National Football League 2023

manofwisdom

Looking forward to what is the best format competition the GAA have.

Opening round fixtures

Div 1

Monaghan v Armagh

Mayo V Galway

Roscommon v Tyrone

Donegal v Kerry

Div 2

Derry v Limerick

Dublin v Kildare

Cork v Meath

Clare v Louth

Div 3

Fermanagh v Longford

Tipperary v Down

Westmeath v Cavan

Antrim v Offaly

Div 4

Carlow v Wicklow

Wexford v London

Leitrim v Waterford

Sligo v Laois

What are we expecting from this years league campaign? straight into the championship after it and league placings will be important for the new summer group format.

Div 1 seems to have 4 or 5 team playing off to reach the final while relegation between Monaghan,Donegal,Roscommon?

Div 2 it's simply the case of who gains promotion with Dublin. Derry look to be the strong favourites for 2nd spot. The two teams that came up (Louth,Limerick) will do well to avoid the drop

Div 3 if pre-season is anything to go on Down seem to have got their house in order again and should return to Div 2. Westmeath,Cavan the next best? The two Ulster teams Antrim,Fermanagh look most likely to fall to Div 4

Div 4 Sligo,Laois look to be the two best but maybe Andy Moran,Oisin McConville might get a tune out of Leitrim and Wicklow

Always_Running

A lot of new managers in place will be interesting to see which counties will get a biggest or any bounce at all. For a lot of Div 3 and 4 teams this is the most important competition for teams. All in the relegation battle in Div 2 will be looking to avoid the drop knowing they are out of tier one championship if they don't reach a provincial final.

Final day of the league always provides huge drama, last year with Monaghan beating Dublin and sending them off to Div 2 shows anything can happen.

StupidLikeAFox

Division 2 will be very tight - Dublin are almost certain to go back up. Derry, cork, meath and kildare will all fancy their chances for the second spot. Limerick and clare will want to avoid the drop as well and both had OK seasons last year that they will want to build on. Hard to know if Louth are up to much, they have mickey harte which might count for something

MacDanger

I think Cork will be closer to the drop than Clare - they only stayed up by the skin of their teeth last year. Dublin & Derry definite favourites to go up, Kildare most likely to upset those two imo esp if Derry are missing the Glen players for a couple of rounds

blowitupref

No pools/predictions competition this year?

dxhound2005

Will Colm O'Rourke manage as well as he speaks. Meath have a pretty dismal record in the League, being away from the top table for about 20 years. Until they got back up in 2020, only to lose 6 and draw 1. The deluded folk in Meath will probably expect him to get back to the Promised Land.

namloc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120150049#Comment_120150049

With league position implications for qualifying for the Sam Maguire, Division 2 will be very interesting.

StupidLikeAFox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120153359#Comment_120153359

Of course - completely forgot about that aspect too, will really have to hit the ground running

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120153359#Comment_120153359

Added to it that the team finishing 6th in Div 2 will not be guaranteed to play in the Sam McGuire because one of Sligo or Leitrim will have a place in the Sam McGuire group stages because one of them is guaranteed a Connacht final place.

So whomever finishes 6th in Div 2 will have to get to their provincial final to guarantee an Sam McGuire place.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154554#Comment_120154554

Is that how the order works? Or is it the team who gets promoted in 2nd place in D3 that is bottom ranked?

And if it's the D3 side, is the ranking based on final league positions or the result of the D3 final?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154824#Comment_120154824

Well I'm not sure to be honest.

Maybe there is clarity somewhere.

dxhound2005

Monaghan v Armagh at 6.30 pm on Saturday is sold out. There is a reduced capacity of 6,000 in Castleblayney. They are holding their other homes games v Roscommon, Donegal and Tyrone in Clones. Other years they divided the games out between Clones, Castleblayney and Inniskeen, no Inniskeen this year. It would have made sense to hold the Armagh game in Clones, as a high demand for tickets could have been anticipated.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154824#Comment_120154824

From the RTE website today:

"The finalists in the third tier of the league are considered to be ranked higher than the sides who finished seventh and eighth in Division 2 at the end of the competition. But, with only 16 counties allowed into the Sam Maguire race, it means that qualification for the elite competition this summer cannot be secured by any of the other seven Division 3 counties this spring."

