National Forum

Draw For Group Stages Of All Ireland Series

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Replying To ORIELMAN85:  "Word is that there will be a vote to retain the group stages beyond this year. Some tasty games to look forward over the next few months. With the exception of Cavan all teams will fancy themselves to go through."
They could retain the group format with only 2 going through and Round 1 winners playing each other in Round 2. Provincial finalists could be given the carrot of 2 home games.
On the draw itself, Dublin in Killarney would have been an interesting draw. Pity it didn't materialise. Kerry and Dublin played in Thurles in 2001. Dublin declined the offer to toss a coin for home advantage!!

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8755 - 30/04/2025 15:36:42    2605746

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Replying To shaggykev:  "Monaghan now have brilliant chance already to get to an All Ireland quarterfinal. Likely Louth away, Clare at home and Down neutral.

Whereas for Donegal, we play four tough games in Ulster and might have to go Dublin, host Derry again and then play Galway in Sligo or Mayo.

Feels like a total farce.

And of course Kerry got a soft touch again."
This draw is a total farce as it is every year… Thank goodness this is the last year of this farce but how has it taken those at the top so long to realise this…?

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 30/04/2025 15:46:03    2605753

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Replying To legendzxix:  "They could retain the group format with only 2 going through and Round 1 winners playing each other in Round 2. Provincial finalists could be given the carrot of 2 home games.
On the draw itself, Dublin in Killarney would have been an interesting draw. Pity it didn't materialise. Kerry and Dublin played in Thurles in 2001. Dublin declined the offer to toss a coin for home advantage!!"
Draw is a joke.Kerry avoid all big hitters and get to practice with new rules.You could not make this rubbish up.

Alwaysencourage (Galway) - Posts: 421 - 30/04/2025 16:01:06    2605765

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Can anyone inform me as to the logic of having the draw BEFORE the provencial finals are played?

The_DOC (Galway) - Posts: 761 - 30/04/2025 16:10:21    2605769

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Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "This draw is a total farce as it is every year… Thank goodness this is the last year of this farce but how has it taken those at the top so long to realise this…?"
This day 12 months, you will be moaning that the Round 1A draw is a total farce

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2270 - 30/04/2025 16:21:32    2605774

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "This day 12 months, you will be moaning that the Round 1A draw is a total farce"
If in 12 months time the draw is a farce then that's what it will be called… These current group games are indeed a farce or otherwise they wouldn't be changing it…. but some are so deluded they don't want to hear it…

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 30/04/2025 16:34:20    2605781

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Replying To The_DOC:  "Can anyone inform me as to the logic of having the draw BEFORE the provencial finals are played?"
The obvious logic is that we are dealing with the GAA here so logic and common sense would go out the window….!

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 30/04/2025 17:33:57    2605803

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Replying To The_DOC:  "Can anyone inform me as to the logic of having the draw BEFORE the provencial finals are played?"
The obvious logic is that we are dealing with the GAA here so logic and common sense would go out the window….!

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 3784 - 30/04/2025 17:37:24    2605806

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Replying To Alwaysencourage:  "Draw is a joke.Kerry avoid all big hitters and get to practice with new rules.You could not make this rubbish up."
Same old, same old....

It is gas the amount of kerry folk who were hoping to play us down there - tells you all you need to know about how poor we are this year. lol

I think a lot Dublin players will be joining Fento in America for this Summer. ;o)

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4181 - 30/04/2025 17:44:12    2605813

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Fact is 3 out of the 4 teams go through so you can't have any excuse. If you can't win ONE game in your group you've no business progressing. Yes some teams have easier groups as usual but that's the luck of the draw.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11543 - 30/04/2025 18:03:06    2605814

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "Two tough groups and two handy groups.

Mayo and Galway would have got easier draws if they lost their Connacht semi finals.

Kerry got as handy a group as they could have wished for and will have to play their club championships in May to keep their players sharp.

Nice handy draw for the leinster champions also - real kick up the **** for Dublin

Ulster winners have to play Tyrone two weeks after Ulster final
Connacht winners have to play Dublin (at home) two weeks after Connacht final.

While I would love to see Dublin coming to Castlebar, an away match against Derry and a nuetral venue v Armagh or Donegal is as tough a draw as you could get. If Derry have their players back, there is no gimme in this group.

Losing Connacht gets a handy home match v Cavan, away to Tyrone and Donegal/Armagh at a Nuetral venue. - not much better but should qualify from group.

Monaghan have the best draw of the lot as a reward for losing to Donegal."
The format never considered the possibility of Dublin not making the Leinster final, and indeed of Cork missing out in Munster. And with the 4 best teams in Ulster/Connacht in the final, then a killer group is inevitable.

