A draw for the knock-out stages of the Tailteann Cup will take place next Monday, given New York are already assured of their place in the preliminary quarter-finals under a previous agreement.
While the top four teams across the four Tailteann Cup groups will advance straight into the quarter-finals, with the promise of a home venue, the four second-placed teams will be joined by the three best third-placed teams, along with New York, those games first up on the weekend after next, June 10th/11th.
New York will make the second trip to the country, having already played Sligo in their semi-final of the Connacht championship. They have also made a provision to stay in the country as long as their involvement in the competition continues.
It means, after the opening two rounds, 11 knock-out places are up for grabs this weekend, seven of which are already decided: Antrim, Cavan, Down, Fermanagh, Limerick, Meath and Offaly are all assured of at least one more game.
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Tailteann Cup: How things stand
Saturday – Group 1 (3.0): Cavan v Offaly, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park; Laois v London, Parnell Park.
Cavan lead the way on four points, with Offaly on three, Laois on one, London on none. Cavan and Offaly are guaranteed a place in the knock-out stages and will be joined by the winners of Laois against London.
Group 2 (1.0): Meath v Down, Parnell Park; Tipperary v Waterford, Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Down and Meath are on four points after two rounds while Tipperary and Waterford have yet to pick up a point. Meath and Down are guaranteed a place in the knock-out stages and could be joined by the winners of Tipperary against Waterford.
However, given the points they’ve conceded, even if they finished third, Tipperary and Waterford will likely be the third-placed team to miss out.
Sunday – Group 3: Limerick v Wicklow, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 1.0; Longford v Carlow, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 3.0.
Limerick top the group on four points, Longford and Carlow are on two points each, while Wicklow have yet to pick up a point. Carlow will likely need to beat Longford to earn a home preliminary quarter-final, as Longford’s score difference is 15 points better.
Group 4 (3.0): Fermanagh v Antrim, Box-It Athletic Ground; Wexford v Leitrim, Parnell Park.
Antrim have four points, Fermanagh are on three points, Wexford on one, while Leitrim are yet to pick up a point. Antrim are top and a win or draw over Fermanagh will keep them there, they can’t drop below second. The knock-out draw will be subject to avoiding repeat pairings from group stages.
Preliminary quarter-finals: Second-placed teams at home v three best third-placed teams and New York, June 10th/11th
Quarter-finals: Four group winners at home v preliminary quarter-final winners, June 17th/18th.
Semi-finals: June 25th, Croke Park.
Final: July 15th, Croke Park
Meanwhile Cork GAA have announced plans for a new Rebel TV concept, which will look to produce a package of live and archival content, published on its own website.
The Irish Examiner is reporting that Cork are looking for a “production company to create, facilitate and distribute content for their new Rebel TV concept”.
The service will be available through a combination of both subscription and free-to-air content, which will be hosted by the successful company through the Cork GAA website. The Irish Examiner has produced and provided live-stream coverage of the Cork county championships for the past three years.
