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New Format 2026 All Ireland

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Replying To omahant: "Half in / half out: Clare in after beating Tipp; Kerry gains nothing beating Cork (both in Sam before game). It's there already." Yeah and you won't get me defending that but what comes after needs to be better. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 20/04/2025 16:42:05 2603086 Link
Replying To omahant: "But as you nod off, you keep coning up with ideas - inducing roll on." Small changes. Minor details. Hurling going from provincial knockout to group format. Hurling finally going to a decent league structure of five 7s. How football can go from qualifiers, two groups of 4 and top 2 only advancing - to no qualifiers, four groups of 4 and 3 advancing is madness!! Small change - 14 teams playing off for 7 league qualifier spots. Monaghan, Roscommon, Derry, Cavan and Cork facing the banana skin jeopardy of a knockout playoff. Unseeded Offaly, Westmeath, Fermanagh, Sligo, Laois and Limerick waiting in the long grass for the opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to a seeded opponent. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 20/04/2025 20:02:17 2603197 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "Small changes. Minor details. Hurling going from provincial knockout to group format. Hurling finally going to a decent league structure of five 7s. How football can go from qualifiers, two groups of 4 and top 2 only advancing - to no qualifiers, four groups of 4 and 3 advancing is madness!! Small change - 14 teams playing off for 7 league qualifier spots. Monaghan, Roscommon, Derry, Cavan and Cork facing the banana skin jeopardy of a knockout playoff. Unseeded Offaly, Westmeath, Fermanagh, Sligo, Laois and Limerick waiting in the long grass for the opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to a seeded opponent." It detracts from the Tailteann cup if there's another 7 routes into it by winning 1 match. Takes away from the division 2 battle for the league. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 21/04/2025 12:28:16 2603344 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "It detracts from the Tailteann cup if there's another 7 routes into it by winning 1 match. Takes away from the division 2 battle for the league." I agree. Not a great idea. If you're doing that you may as well abandon the link to the league and go back to the qualifiers. CeachtPeile (Cavan) - Posts: 132 - 21/04/2025 13:10:17 2603362 Link
Replying To omahant: "Half in / half out: Clare in after beating Tipp; Kerry gains nothing beating Cork (both in Sam before game). It's there already." I think Cork will drop to the Taltainn cup if Louth reach the Leinster Final…!! ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3726 - 21/04/2025 13:27:11 2603366 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "It detracts from the Tailteann cup if there's another 7 routes into it by winning 1 match. Takes away from the division 2 battle for the league." The 7 league spots are already there! It is adding 7 knockout matches between the top 7 and next 7. If the playoff is sensibly seeded, the advantage of top 7 is avoiding other seeds. Division 3 then is gaining the battle for playoff spots. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 21/04/2025 14:56:53 2603395 Link
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "I think Cork will drop to the Taltainn cup if Louth reach the Leinster Final…!!" No they won't. 15 of the 16 are locked in now. The remaining spot is between Louth and Kildare. CeachtPeile (Cavan) - Posts: 132 - 21/04/2025 16:11:35 2603413 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "The 7 league spots are already there! It is adding 7 knockout matches between the top 7 and next 7. If the playoff is sensibly seeded, the advantage of top 7 is avoiding other seeds. Division 3 then is gaining the battle for playoff spots." If there is something the season doesn't need, it's another element added to it. It just needs to be streamlined. The season just has so much flab to it that needs to be hacked away from it. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 21/04/2025 16:34:20 2603423 Link
Why does the hurling championship work? It is pretty clean. National league is de-linked from the All Ireland, it's clean, does its job to prepare teams. The championship probably could be cleaner but at least it's just group stages followed by playoff series. The group stage eliminates good teams too. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 21/04/2025 16:39:11 2603426 Link
Replying To CeachtPeile: "I agree. Not a great idea. If you're doing that you may as well abandon the link to the league and go back to the qualifiers." Derry were relegated from Division 1 without a win and lost their Ulster preliminary. Despite all that they qualify for the All Ireland series. A playoff would add some jeopardy. Cavan and Cork would be seeded in the top 7 so would avoid Monaghan and Roscommon. Westmeath would be unseeded so in line for a top 7 opponent. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 21/04/2025 17:11:38 2603440 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "If there is something the season doesn't need, it's another element added to it. It just needs to be streamlined. The season just has so much flab to it that needs to be hacked away from it." Maybe it does need streamlining but working with the reality that the "New Format 2026 All Ireland" is here for the foreseeable - there has got to be an injection of jeopardy to All Ireland qualification. Again, I'm not in favour of lopsided provincial championships and rewarding runners up. It doesn't seem up for negotiation however. Provincial runners up have at least won one championship match. Derry, Cavan and Monaghan are without a championship win and yet sail into the All Ireland series. If they had go through a knockout playoff - they would at least have to win one championship match to qualify. