Premier Class - GAA 2017

[elguapo4]

Mayo only score 1.12 in 70 minutes to draw with Derry then they score 1.9 in 20 minutes extra time to win comfortably, they'll have to improve a lot if they want to around when it matters

[anton pulisov]

Dublin hurling boss complains of having to play Tipp in Semple Stadium.

He says a neutral ground would be better.

Hahahahahahaha.

[elguapo4]

True, sometimes you need to count to ten before you speak, he's getting slaughtered for it by everyone

[Diable Rouge]

Away this weekend, so a rare Thursday preview:

Round 3A Qualifiers:

Clare v Mayo:

The Banner showed their improved football credentials, with a ten-point demolition of a feeble Laois outfit, and Cusack Park is always a formidable venue. Mayo struggled to dispatch Derry in Castlebar, and their shooting remains wayward, but should have enough quality to progress.

Meath v Donegal:

Hard to get a read on either side, with neither setting the world alight at the weekend. Nevertheless, no one wanted the Tír Chonaill men in Monday's draw, and they have the more reliable forwards.

Round 2B Qualifiers:

Monaghan v Wexford:

The Farney County were most disappointing against Down, but the fourth-tier Yellowbellies shouldn't be in the same class.

Cavan v Tipperary:

If this game occurred in 2016, the Premier would be favourites, but shorn of vital squad members, they may have to yield to the Breffnimen.

Leitrim v Carlow:

The Leinster side have proved more impressive in the Championship to date, and get the nod.

Westmeath v Armagh:

Probably the tightest game to call, but Armagh were fierce competitors against Down, and should have the edge here.

Connacht SFC Final: Galway v Roscommon

History beckons for the Tribesmrn in the form of a unique cross-provincial double, and Roscommon's 2017 form to date suggests their challenge will be akin to Cork's last Sunday.

[Diable Rouge]

Munster SHC Final: Cork v Clare

A most unexpected pairing - not so much with the Banner, after the U21 managerial duo injected fresh life into the class of 2013, but Cork have literally come from nowhere. Much like 1999, youth may give the Rebels an edge.

Round 2 Qualifiers:

Waterford v Kilkenny:

Never have the Cats looked so vulnerable, and indeed, there is an aura of Kerry circa 1987-89 surrounding Cody and his squad. Waterford looked in fine fettle against Offaly and will finally break their 58-year hoodoo on Saturday.

Dublin v Tipperary:

Nominally a neutral encounter, but the game does go ahead in Thurles. If one went purely on form, then the Dubs certainly look a lot less laboured than the Premier, but the latter's depth and quality should see them make the quarter-final draw (they could play Clare if the side loses on Sunday, so not automatically Wexford).

[elguapo4]

Roscommon upset the odds by comfortably beating Galway in the Connaught football final, Cork beat Clare in the Munster hurling final (yawn )

[anton pulisov]

[Diable Rouge]

When the footballers stop doing Accrington Stanley impressions, THEN it'll be time to panic!

[Kevin S]

http://www.northernirelandscreen.co....me-bbc-two-ni/

Just watched the first part of this documentary from the BBC. Highly recommended.

[Kevin S]

Sort of working out how these championships fit together (sorry, layman here). The provincial championships are knockouts and how far you get determines your stage of entry for the All Ireland, yes?

And winning a Championship appears to be a huge deal, with winning the All Ireland being a monster deal.

The National League is a divisonal thing, which presumably gives you sufficient bread and butter fixtures over the year (but is not as prestigious?).

The Ulster Senior Football Championship final is at 2pm on Sunday, Tyrone v Down. I think it's live on BBC Two NI, but previous matches don't seem to be on iPlayer, so perhaps the Beeb's rights don't extend to digital.

[anton pulisov]

Sort of working out how these championships fit together (sorry, layman here). The provincial championships are knockouts and how far you get determines your stage of entry for the All Ireland, yes?

And winning a Championship appears to be a huge deal, with winning the All Ireland being a monster deal.

The National League is a divisonal thing, which presumably gives you sufficient bread and butter fixtures over the year (but is not as prestigious?).

The Ulster Senior Football Championship final is at 2pm on Sunday, Tyrone v Down. I think it's live on BBC Two NI, but previous matches don't seem to be on iPlayer, so perhaps the Beeb's rights don't extend to digital.

The National League has the equivalent prestige as winning the charity shield in English soccer. It's basically just an off-season competition to keep players in shape.

The big prize is to be All-Ireland champion, which is like being Premier League champion.

The provincial championships used to have the same prestige as, say, the FA Cup. But that was back when only the provincial champions made it to the All-Ireland Championship. Now they let multiple provincial runners up into the All-Ireland championship, like with the Champions League. So the provincial championships would now be equivalent in prestige to winning the League Cup. Also, the provincial championships have become even more farcical of late, with Galway hurlers competing in Leinster, because there aren't enough good hurling counties in Connaught for Galway to play against. So Galway are the current champions of Leinster, which is like Exeter becoming champions of Scotland.

The provincial championships made sense back when travelling around the country was very difficult. They need to scrap them and replace them with a proper All-Ireland knockout system from the very start... but.. you know... the GAA likes to stick to tradition. Especially the tradition of making money.

[Diable Rouge]

Sort of working out how these championships fit together (sorry, layman here). The provincial championships are knockouts and how far you get determines your stage of entry for the All Ireland, yes?

And winning a Championship appears to be a huge deal, with winning the All Ireland being a monster deal.

The National League is a divisonal thing, which presumably gives you sufficient bread and butter fixtures over the year (but is not as prestigious?).

