GAELIC GAMES:FROM CLONES to Croke Park, the reality of Derry's six-day turnaround after losing Sunday's Ulster football final has now bitten – not that manager John Brennan expected any differently.
The GAA have confirmed the dates and venues for the remaining football qualifier matches – with the exception of the delayed fourth-round tie between Roscommon and either Tyrone or Armagh – and sees Derry face Kildare as part of this Saturday’s double-bill at Croke Park, along with Down against Cork in a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final.
While Wexford against Limerick will be a standalone fixture in Portlaoise, Tyrone will have home advantage in Omagh for their delayed third-round qualifier against Armagh – as was their entitlement as the first team drawn.
The winners there will play Roscommon, but at a neutral venue, most likely on Saturday week.
It means Derry are the only team hit with the dreaded six-day turnaround after losing a provincial final, such was their luck of the draw. The GAA claim they did give consideration to this burden, but ruled out any extension as it would have put unworkable restrictions on the quarter-final draw.
Yet Brennan made his feelings on this clear, following Sunday’s defeat to Donegal in Clones, and that even the request for an extra day, to set the game for Sunday rather than Saturday. would have been a waste of breath.
“It’s the real world,” he said, “I’m only a manager. I have nothing to do with rules and regulations. I have no authority to challenge Croke Park on some rule made a few months ago. I know it’s unfair, and it would have been unfair on Donegal if we had won.”
Brennan also pointed out part of the problem was the Ulster Council fixing their provincial final so late in the summer – and also vented his frustrations at some of the GAA decisions in general, given his belief Donegal were awarded a very dubious penalty early in the second half on Sunday which ultimately swung the game in their favour. “If decisions go like that out there, how could I get an extension to a six-day turnaround? If we didn’t get a fair decision out there (on the field), I wouldn’t expect another fair decision.
“But the rules have been made. Kerry and Cork are cute, as usual, they had three weeks (between the Munster final). The Ulster Council wanted to play this game now. As far as I am concerned they don’t care about Donegal or Derry after that. It’s over and done with, that’s them finished, and it’s now a national programme of fixtures, which are to be organised by Croke Park. Two different bodies, so who do I appeal to?”
There is, in contrast, some consolation for Roscommon’s narrow defeat to Mayo in Sunday’s Connacht final, in that they are afforded a 13-day break as opposed to six days, if only because the Armagh-Wicklow replay in the second round of qualifiers forced the postponement of their now Armagh-Tyrone game.
In the meantime the football championship is down to the last 13 and lying in wait are the four provincial champions – Dublin, Donegal, Mayo and Kerry – and their opposition will be decided in the quarter-final draw, to take place this Sunday evening.
Under rule, this must be an open draw, on the basis that the four provincial champions play the four winners of the fourth round of qualifiers, and the only stipulation being the provincial champions can’t meet the defeated finalists from their own province.
It means Dublin can’t play Wexford again, but any other opposition is possible – namely Cork/Down, Derry/Kildare or Roscommon/Tyrone/Armagh.
Likewise, Kerry can’t play Cork again, but could face off against Wexford/Limerick, Derry/Kildare or Roscommon/Tyrone/Armagh. Mayo will also be kept apart from Roscommon, should they progress, and Donegal can’t play Derry again at that stage.
However, Sunday’s draw for the quarter-finals can still throw up some interesting pairings, depending how Saturday’s results go, as Dublin could yet be facing a potential rematch with Kildare, having beaten them in the Leinster semi-final, while Kerry could also be potentially paired again with Limerick, having also beaten them in the Munster semi-final.
Should any one or more of the fourth-round qualifiers go to a replay – after extra-time – then the GAA will almost certainly be forced to postpone the quarter-final draw, and with that play all those games on the weekend of August 6th/7th.
TV3 had the pick of the fourth-round football qualifiers, and not surprisingly opted for Down against Cork – a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final, which Cork won. The match will also be streamed live online at www.tv3.ie/live
It was also confirmed TV3 will have live coverage of Sunday’s hurling quarter-final between Dublin and Limerick from Thurles. Significantly, this will be TV3’s first live broadcast of an All-Ireland quarter-final, having earlier this year secured what is known as “package two” – or the second best of five championship packages. They’ve already shown the Ulster and Connacht football finals live as part of their package of nine games, plus this year will show the two All-Ireland minor finals.
It was also confirmed yesterday the Tyrone-Armagh game at Healy Park will be an all-ticket affair.
Finally, the draw for the All-Ireland minor football quarter-finals has seen Connacht champions Roscommon meeting Armagh on Saturday, July 30th, with the venue to be announced. The same day, Ulster champions Cavan will meet Galway at Pearse Park (throw-in 3pm).
Two days later (Monday, August 1st) a double-header in Portlaoise sees Munster champions Tipperary taking on Meath at 2pm, and Leinster champions Dublin and Cork clashing at 4pm.
