All Ireland Championship 2025.

[gallsman]

What province it's in shouldn't matter as long as it's a fair trip to a decent, appropriate stadium for both teams.

Galway City to Cavan is twice the trip it is from Armagh. Carrick is more or less bang in the middle if 10k is sufficient. Moving it to Breffni because it was in Sligo last year would be mad

Some parts of the traditional footballing stronghold of north galway is only 45 minutes from Carrick and 2 hours from Armagh.

Hard to get it right to suit everyone.

And Breffni is an hour from the South Armagh footballing stronghold but over two from Salthill etc etc

Hard to suit everyone as you say but you can objectively find a more balanced option than Breffni

[Armagh18]

My guess

Mayo v Donegal - Breffni Park or Hyde Park
Cavan v Tyrone - Clones or Brewster Park
Kerry v Meath - Portlaoise or Thurles
Roscommon v Cork- Portlaoise or Ennis
Monaghan v Down - Armagh or Omagh
Louth v Clare - Tullamore or Mullingar
Galway v Armagh - Carrick on Shannon or Breffni Park
Dublin v Derry - Clones or Breffni Park

Bound to play Monaghan Down in Armagh?

[greatpoint]

Very poor by Tyrone tonight somewhat lost the run of themselves with that win over Donegal who was a little lost without Patton. Well done Mayo with that win they blow the group wide open.

The win over Donegal and the manner of it cannot be underestimated, both in terms of what it meant to Tyrone and Donegal. Tyrone certainly didn't back it up tonight which is disappointing but they're still a work in progress after a couple of years when they were a rudderless ship. Also missed some key men while blooding some very talented young players - with a lot more to come. And crucially, the narrative that Mayo were done was seriously flawed. Anyone who thought Tyrone had "lost the run of themselves" wasn't seeing the bigger picture

I'm guessing you meant to say 'overestimated' instead of 'underestimated' given the rest of your post.

Plenty did appear to be overestimating the win after last weekend, it wasn't "work in progress" it was "All-Ireland contenders". Funny enough in fairness.

[gallsman]

.

What province it's in shouldn't matter as long as it's a fair trip to a decent, appropriate stadium for both teams.

Galway City to Cavan is twice the trip it is from Armagh. Carrick is more or less bang in the middle if 10k is sufficient. Moving it to Breffni because it was in Sligo last year would be mad

So you do not agree that there should be some balance in these things? I expect it was in Sligo last year because Carrick was not big enough and if a bigger venue is needed this year then Cavan is symmetrical with Sligo last year. One wonders how many 3 ticket packages were purchased for instance, apparently Armagh was the only county where these sold out (which puts into context some other people complaining about cost) and Armagh season ticket holders who might want to go, or perhaps they could just not count this game either when qualifying for AI tickets?

I'm objectively trying to find balance, as I suspect you well know. What happened last year, whether right or wrong, should have no bearing on things. It's pure luck of the draw that they're playing each other the third year running.

In terms of Armagh people who snapped up three game packages, I haven't three foggiest. Maybe you'd gain more insight chatting with some of your fellow county men here who have suggested that given Armagh have first place wrapped up, lots of fans might not be bothered going too the Galway game.

[Blowitupref]

My guess

Mayo v Donegal - Breffni Park or Hyde Park
Cavan v Tyrone - Clones or Brewster Park
Kerry v Meath - Portlaoise or Thurles
Roscommon v Cork- Portlaoise or Ennis
Monaghan v Down - Armagh or Omagh
Louth v Clare - Tullamore or Mullingar
Galway v Armagh - Carrick on Shannon or Breffni Park
Dublin v Derry - Clones or Breffni Park

Those are not guesses - they're options!

A guess at the options.

[armaghniac]

.

What province it's in shouldn't matter as long as it's a fair trip to a decent, appropriate stadium for both teams.

Galway City to Cavan is twice the trip it is from Armagh. Carrick is more or less bang in the middle if 10k is sufficient. Moving it to Breffni because it was in Sligo last year would be mad

So you do not agree that there should be some balance in these things? I expect it was in Sligo last year because Carrick was not big enough and if a bigger venue is needed this year then Cavan is symmetrical with Sligo last year. One wonders how many 3 ticket packages were purchased for instance, apparently Armagh was the only county where these sold out (which puts into context some other people complaining about cost) and Armagh season ticket holders who might want to go, or perhaps they could just not count this game either when qualifying for AI tickets?

I'm objectively trying to find balance, as I suspect you well know. What happened last year, whether right or wrong, should have no bearing on things. It's pure luck of the draw that they're playing each other the third year running.

You can't keep on playing "neutral" games much closer to one team than another, unless you are Dublin.

In terms of Armagh people who snapped up three game packages, I haven't three foggiest. Maybe you'd gain more insight chatting with some of your fellow county men here who have suggested that given Armagh have first place wrapped up, lots of fans might not be bothered going too the Galway game.

They might not go, I might not go myself because of other circumstances. However, can you run a game on the basis that a lot of the ticket holders will not go? I suppose they could use Carrick and tell people to transfer their tickets on Ticketmaster if they were not going, but it is such a shite website that it would be less trouble to drive to Galway.

Edit Galway to Cavan only takes about 15 mins more than Carrick-on-Shannon as you can go via Athlone on the motorway, but it saves 50 mins for Armagh people, who will be the majority of people there.