The Ulster Senior Football Championship final is at 2pm on Sunday, Tyrone v Down. I think it's live on BBC Two NI, but previous matches don't seem to be on iPlayer, so perhaps the Beeb's rights don't extend to digital.

The Ulster Championship rights only extend to NI, as Sky has the GB rights to games, which presumably is why the games can't go on iPlayer. The League means little to the major footballing powers, such as Kerry and Dublin, but for the counties in the lower divisions, it counts as the vast majority of games they'll be involved in for the year. Similarly, the joy gained from the provincial championships depends on the rarity of success, so while routine for Tyrone, Mayo among others, it's a huge accomplishment for Roscommon.

[Kevin S]

Thanks both!

Looking at the Ulster Championship, they seem to play it at Monaghan's St Tiernach's Park all the time, and did this even in 2015 when Monaghan were in the final (which they won).

Seems a bit odd that they don't move it to a different ground when Monaghan are in the final, as Casement and Breffni both also look big enough.

I presume this is similar to what the Dublin hurling coach was getting upset about up the page?

[anton pulisov]

I presume this is similar to what the Dublin hurling coach was getting upset about up the page?

Yes. But the irony in his complaining is that the Dublin GAA teams always enjoy home advantage for the later stages of the All-Irelands, because all those matches are played in Croke Park.

[Diable Rouge]

Clones is largely a legacy of the Troubles, when it was considered safer to play most matches in the Republic, so Casement Park was only refurbished lately, and the modern Breffni Park is similarly recent.

Ulster SFC Final: Tyrone v Down

Roscommon's unlikely success has breathed new life into the ailing provincial football championships, but arguably has lessened Down's prospects of an upset. The Red Hand County continue to unearth youthful talent on an annual basis, and their consistency should see Tyrone retain the Anglo-Celt Cup.

Leinster SFC Final: Dublin v Kildare

It has been seven years since the Dubs received a meaningful challenge within the province, though the Lilywhites should at least restrict the three-in-a-row contenders to a single-digit victory margin. Most pundits continue to consider the battle for Sam to be a two-horse race, but it remains to be seen how much will be learnt about Jim Gavin's side after Sunday.

All-Ireland Qualifiers - Round 3B:

Tipperary v Armagh:

Revenge will be on the mind of the Orchard County, after the Munster county deprived them of promotion thanks to a last-gasp Quinlivan goal in April. Victory over Cavan demonstrated the Premier's mental stamina, and they should prevail again tomorrow.

Carlow v Monaghan:

The only other Leinster county remaining in the Championship, Carlow have been somewhat fortunate to have drawn two Division Four opponents to reach this point. Monaghan, in contrast, were ruthless against Wexford, and shoukd win handsomely.

[elguapo4]

I'll miss the qualifiers, they're always one of my favourite parts of the season with unusual pairings who rarely play each other and the chance of an upset, it's like the 3rd Round of the F.A cup

[Diable Rouge]

A slight shock in Semple, as Armagh come back from a four-point deficit to eliminate Tipp, even if Paddy Nealon certainly couldn't be called a homer!

[elguapo4]

Solid wins for Dublin and Tyrone today, the this year's winner will come from the two of them or Kerry. Decent performance by Kildare, nobody will fancy them in the last qualifier

[Diable Rouge]

This weekend could well be considered the "real start" of the Championship, with no makeweights, and pure knockout fare.

All-Ireland Hurling QFs:

Clare v Tipperary:

Cork pioneered soulless, industrial suburban stadia 20 years before the Premier League, though presumably the reboot will have better cloud cover and less cramped seating. As for the game, Clare remain consistently inconsistent, and a gradual progression in form sees the Premier as favourites to advance.

Waterford v Wexford:

A needly South-East derby, even if the provincial set-up has made the defunct Oireachtas tournament their most usual clashes. Derek McGrath faced criticism for the catenaccio style of 2016, but has made his side more expansive now, while Davy Fitz has got the most out of Lee Chin and Conor McDonald. The Déise's eye-catching display against Kilkenny suggests they should have the competitive edge here.

[Diable Rouge]

All-Ireland Round 4A Football Qualifiers:

Cork v Mayo:

The Westerners return to Limerick, the scene of their epic, yet controversial semi-final against Kerry in 2014. To date, they have underwhelmed this year against Galway and Derry, though their Clare display suggests a gradual upturn. Cork have been feeble, to be generous, in recent years, and would require the performance of a decade to cause an upset here.

Galway v Donegal:

Game of the week perhaps, as two counties that had targeted a QF spot enter the last-chance saloon. Both have disappointed in comparison to their League form, with the Tribesmen's capitulation to Roscommon particularly baffling. The Ulstermen are more consistent, and having come through a tight contest against Meath, should have the experience to prevail.

[Diable Rouge]

Lively start in Cork - Clare get two quick goals to level Tipp's early advantage (2-3 to 0-9), though the Banner have been very wasteful with their chances.

[Diable Rouge]

Tipp starting to pull away now - 0-16 to 2-5 at the break.

[elguapo4]

Pairc Ui Chaoimh looks impressive as well, has to be an improvement on the old place which was a bit of a dump

[Diable Rouge]

Rather odd game at the finish, with Tipp prevailing 0-28 to 3-16, they had been seven ahead midway through the second half before being pegged back to the minimum, then moving six clear until Clare got a goal in "garbage time", as SB and UA might describe it.

[elguapo4]

Terrific comeback by Cork, as a Dub there's no love for anything Langer around here but hats off to them, look the stronger team at the finish