Louth and Kildare face-off for last remaining place in race for the Sam Maguire

Set against some of the ever-changing complexities of Gaelic football, the situation facing Louth and Kildare in Tullamore this Sunday could not be more straightforward. Or the consequences of victory or defeat more telling on the rest of their 2025 season.

It’s winner takes all, and no time for losers. The first prize is a place in the Leinster football final, which for both Louth and Kildare carries enough incentive on its own. Louth are chasing a third successive final appearance for the first time in over 100 years; Kildare haven’t won the Leinster title since the turn of the century.

Just as, or perhaps more, importantly the winners will also get the bonus prize of securing the last remaining place in the All-Ireland senior football series and the 16 counties in the race for the Sam Maguire. While the losers will join the other 16 counties that will contest the second-tier Tailteann Cup.

It’s also a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which Louth won by four points in Croke Park, and with that sending Kildare into the Tailteann Cup for the first time. Louth have contested the 16-team All-Ireland senior football series since it began in 2023.

Dean Rock: Louth look to have edge over Kildare in match that will affect future of both

Rural depopulation and holiday homes leave Clare GAA clubs struggling for numbers

Joe Canning: Cork had system failures in discipline and game management - they need a ruthless streak

The winners will face either Dublin or Meath in the Leinster final, but for now all the focus is on Sunday at Glenisk O’Connor Park (2pm). Despite finishing sixth in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League, Louth’s only path to Sam Maguire football this summer is to make that Leinster final given how other provincial pairings have turned out elsewhere. Same for Kildare, who topped Division 3 and lost the final to Offaly.

The 15 teams already qualified for the All-Ireland series are Armagh, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tyrone. These teams are decided principally on the placings in the two top divisions of the Allianz Football League.

Louth's Niall McDonnell saving a shot from Daniel Flynn of Kildare in th 2024 semi-final at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Down qualified as winners of last year’s Tailteann Cup, and could also still make the Ulster football final if they manage to get past Donegal in Clones this Sunday.

Clare, who finished third in Division 3 behind Kildare and Offaly, qualified by virtue of making the Munster football final, and will face Kerry in Killarney on Sunday week, May 4th.

Louth manager Ger Brennan pointed out some of the structural discrepancies after his team overcame Laois in the quarter-final and believes the GAA may need to look again at exactly how the All-Ireland football series teams are decided.

“We all want to play in the All-Ireland series, as do the two teams that played here, and all the other games going on around Leinster,” said Brennan. “If you didn’t finish high enough in your league table then reaching a provincial table is that bit of a carrot.

“Although it is a bit of a lopsided structure when you look at what’s going to come out of Munster, and it’s something they will need to look at going forward. But everyone knows what’s at stake in terms of keeping Sam Maguire status and getting to a Leinster final.”

Louth manager Ger Brennan: he is in his second season as Louth football manager. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Brennan is in his second season as Louth football manager, and the former Dublin All-Ireland winner is also aware of the history at stake on Sunday. When Louth beat Westmeath in the 2010 Leinster semi-final, that set up their first final appearance in 50 years. They last won the title in 1957.

If they beat Kildare this time around it will set up a third successive Leinster final, a feat Louth only achieved once before in history, between 1912 and 1914. They beat Dublin in the 1912 final but lost to Wexford in both 1913 and 1914.

Kildare last qualified for the final in 2022, and last won the Leinster football title in 2000. For Brian Flanagan, in his first season as Kildare manager, there were certainly positives from their 2-17 to 0-21 win over Westmeath in their quarter-final, “just that refusal to lose”, Flanagan said, and “to give ourselves that confidence booster going into the next couple of weeks”.

Last year, while their home ground in Newbridge was being renovated, Kildare played their home Tailteann Cup games at their training centre in Hawkfield, before only a few hundred supporters.

Whoever wins on Sunday will also join Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Tyrone or Armagh, Donegal or Down, and Dublin or Meath as first or second seeds in the All-Ireland series. The draws for the round-robin groups in both the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup competitions will then take place next Tuesday, April 29th.

Kildare manager Brian Flanagan: he is in his first season as Kildare manager. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho

The Tailteann Cup then starts on May 10th/11th, while the race for the Sam Maguire gets under way on the May 17th/18th.

New York also join in the Tailteann Cup in the preliminary quarter-final stage. Whoever loses between Louth and Kildare will be among the top seeds in the Tailteann Cup draw, along with Offaly, Westmeath and Fermanagh. Sligo, Laois, Wexford and Limerick will be second seeds, the third seeds consisting of Antrim, Leitrim, Wicklow and Carlow.

Kildare v Louth: Last five Championship meetings

2024: Louth 0-17 Kildare 0-13 (Leinster Semi-Final)

2022: Kildare 2-22 Louth 0-12 (Leinster Quarter-Final)

2014: Kildare 1-22 Louth 1-7 (Leinster Quarter-Final)

2013: Kildare 1-19 Louth 0-15 (All-Ireland Qualifier)

2010: Louth 1-22 Kildare 1-16 (Leinster Quarter-Final)