Replying To Whammo86: "Is it because you want the 2 best teams playing last is the reason why it's important?
The home/away split doesn't seem that impactful to me.
Think the biggest impact is that it makes the draw harder for other losing provincial finalists. Still 3 go through so I don't even know how big of a deal that is. Probably makes the path slightly harder to the semifinals but still doesn't seem like a huge issue if it would be a marginal improvement."
Yes, genuine seeds 1 and 2 should be playing in the final round under the current format. Cavan v Offaly, Meath v Down and Fermanagh v Antrim are quarter-final shootouts. Natural Seed 3 v Seed 4 will be a preliminary quarter-final shootout. Results going against a fair seeding then add to the excitement. Results thankfully are not predetermined by seeding.