting it up to galway in Pearse stadium, apparently a Galway player questioned why a British player was trying to play hurling and came out with bigotted taunts, Pinky responded with a chop and was sent off.

We have to learn that this lowest form of sc**bag sledging will occur whenever Loughnane and others from the  "stronger" counties play in the McCarthy, but it should never be condoned and if it happens again  the GAA should take action against what amounts to bigotry and incitement. Remember the case when Darren Graham was subjected to alleged abuse in his own county.