So from that, it seems like neither of the sides promoted from D3 will be playing for Sam (although Westmeath will be there regardless). The top 6 in D2 are guaranteed a spot in the Sam Maguire unless a second D3/4 side reaches a provincial final.

MacDanger

Was just on there buying tickets for the Mayo game - €18 is a bit saucy. Was looking back at old emails and in 2017, it was €12 for a league game, 50% increase in 6 years is a lot.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165286#Comment_120165286

It's a lot for a supposedly amateur game.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165814#Comment_120165814

I'd pay €50 to go to a game at this stage. Can't wait for the season to kick of proper tomorrow evening.

namloc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165286#Comment_120165286

U16s being free still is excellent but yeah a 50% increase in a few years is a lot. €15 for students/OAPs is a lot as well.

ShamoBuc

Most enjoyable game between Mayo and Galway.

Could have went either way in extra time but Comer struck over what looked to be the winning point in the 75th minute but the last kick of the game levelled it up.

Great to see GAA back !!

rolling boh

Fair result only saw second half think the Galway free was soft enough so justice was done with a great point to level it up at the death .

PressRun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171044#Comment_120171044

It was very enjoyable as a contest for this early in the year.

castletownman

Was in Wexford Park discotheque tonight. Terrible quality but London deserved the share of the spoils in the end as they actually showed a bit of acumen in their attacking patterns compared to Wexford.

I genuinely think that promotion may already be out of the question, which sounds pessimistic, but I just can't figure out what tactics Hegarty is trying to implement. He had our best available full-back playing on the wing, our best attacking wing-back playing full-back and a debutant more noted as a wing-back in the corner (London converted seven frees, all conceded by a panicky full-back line). Only for a fortunate O.G. and the London goalkeeper gifting two points directly from restarts, they'd have been comfortable winners.

There was no long kick-passing of note, and not exactly stellar work-rate on the wings either considering London's number 5 got on the ball more than anyone after the break. Had this nonsense of the management cheering whenever we won a sideline ball, but they were as quiet as ghosts when under the kosh. Conceded five frees for technical fouls in the first half alone (referee was a bit whistle happy), but kept making the same mistakes after the break too- miscommunication somewhere.

Don't see myself travellling too far to watch any of that dirge away from home.

ShamoBuc

Fine win for Donegal. Another game in the melting point going into injury time and a very good score in the 73rd minute seals a 1 point win.

John Doe1

Wow great result for us, some of those young lads McColgan, O Donnell, McGroddy, Curran really stood up. Less back passing and more exciting football.

It was a 2nd string Kerry but we were missing players too, Donegal needs to get behind Paddy Carr now

ShamoBuc

Jack O'Connor looked fairly annoyed at the end of the game. Complaining to anyone that would listen to him.

YabaDabaDooley

Some cracking games up and down the country over the weekend. Thank god the GAA is back. And back with a bang!

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173874#Comment_120173874

When is that fella not complaining?

gormdubhgorm

To me there is a definite gap between div1 and div2. Watching Dublin at CP yesterday and the other matches on telly. It is probably widening.

I think Dublin would really struggle v most of div1. Kerry - Mayo - Galway - Donegal- Tyrone - Monaghan- maybe even Armagh. Even a full strength Dublin.

Fair play to Donegal by the way nice to see them with the handbrake off.

YabaDabaDooley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173927#Comment_120173927

I think all of those teams would struggle against Dublin, also. I wouldn't read too much into one league game. Dublin will be there or thereabouts when it matters most.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173969#Comment_120173969

I am not so sure most of those div1 sides seem solid settled. And know what they are at. They have well practiced systems of play etc.

And good quality players. I wouldn’t be surprised if every team in div1 looses a game each. It will be very competitive.

But div2 looks extremely weak it is basically Leinster standard. With Dublin - Kildare best of a bad bunch. Maybe Derry pushing for promotion. The rest making up the numbers.

YabaDabaDooley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120174008#Comment_120174008

Div 1 looks very strong for sure but do you not think Dublin would be competetive if we were in Div 1?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120174018#Comment_120174018

Well they weren't last year.

How much has changed?