[cavanmaniac]

J70, I feared once I saw Donegal getting a bit cranky and bringing a bit more heat that it would be the likely cue for our lads to fold. They just haven't the balls or the heart or any core of belief whatsoever, but to be fair it's been hollowed out of them over the years of toiling away and getting nowhere, the reasons for which are multilayered. However, no set of intercounty players worthy of the name, especially of a reasonable calibre and as experienced as Cavan's, should ever be on the end of two such almighty humblings as we've allowed Tyrone and Donegal to inflict. It's gone so bad now that this is allowed to happen and our county, that would once be in uproar over a display like that and talk about nothing else for weeks, will shrug collectively and move on. Hardly a murmur from the small support there today, fewer again the next day v Tyrone. I don't honestly think we can regard ourselves as a proper footballing county any more, so deep has the rot been allowed to take hold that it's met with fatalism and indifference. We need a revolution to sweep the boards clean and begin again but there doesn't even seem to be any acknowledgement this is a crisis.

I sympathize. We were at a generational low just two years ago with the end of Bonner's reign and the appalling football it was producing, then the Paddy Carr fiasco, the Lacey/academy nonsense, the county board audit, and the caretaker campaign where Aidan O'Rourke and Paddy Bradley did their best with a depleted squad but couldn't avoid relegation or a limp exit at home to Tyrone. Not sure what your solution is, or even where we would be now had McGuinness not come back, but you have to get the right people in charge at all levels. Once the public sees a bit of progress and something building, they'll start coming out again.

You've hit the nail square on the head. A county of Cavan's resources and footballing culture should, if only by accident, periodically challenge and threaten the elite. Consider how many counties' fortunes have waxed and waned, enjoying many days in the sun, exactly as you've described Donegal's, while Cavan can't even seem to get a broken clock to be right even twice a day! We have singularly failed to make any national impact since our last All-Ireland final appearance in 1952, with no U21 or minor All-Ireland title in that period either. How in God's name can that be allowed to stand? That's an utterly damning indictment of the stewardship of the county in general and although it's a largely voluntary organisation, with the massive sums of money involved now, there simply has to be more scrutiny and tough questions asked in Cavan about who precisely is responsible for arresting this slide and what their detailed plans are in that regard. Those conversations are simply not happening in Cavan, and never have as far as I can see, with our current CB fully focused on building a shiny new stadium from which our neighbours will primarily benefit in having a lovely spot to play their All-Ireland QFs in, while we perenially fumble about in the Tailteann. It absolutely is about getting the right people in charge and getting it all aligned but that can't happen until you acknowledge there's a huge problem (of which the decision to prematurely appoint Galligan now appears emblematic) and there's no sign of that level of self awareness descending on decision-makers in Cavan. Attendance figures and severe apathy among the Cavan support that did show up is sounding a huge alarm that nobody is heeding and we really might be about to sink lower still.

[gallsman]

You can't keep on playing "neutral" games much closer to one team than another

Fully agree! The logical conclusion following on from that being that Breffni is significantly closer to Armagh than Galway...

[APM]

You can't keep on playing "neutral" games much closer to one team than another

Fully agree! The logical conclusion following on from that being that Breffni is significantly closer to Armagh than Galway...

There is no question about this. The venue should be Cavan Town. Both Carrick and Sligo are twice as close to the nearest point in Galway as they are to the nearest point in Armagh. I know Galway is a much bigger county but it would be very unfair to Armagh followers to take this game back in to Connacht for a third year running. 

[Rossfan]

Play it in feckin Páirc Uí Chaoimh so both Counties can have a good moan

[armaghniac]

You can't keep on playing "neutral" games much closer to one team than another

Fully agree! The logical conclusion following on from that being that Breffni is significantly closer to Armagh than Galway...

Of course it is closer, although as I pointed out the travel time difference is not as great. I said "keep on playing", I did not say that Breffni should inevitably be used for all Armagh-Galway games, but that as it as Sligo last year it is balanced. Perhaps we should just toss for home advantage?

[AnDúnAbú94]

Mayo v Donegal - Breffni Part
Cavan v Tyrone - Brewster Park
Kerry v Meath - Portlaoise
Roscommon v Cork- Ennis
Monaghan v Down - Armagh
Louth v Clare - Tullamore
Galway v Armagh - Mullingar
Dublin v Derry - Newry

Probably wrong to call these predictions because I don't have a clue on that front, it's just what I would do

[tonto1888]

Play it in feckin Páirc Uí Chaoimh so both Counties can have a good moan

Too close to Galway....

[AustinPowers]

Mayo v Donegal - Cavan
Cavan v Tyrone - Enniskillen
Kerry v Meath - Tullamore
Roscommon v Cork- Portlaoise
Monaghan v Down - Armagh
Louth v Clare - Longford
Galway v Armagh - Navan
Dublin v Derry - Newry

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Mayo v Donegal - Cavan
Cavan v Tyrone - Enniskillen
Kerry v Meath - Tullamore
Roscommon v Cork- Portlaoise
Monaghan v Down - Armagh
Louth v Clare - Longford
Galway v Armagh - Navan
Dublin v Derry - Newry

Navan is actually a good shout for Galway Armagh