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 22/04/2025 07:18:18 2603540 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "Maybe it does need streamlining but working with the reality that the "New Format 2026 All Ireland" is here for the foreseeable - there has got to be an injection of jeopardy to All Ireland qualification. Again, I'm not in favour of lopsided provincial championships and rewarding runners up. It doesn't seem up for negotiation however. Provincial runners up have at least won one championship match. Derry, Cavan and Monaghan are without a championship win and yet sail into the All Ireland series. If they had go through a knockout playoff - they would at least have to win one championship match to qualify." If Derry, Cavan or Monaghan were in Munster they could qualify by beating Waterford. They qualify because they're in Division 2 of the NFL. Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2251 - 22/04/2025 08:03:38 2603543 Link
Replying To Seanfanbocht: "If Derry, Cavan or Monaghan were in Munster they could qualify by beating Waterford. They qualify because they're in Division 2 of the NFL." There's no doubt they are in the top 12. The All Ireland qualification jeopardy is low though. Derry relegated from D1. Cavan miss out on promotion from D2. Both lose their Ulster opener. No jeopardy to All Ireland qualification. If Derry were beating Westmeath and Cavan were beating Offaly in a playoff, at least there is some banana skin jeopardy and they'd be qualifying on a positive note. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 22/04/2025 13:26:15 2603630 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "There's no doubt they are in the top 12. The All Ireland qualification jeopardy is low though. Derry relegated from D1. Cavan miss out on promotion from D2. Both lose their Ulster opener. No jeopardy to All Ireland qualification. If Derry were beating Westmeath and Cavan were beating Offaly in a playoff, at least there is some banana skin jeopardy and they'd be qualifying on a positive note." And what good would that do Westmeath and Offaly ? Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2251 - 22/04/2025 15:35:14 2603671 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "There's no doubt they are in the top 12. The All Ireland qualification jeopardy is low though. Derry relegated from D1. Cavan miss out on promotion from D2. Both lose their Ulster opener. No jeopardy to All Ireland qualification. If Derry were beating Westmeath and Cavan were beating Offaly in a playoff, at least there is some banana skin jeopardy and they'd be qualifying on a positive note." It's an issue with having 1 competition flow into another one. If there's a solution it's that the championship performance should dictate the make up for the following season rather than having the league decide it. The answer is definitely not to add a playoff round. The season struggles enough with changes of pace without having Provincial, followed by knockout round followed by double elimination rounds. Your proposal reduces the Tailteann further to being a losers competition, something that it's managed to avoid so far and has been the better for it. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 22/04/2025 15:55:23 2603675 Link
The format could be simplified easily enough, and be fair and equitable. 1. Move provincials to start of season 2. Provincial winners seeded in All Ireland 3. League split into 4 groups of 6 and 1 group of 8 - semi finals in div1 and 2 - just a final in div 3 - relegation play offs also 4. Championship split into 12,12,10 (NY and Previous years Junior champ in bottom tier) 5. Championship groups of 4x3 and 2x5 6. All Ireland and tailteann q finals, semis and final - bottom teir - just semis and final - bottom teams into relegation playoff back to junior. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1304 - 22/04/2025 16:36:57 2603683 Link
Replying To Seanfanbocht: "And what good would that do Westmeath and Offaly ?" What harm would it do Westmeath and Offaly to have a playoff shot? legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 22/04/2025 16:45:50 2603687 Link
Replying To Whammo86: "It's an issue with having 1 competition flow into another one. If there's a solution it's that the championship performance should dictate the make up for the following season rather than having the league decide it. The answer is definitely not to add a playoff round. The season struggles enough with changes of pace without having Provincial, followed by knockout round followed by double elimination rounds. Your proposal reduces the Tailteann further to being a losers competition, something that it's managed to avoid so far and has been the better for it." As the current provincial championship is being actively played out, there is little jeopardy where Galway and Roscommon are already qualified for the group stage. Same for many other "high profile" matches in recent weeks. They are very similar to Tyrone v Dublin in 2019. A playoff seems the only option within the current structures and the agreed "New Format 2026 All Ireland". legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8714 - 22/04/2025 17:02:32 2603698 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "What harm would it do Westmeath and Offaly to have a playoff shot?" It's not about that. It's about the impact it has on the whole season. It wouldn't be good. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4478 - 22/04/2025 19:35:36 2603734 Link
One of the benefits of the round robin group stage was that for the first time teams were guaranteed to play at least one championship game at home. With the double elimination format that guarantee is gone. Some teams will not play a home championship game in any given season. Compare that to hurling where all teams [at all 5 levels] have 2 home championship games. Anthony Daly recently mentioned the massive benefit to Ennis of the annual 2 home games in the Munster Championship edu (Mayo) - Posts: 99 - 22/04/2025 20:48:57 2603747 Link