The 2024 All Ireland Senior Football Championship (Sam Maguire Cup)

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214269#Comment_122214269

They fear everyone. They had a good Tyrone beaten twice in the last 7 or 8 years, and their foot on the neck of Donegal on at least 3 occassions. Once there was ten minutes to go, and it dawned on them they were winning, suddenly panic sets in. All of a sudden the Meath goalie couldn't find his man against Donegal, but kicked it over the sideline 3 times in the last ten minutes. Wides all over the place, basic passing out the window.

Tyrone got to the All-Ireland final in 2018 maybe? They played Meath in Navan in the first round of the qualifiers I think. Meath went a point up 2 minutes into stoppage time. And you just knew, could feel it, they wouldn't hold out. Of course Tyrone got the equaliser and went onto win.

People say I'm hard or unfair on Meath. I'm not. I hold such great respect for them. I'd be off the opinion, that they are one of the top teams in the country, and not too far behind Dublin ability wise. But something is very badly broken in their psychology, and has been since Mick O'Dowds reign, that hasn't been fixed or put right.

This current Meath team playing with confidence, intensity and belief would take some stopping. But they're so far off playing anywhere close to their ability, its depressing. You can feel the apathy from the fans, everyone knows there's so much more.

But at some point, the players have to look at themselves and stand up. How many of them could say they left it all out there on the field for Meath in the last ten years? Not one of them. Many counties go through barren spells or cycles, don't produce the players, but thats not the case with Meath. They are broken psychologically

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214288#Comment_122214288

There is a plan. They follow the Dublin model but a much lighter version because we get a fraction of their budget.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214334#Comment_122214334

Meath can whinge about budgets, whey they do the best Meath can do, and still come up short. They are miles off even that. Stop making excuses

legendary.xix

All 16 teams are still in the football championship. Cork beating Donegal saved Clare.

Galway v Armagh, Dublin v Mayo and Kerry v Louth are shootouts for the group win and direct access to the quarter-finals.

Monaghan can mathematically finish above Louth but it would take a 20 point swing!

Derry v Westmeath, Roscommon v Cavan and Monaghan v Meath are elimination finals.

Donegal should beat Clare in R3. Tyrone v Cork will have the deciding influence on 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

The GAA are getting the climax to Round 3 that they want. The four preliminary quarter-finals will be on GAAGO. An indication that the GAA might be reluctant to make any changes to the current format, despite the criticisms.

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214339#Comment_122214339

It's just reality. With Meath, Laois, Westmeath and Kildare disappearing so have Dublin's attendances. It's in the interest of Dublin for their rivals to get the Dublin treatment. It won't happen though so the championship will remain rock bottom.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214334#Comment_122214334

Exactly my point earlier. Keep crying about the Dubs or whatever other outside influences and ye get nowhere.

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214378#Comment_122214378

I'm not crying bro just texting on a forum 👍

It's not Dublin's fault the championship collapsed it's the GAA and I've always stated it. You boy's were the biggest county in Leinster in terms of fanfare. You now bring sub 10k to match and zero fan fare. The GAA screwed you over the most.

dxhound2005

The Sunday Game mentioned that Louth would be looking to get second in their group to ensure a home venue in the Preliminary QF. Assuming that Kerry will beat them, even if not by the 28 point margin last year. But they do not have a suitable home ground at present. Most likely they would choose Navan.

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214402#Comment_122214402

Inishkeen again?

dxhound2005

They only went to Inniskeen because they were playing Meath. They have been using Navan for years in the championship.

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214404#Comment_122214404

they chose inniskeen as there home venue at the start of the championship ,

Tomaldo

gga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212747#Comment_122212747

my brother-in-law told me he has an illegal firestick and he can watch GAAGO and events like Katie Taylor fights

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214558#Comment_122214558

yeah there are loads of them , but you cant record them and they can disappear if the person got caught you wouldnt want to be realign on them and them alone for tv , i got caught once myself , but its great to have as back up

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214389#Comment_122214389

I'm from Limerick.

Trampas

When are they releasing the times and location for the last round of fixtures?

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214634#Comment_122214634

I think I heard it will be tomorrow

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214345#Comment_122214345

If two teams qualified then groups 1 and 2 would be over already and there would be something to play for in the other two groups, although Meath would be eliminated and Clare would have to work miracles to advance.

thinkabouit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213642#Comment_122213642

Yeah it’s a pile of manure I think.
Basically a league 2.0

breezy1985

Will capacity be an issue at any of these matches or can they be played in any old county ground.

legendary.xix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214684#Comment_122214684

Groups 1 and 2 would be over already if only two qualified, unless as Tomas O'Sé has suggested, that the Round 1 winners would be paired in Round 2.

