Sorry but that analogy is so flawed it doesn't hold up. Obviously for the most part teams who reach a provincial final are better than those who get knocked out in the first round so you cannot compare those stats as if they should be equal.
Tommy58, did galway and tyrone both not win finals from the first round? 2001 and 2008 respectively?
Kerry won their all ireland in 2009 as provincial semi final losers. They won in 2006 after losing a replay. Maybe there is a lesson there somewhere for provincial runners up?
If all teams were equal and every match was the toss of a coin, a beaten provincial finalist would be 8 times more likely to win Sam than a first round loser.
In theory and in practice, winning provincial matches is a good idea.
I think Galway beat Leitrim in the first round in 2001 before losing to Roscommon.
In 2008, there was one round fewer in the qualifiers due to Tommy Murphy Cup. I don't think anyone has won under the current format after a first round defeat. Maybe this year....
Found the answer. Kildare played on July 4, July 11, July 25, and up again on Aug. 2. Twice playing 2 games in eight days. Cork had to play once in 8 days.
Gaa Fan (USA) - Posts: 749 - 29/07/2015 19:24:16
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1760782 Jim McGuinness is correct in saying that Kildare's extra week gave them a huge advantage, they definitely looked the fresher team
Kildare had only 6 days to recover from the thumping from Dublin before playing Offaly who had won their last game. They had to dig deep to win it but managed it. The problem was not the 7 day turnaround for Cork but the 2 week break between the draw and replay against Kerry. Replays are usually a week later, why was this one different? Interesting that all pundits still reckoned Cork would win on saturday!
Probably because of the Hurling fixtures or tv schedule.
You can argue whether Kildare were just that superb, or Cork were that tired after their replay with The Buttermen. I think it was a bit of both, as Kildare produced a superb performance and Cork looked fatigued and lacked the energy to fight back into the game.
The team coming from a 6 or 7 day turnaround will always struggle a little bit more than a team who had a 2 week break, I'm sure Kildare would have caused more damage against Offaly if they had an extra week to prepare.