You wouldnât blame them. They may rouse themselves when it matters though
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I wonder if Armagh will put everything into beating Donegal in Ulster, fail narrowly, and then have nothing left for the group.
Weâve yet to see a team go out meekly in the early provinces and then properly regroup six weeks later and mount a real challenge at the business end.
All the teams who have got to the business end in this format have shown something at least in the provinces. Monaghan in 2023 are the only team who have reached a last four that didnât reach a provincial final but they had a good win over Tyrone in Ulster that year and put it up to a then dominant Derry team in the Ulster semi-final.
That Galway v Dublin clash at Salthill will probably be Saturday May 24th actually because of a two week break after the Ulster and Leinster finals or maybe Sunday May 25th if the GAA have any cop on and realise Leinster will be playing in the Heino final that day.
Anyway I wonât be attending Galway v Dublin because Iâm having major surgery on the 24th.
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I would guess this group format, purely because of the luck of the draw, will attract bigger attandances than previous years.
In that opening round of fixtures youâve got some potential sell outs there.
I think the Dubs will actually bring out the Galway public and Salthill will sell out.
Donegal v Tyrone at Ballybofey should draw a crowd.
Louth/Meath v Monaghan should draw a crowd. Louth would hardly have Iniskeen as their home venue v Monaghan though. Parnell Park maybe.
Cork will have Kerry at home again. That might draw a bigger crowd than 11 days ago but the result wonât be as close.
Games involving Roscommon, Cavan and Clare will have two men and a dog at them.
Actually again that Galway v Dublin game will be May 17th probably because the Connacht final is on the 4th.
Then there will follow a campaign to keep the group stage. That campaign might be successful for 2027. Then in 2027 the luck of the draw will throw up terrible groups and the attendances will be shit. Thatâs the GAA for ya.
First weekend on May 17th/18th will probably be:
Mayo v Cavan
Kerry v Roscommon
Clare v Down
Galway v Dublin
Then the 24th/25th will be:
Donegal v Tyrone
Louth/Meath v Cork
Louth/Meath v Monaghan
Armagh v Derry
The gaa have never forgiven us for ending dublin as a footballing county.
Jemar looks like an U12 beside him
Think Sunday 25th is the last day of the behind closed doors hurling round robin in Leinster (not sure about Munster). Theyâll be squeezing loads of games into the same weekend.
Second year in a row the Connacht winner is landed in the group of death.
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Jon Higgins has footballers playing the coddlers on the 17-18th of May. We host Antrim on the 17th in the smallball so likely the 18th as Galway donât like double-headers.
Iâd hazard a guess that the Galway v Dublin game will be added to Galway v Antrim (currently down for 1:30pm) in the Leinster hurling championship to make an exceedingly attractive double header on Saturday May 17th. Probably kicking off at 3:30pm in a clash with the FA Cup final. That will be a GOGOPLUS exclusive.
The Leinster hurling round robin finishes at 2pm on Sunday May 25th with the lesser Munster equivalent finishing at 4pm the same day.
That will leave Saturday the 24th free for the exceedingly attractive football fixtures like Donegal v Tyrone and Armagh v Derry (or possibly Armagh v Tyrone and Donegal v Derry), again exclusive to the dodgy box.
Dont 3 teams get out?
Kerry are the overwhelming winners from that. The yerra cunts.
We seem to forever in a group death match vs Armagh.
Group three isnât far off Tailteann cup level.
Absolutely. The other 3 provinces are minefields to get out off aswell while Munster is a procession.
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Sure Kerry were taken to extra time a couple of weeks back, all that expended energy just to make a Munster final could tell later in the summer. Donegal on the other hand have just had a few light training sessions on their way to the Ulster final.
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I reckon Clare will beat Kerry this weekend too
Galway and Mayo havenât exactly been taxed
Schligo rattled mayo
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Sure Leitrim rattled them too.
It doesnât take much
Barely a tickle in truth.
I still think theyâll bate Galway.