In the Tomas O'Sé suggested format, Galway v Armagh, Dublin v Mayo and Kerry v Louth would have taken place in Round 2. Potentially then in that scenario you would have Armagh v Derry, Mayo v Roscommon and Louth v Monaghan in Round 3. All essentially playoffs for the second qualifying position. If Galway v Westmeath, Dublin v Cavan and Kerry v Meath are dead rubbers in that scenario, the media can focus on the other group game that has everything on the line.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212699#Comment_122212699

Ha ha. You cannot beat the humor of someone taking the time out to be a smart ass and correcting someone elses spelling mistake, and then for the same ejit to get the spelling wrong. It's Ultan Harney. Not Harvey. You might want to go looking for that other eye of yours.

Westernview

The one good thing about the small attendances at matches is that supporters are sending the message to Croke Park that they aren't going to be taken for mugs anymore. .

The GAA are slow to change generally EXCEPT when it comes to situations of reduced revenue. Just run the league as the championship. All group games in provincial grounds in front of capacity grounds. Dublin can play their home games at croker if 50k+ is expected.

Then top 4 teams in Division 1 go into quarters. Bottom 4 play off against top 4 in Division 2 to determine remaining teams for quarters. Allow a minimum of 2 weeks between all games for player welfare.

Nearly all other sports put the best teams against each other to maximise crowds and for TV and sponsor revenue. The GAA have tried all other formats. Time to bite the bullet.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214953#Comment_122214953

Galway v Armagh would get a moderate crowd, some of the possible venues like Longford and Mullingar are not huge.

Carrick-on-Shannon was used last year, but is closed at present.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214345#Comment_122214345

Tomas O'Se had a simple practical solution there last night TSG. He said have the two teams that win their first group match seeded to play each other in the last group match. Then it would add the drama for sure. It was funny Joanne Cantwell started laughing because the way O'Se said it so simply, yet it was a good idea.

—

Edit - I just saw you mentioned in another post.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215541#Comment_122215541

How many are watching on GAAGO though? Anyone any figures for the games?

I think it is great service gone are the days where lesser counties in either code can complain of no coverage.

Avon8

Two teams coming out of a 4 team group is a standard tournament structure commonly accepted as favourable in sport worldwide. People have long said that the old 16 team European Championships was the perfect tournament structure, 16 relatively high quality teams and a perfectly straightforward tournament

The GAA are so anal now about dead rubbers after a couple of freak occurrences in the super 8's that they've avoided this straightforward solution. If there does happen to be 1 or 2 dead rubbers per season in future, so what. They'll be well hidden amongst the 8 total games on that weekend

I'd like to see two go through and to really incentivise top spot, the winner gets home advantage in the Quarter final. I can't see it happening as the GAA won't want to move the QF's out of Croker*. Realistically one would likely be there regardless (Dublin) and it could really whet the appetite for the other 3 while keeping the group's very competitive

*There's a side issue of the selling of long-term Priomh and Corporate box seats being big earners for the GAA. Those people are being rode sideways at the moment. They've upped the prices on them recently while the buyer is getting less and less games, and games of less importance. Hard to see many paying the huge prices for the long-term contract in future, especially as they're so easy to obtain for every one-off game bar the finals

legendary.xix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215839#Comment_122215839

Tomas' point is more about only two going through and the R1 winners meeting in R2. It makes sense as per the Dublin Championship but the GAA might have a strong preference for retaining the preliminary quarter-finals.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215839#Comment_122215839

Was the idea he mooted not the 2 first round winners play in R2, and the 2 losers play - likely have most teams still with a dog in the fight in match day 3.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215839#Comment_122215839

If the seeding holds up, the top two seeds should be fighting for first place in Round 3. Only Donegal and Clare have failed to come up to scratch. And the bottom two seeds should be fighting to avoid elimination. Nothing has been settled in any group yet. The whole thing was set out in December before a ball was even kicked in the League. There is no need to tinker around with it in reaction to any particular results.

Round 1

Seed 1 v Seed 3
Seed 2 v Seed 4

Round 2

Seed 3 v Seed 2
Seed 4 v Seed 1

Round 3

Seed 1 v Seed 2
Seed 3 v Seed 4

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215852#Comment_122215852

Haven't a clue what the GAAGO figures are. I agree they've given much needed coverage to less glamorous teams.

If the figures are high that's great but I can't see the GAA being happy with half empty stadiums appearing on the screen. The optimum situation is the top teams playing each other in full stadiums and healthy GAAGO figures. That may mean smaller grounds with high demand for tickets and I'd like that approach.