Eddie the Exile (Monaghan) - Posts: 1193 - 30/04/2025 18:45:30    2605833

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We'll find out just how bad, or not, we are in that group!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8744 - 30/04/2025 18:56:55    2605835

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Replying To Eddie the Exile:  "The format never considered the possibility of Dublin not making the Leinster final, and indeed of Cork missing out in Munster. And with the 4 best teams in Ulster/Connacht in the final, then a killer group is inevitable."
Cork were always odds on to miss out based on the draw v Kerry. There's two problems with this draw. 1) the runners ups in Munster and Leinster were never likely to be div1 sides and therefore aren't worthy of seed2 billing. 2) promoted sides should not have higher seeding than relegated sides, instead league status 2025 should drive championship seeding for 2025, and 7th/8th div1 should be seeded ahead of 1st 2nd div2. Because there are 3or4 div1 sides in Ulster, no province should be drawn to play Ulster two years in a row. Of the top 10 sides in NFL 2025, 8 of them are from Ulster and Connacht, and yet someone deems these 'groupings' to be fair? Farce, not at all fair.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4111 - 30/04/2025 20:04:09    2605842

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Replying To The_DOC:  "Can anyone inform me as to the logic of having the draw BEFORE the provencial finals are played?"
Makes absolutely no sense....

Leaves it wide open to abuse of the system.
Cant imagine it would happen but stranger things have happened.....

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4181 - 30/04/2025 20:06:45    2605843

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Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "The obvious logic is that we are dealing with the GAA here so logic and common sense would go out the window….!"
That's true.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4111 - 30/04/2025 20:10:26    2605845

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Replying To legendzxix:  "They could retain the group format with only 2 going through and Round 1 winners playing each other in Round 2. Provincial finalists could be given the carrot of 2 home games.
On the draw itself, Dublin in Killarney would have been an interesting draw. Pity it didn't materialise. Kerry and Dublin played in Thurles in 2001. Dublin declined the offer to toss a coin for home advantage!!"
Only the GAA could setup a round robin all Ireland series and devise seeding rules that could deliver FOUR div1 teams into one the group, and just ONE div1 side into two groups. This draw should be appealed and scrapped. One glance at it screams outrageous imbalance.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4111 - 30/04/2025 20:30:37    2605850

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Fact is 3 out of the 4 teams go through so you can't have any excuse. If you can't win ONE game in your group you've no business progressing. Yes some teams have easier groups as usual but that's the luck of the draw."
It's more farcical than luck of the draw actually. Clare are seeded one higher than Tyrone and Dublin, and 2 higher than Derry. Meath/Louth the same. Tyrone Dublin Derry 2025 are clearly superior to Clare Louth and Meath, and have no business carrying an inferior seeding into any CREDIBLE group draw. But that draw format with those silly seed2 rules is not credible, and therefore can deliver incredibly imbalanced results. This is a stage beyond 'group of death' which usually outputs from fairly credible seedings. This is more 'nuclear winter groups' emanating from seedings that are nothing short of daft.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4111 - 30/04/2025 20:45:59    2605851

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Alternative seeding, with provincial winners for this example just based on higher league placing and provincial runners up seeded based on league;
Seed 1: Donegal, Meath, Kerry, Mayo.
Seed 2: Galway, Dublin, Armagh, Monaghan.
Seed 3: Roscommon, Tyrone, Derry, Cavan.
Seed 4: Cork, Louth, Down, Clare.
Alternative groups from the above seedings:
Group 1: Donegal, Galway, Tyrone, Louth.
Group 2: Kerry, Dublin, Roscommon, Cork.
Group 3: Meath, Monaghan, Cavan, Down.
Group 4: Mayo, Armagh, Derry, Clare.
What you'd want then is a 4 way scramble for top 2 only from the groups going on to the quarter finals.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8755 - 30/04/2025 21:15:47    2605855

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Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "Cork were always odds on to miss out based on the draw v Kerry. There's two problems with this draw. 1) the runners ups in Munster and Leinster were never likely to be div1 sides and therefore aren't worthy of seed2 billing. 2) promoted sides should not have higher seeding than relegated sides, instead league status 2025 should drive championship seeding for 2025, and 7th/8th div1 should be seeded ahead of 1st 2nd div2. Because there are 3or4 div1 sides in Ulster, no province should be drawn to play Ulster two years in a row. Of the top 10 sides in NFL 2025, 8 of them are from Ulster and Connacht, and yet someone deems these 'groupings' to be fair? Farce, not at all fair."
Another tough group for Kerry....

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1050 - 30/04/2025 21:34:59    2605858

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