GAELIC GAMES:THE GAA did give consideration to the dreaded six-day turnaround for defeated teams that right now only the losers of Sunday's Ulster football final between Donegal and Derry must face going into the fourth round of the All-Ireland qualifiers – but the subsequent impact on the All-Ireland quarter-final draw prohibited any further adjustment to the championship schedule.
While the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) confirmed the times and venues for this Saturday’s third round of All-Ireland qualifiers, nothing further has been confirmed for the fourth round – other than three of the four known pairings will take place on Saturday week, at neutral venues.
The spanner in the works is the second-round replay between Wicklow and Armagh, which has also been fixed for this Saturday in Aughrim, with a 7pm start. The winners there will face Tyrone in the third round, which must now be played on Saturday week, July 23rd – which in turn means one of fourth-round qualifiers must also be put back to July 30th.
This, as it turns out, gives the losers of Sunday’s Connacht final between Mayo and Roscommon an extra week to recover, as they drew Tyrone/Wicklow/Armagh in that fourth round. The only immediate loser then would appear to be the defeated team from Sunday’s Ulster final in Clones, who have just six days to get their heads together again for a game against either Meath or Kildare (assuming, of course, that doesn’t go to a reply).
“Consideration was given to this situation,” said Fergal McGill, the head of games administration and player welfare, “but the big problem we faced is the quarter-final draw. Because the team that wins the provincial final cannot play the team they beat, if we don’t play the Donegal or Derry against the Meath or Kildare game on the 23rd then we’d be seriously restricting the qualifier draw, in terms of who can meet who. That’s the problem.
“It’s bad enough that there is one pairing already that we won’t know, which will be the outcome of the Mayo or Roscommon fourth-round game, but it would also take away from any notion of it being an open draw.”
The draw for the All-Ireland quarter-finals will in fact be made on the evening of Sunday, July 24th (with the games then taking place on July 30th/31st and possibly August 1st, the Bank Holiday Monday) although at that stage the winners of the Mayo/Roscommon and Tyrone/Wicklow/Armagh pairing won’t be known, which in turn means one of the quarter-finals will automatically go back a week, to August 6/7th.
“We are conscious of the demands of the six-day turnaround for losing teams. But the provincial councils fix their finals for their own dates, and the opportunity is there for them to fix them differently. But our hands are tied because if we delay any more games it would restrict to the quarter-final draw to an impossible degree.
“It’s already a short turnaround time, but the difference there is they are all winning teams, the provincial champions, and the team that’s just won the fourth round qualifier. Again there shouldn’t be any psychological burden there.
“But what we have done this year, as a way of addressing that six-day turnaround for beaten teams, was to make the third- and fourth-round draws together for the first time, which we did last Sunday. People might say that doesn’t help massively, but at least next Sunday night, when Derry or Donegal lose the Ulster final, they will know in the dressingroom, before they even take to the field, that if they lose then they definitely have a game the following Saturday, and it’s definitely against Meath or Kildare.
“If you like it is more a psychological thing, but we felt it was at least a little fairer. And from speaking with people myself, such as some players from last year, who were in that position, we felt this would help. We don’t necessarily think it’s a physical aspect that affects players.
“It’s the psychological aspect, and most teams that lose a final don’t get back until the Tuesday night. At least leaving the dressing room next Sunday evening the manager and players and all the backroom team will know their fate. They’ll have known it before they went out.”
Sunday’s third- and fourth-round draws didn’t throw up any particularly attractive pairings, beyond the rematch between Meath and Kildare, who already met in the Leinster championship quarter-final , with Kildare winning 0-16 to 0-10. This time, however, Kildare must go into Meath’s den at Páirc Tailteann, where a capacity crowd is expected (the game is also live on RTÉ2).
If Armagh do find a way out of Aughrim on Saturday, they will meet Tyrone on Saturday week – and interestingly that would mean all four of the third round qualifiers will be on provincial lines, as Limerick also drew Waterford, and Antrim drew Down. A win there for Down would set up a fourth-round qualifier meeting against Cork, and with that a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final.
Also confirmed yesterday was the All-Ireland hurling quarter-final double bill for Thurles, on Sunday week, July 24th – a starting with Dublin against Limerick at 2pm, followed by Galway against Waterford at 4pm.
The first All-Ireland semi-final will take place in Croke Park on August 7th, and involve Kilkenny against one quarter-final winner, while the second semi-final involving Tipperary against the other quarter-final winner will take place the following Sunday, August 14th, also in Croke Park.
These pairings will be known after the quarter-finals to determine semi-final pairings, so that the respective provincial champions cannot meet the defeated finalists from their own province at this stage and, where feasible, repeat pairings are avoided.
It most likely means Dublin or Limerick will face Tipperary, and Galway or Waterford will play Kilkenny.
