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Football Championship 2026

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Replying To suckvalleypaddy: "Great to see Dublin back." We were never gone .We were just taking a break.Wicklow gave us the kick up the backside we needed. brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 563 - 02/05/2026 23:54:12 2670534 Link
There was so little tackling in the league. When those you apply the skill do as a unit, then your putting the opposition in a place where their skills really have to be on the money. Dublin returned to the tackling skills that made them so formidable 20 years ago. Louths skills collapsed against it and their historic tendency to believe Dublin will beet them finished them off in the 2nd half. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1785 - 03/05/2026 04:50:02 2670543 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Ulster championship, the championship that keeps giving. Brilliant." Derry should have known that a 10 point lead is a dangerous lead against Monaghan #1992 :) mhunicean_abu (Monaghan) - Posts: 1092 - 03/05/2026 09:09:53 2670558 Link
Replying To brayballer: "Next surprise saynothing might be Tyrone coming good again.We could meet yous in croker in first roun" It wouldn't be a surprise to me, they have the players and if they could keep players fit and play the way the U20s played on the front foot, who knows. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2657 - 03/05/2026 13:47:32 2670616 Link
Fun while it lasted but normal service about to resume in Leinster with another easy title on the way for Dublin. Meath must be kicking themselves. if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3694 - 03/05/2026 15:45:56 2670643 Link
Westmeath into the Leinster final. Between Down, currently playing against Armagh, and Cavan for the 7th (final) league qualifier spot. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9697 - 03/05/2026 16:24:12 2670647 Link
Replying To if_in_doubt: "Fun while it lasted but normal service about to resume in Leinster with another easy title on the way for Dublin. Meath must be kicking themselves." Very ungracious post. Westmeath better team. So you think Kildare would stop Dublin? They couldn't stop a clock. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2657 - 03/05/2026 16:27:30 2670649 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Very ungracious post. Westmeath better team. So you think Kildare would stop Dublin? They couldn't stop a clock." Haha I'd give Westmeath a much better chance than us, we'd be doing well to get the clock going in the first place. if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3694 - 03/05/2026 16:58:00 2670654 Link
Glad to see Kikdare beaten by WM Congrats to them reaching the Leinster final All credit, they had to come the harder route beating Meath and now Kildare on the way. I don't see why they'd be overly fearful of this current Dubs team. Yes, they are a decent team but are no world beaters. Only my take on it, but I see a hard fought final ahead. I hope Dublin will have 2 or 3 players return in time for it, even to be available from the bench would add a lot. Beelzedub (Dublin) - Posts: 500 - 03/05/2026 17:37:59 2670672 Link
Replying To Ulsterchamps72: "Congrats, a brilliant performance, unfortunately for us, it was reminiscent of the 1991 Ulster final. Go on and win Ulster now." I thought Down were brilliant last week but the issue of a one week turnaround was just too much. Two or three sessions was never going to be enough to implement a plan to nullify Armagh. The provincials look very unfair this evening for them. Ulsterchamps72 (Donegal) - Posts: 198 - 03/05/2026 17:42:24 2670674 Link
Replying To Ulsterchamps72: "I thought Down were brilliant last week but the issue of a one week turnaround was just too much. Two or three sessions was never going to be enough to implement a plan to nullify Armagh. The provincials look very unfair this evening for them." Yeah Down started well first 10 or 15 minutes but once the first Armagh goal went in it was game over as the players looked totally drained and flat. It was a very heavy, demoralising defeat but hopefully Down pick themselves up for the Taillteann Cup. The flaw in the system is rewarding provincial finalists with an All Ireland place it probably should be just the winners. Those are the rules though. Good luck to Westmeath they have showed time and again they can compete with the best and great win today. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1758 - 03/05/2026 18:14:02 2670685 Link
Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship. M Lyster (Antrim) - Posts: 474 - 03/05/2026 18:18:17 2670689 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship." But Kerry would have qualified anyway as 2nd in the League. The Clare game was irrelevant to the AI SFC, just like yesterdays Derry/Monaghan game was. Plus if Down had stayed in Div 2. they wouldn't have had to worry about beating Donegal or Armagh. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1728 - 03/05/2026 19:17:36 2670713 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "Yeah Down started well first 10 or 15 minutes but once the first Armagh goal went in it was game over as the players looked totally drained and flat. It was a very heavy, demoralising defeat but hopefully Down pick themselves up for the Taillteann Cup. The flaw in the system is rewarding provincial finalists with an All Ireland place it probably should be just the winners. Those are the rules though. Good luck to Westmeath they have showed time and again they can compete with the best and great win today." Down started today like they finished against Donegal, but Armagh last week got a glimpse of the Down kickout and attacking strategy and just suffocated you. Donegal had moved Caolan McGonigle from No 6 to midfield help mark Murdock, leaving the center of their defence physically exposed for direct running. Down had a few successes in the first 10 minutes, but Armagh weren't having it and just put a roadblock there. The other thing Armagh targetted was the Down kickout, last week Down dominated their own kickout and launched a lot of attacks from that, but Armagh again suffocated Down around the middle and starved you of oxygen. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1812 - 03/05/2026 19:23:05 2670714 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship." Westmeath overcame the hurdle of Meath and did what they needed to get back to the All Ireland championship. Cavan finished 4th in Division 2 in 2025 and 5th in Division 2 in 2026 doing what they had to to get back to the All Ireland championship. Offaly won Division 3 in 2025 but missed out on the All Ireland championship. Down won Division 3 in 2026 and have missed out on the All Ireland championship. Finishing below 5th in Division 2 is asking for trouble under the agreed format. Ulster is a competitive championship. Donegal, Derry, Tyrone and Cavan have all been rewarded as league qualifiers. This is exactly what the league qualifiers were agreed for. Ulster is tough and that strength reflected in the league is being rewarded. Meath, Mayo and Louth have also been rewarded. All have done what they had to do. I've sympathy for Down but they came up short in the league. They'll have a chance to rectify that in Division 2 next year. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9697 - 03/05/2026 19:24:28 2670716 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship." Well you could also say they had to be third from bottom in division 2. Down for relegated from division 2 last year and that was the real problem. No point moaning about a tough Ulster draw. Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1005 - 03/05/2026 19:25:16 2670717 Link
Replying To Ulsterchamps_32: "Well you could also say they had to be third from bottom in division 2. Down for relegated from division 2 last year and that was the real problem. No point moaning about a tough Ulster draw." If Down were in munster and their Donegal result against Cork or Kerry they would be safely in Sam. So system is not entirely fair, not even mathematically! Expertinall (UK) - Posts: 47 - 03/05/2026 19:38:11 2670725 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship." Kerry were in the Sam Maguire regardless due to their league standing. Down are only in the position of needing to get those wins because of their own lowly league standing so what you say isn't accurate really. galwayman2 (Galway) - Posts: 1405 - 03/05/2026 19:43:00 2670728 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "Down had to beat Donegal (1st in National League) then Armagh (6th in NL) to reach the Sam Maguire stage, Meanwhile Kerry just had to beat Clare (24th in NL) to make it. Until this discrepancy is rectified we'll never have a truly level championship." The Munster and Connacht championship should be merged, with each provincial council taking responsibility for running the completion every second year. That would mean 12 teams, with the four top teams seeded and into the quarter finals, and 8 unseeded with open draw between them to provide 4 winners who would make up the quarter finals. At the moment the four seeded teams might be Kerry, Galway, Roscommon and either Mayo or Cork. It would make for a great championship each year and remove the issue you mentioned which can also apply in Connacht where it's often too easy to reach a provincial final for one of the big guns. It would then mean 6 teams not 8 make Sam Maguire based on reaching a provincial final, leaving 10 places to be decided by league finishing positions. Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1839 - 03/05/2026 19:46:57 2670730 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "Westmeath overcame the hurdle of Meath and did what they needed to get back to the All Ireland championship. Cavan finished 4th in Division 2 in 2025 and 5th in Division 2 in 2026 doing what they had to to get back to the All Ireland championship. Offaly won Division 3 in 2025 but missed out on the All Ireland championship. Down won Division 3 in 2026 and have missed out on the All Ireland championship. Finishing below 5th in Division 2 is asking for trouble under the agreed format. Ulster is a competitive championship. Donegal, Derry, Tyrone and Cavan have all been rewarded as league qualifiers. This is exactly what the league qualifiers were agreed for. Ulster is tough and that strength reflected in the league is being rewarded. Meath, Mayo and Louth have also been rewarded. All have done what they had to do. I've sympathy for Down but they came up short in the league. They'll have a chance to rectify that in Division 2 next year." Down lost to cavan by I think two points, louth by a point and meath at home by two points in division 2 last year. Win any of them games and they are in division 2 this year and likely to finish above the relegation zone and they would be in the race for sam. That's their real problem. It's not that unfair a system. Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1005 - 03/05/2026 19:48:14 2670731 Link