Dublin kept apart from big guns in SFC draw
Dublin’s prospects of securing a fourth successive Leinster Senior Football Championship were given a major boost tonight, as they were placed on the opposite side of the draw to main competitors Kildare and Meath.
The All-Ireland Champions will open their defence of the Sam Maguire Cup in a quarter-final encounter against either Wicklow or Laois, and although the latter have caused plenty of headaches for the Metropolitans in recent years, Jim Gavin’s men will be hot favourites to progress to the last-four in the province. Should they emerge unscathed from this fixture, they would play one of Longford, Offaly and Wexford in the penultimate round, but in many respects, the other end of the spectrum in the East is probably more intriguing.
Paul Bealin will make his Championship bow as Westmeath supremo with a tricky first-round tie against Louth, with the victors moving forward to a last-eight fixture against Kildare, who are still on the look-out for a replacement for the ousted Kieran McGeeney. In the final quarter-final pairing, Meath will be looking to build on a positive 2013 when they face Anthony Rainbow’s Carlow.
The draw for the Munster Senior Football Championship had raised controversy before it was even revealed, but despite the protestations of Tipperary, Limerick, Clare and Waterford, provincial kingpins Cork and Kerry were nevertheless seeded at the semi-final stage, with the Rebels taking on the winners of a Tipperary/Limerick showdown, while either Clare or Waterford will face a daunting task against current champions Kerry.
Out west, Mayo will be aim to recover from the heartbreak of their All-Ireland Final defeat when they make the journey to Gaelic Park for the annual encounter with New York. Their great rivals Galway will also travel abroad for a quarter-final fixture against this year’s surprise packages London, but although their separate routes will raise the prospect of a provincial final meeting, the likes of Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim will fancy their chances of causing an upset along the way.
Monaghan’s terrific success in the north this year means that the Ulster Championship is nigh-on impossible to predict, but the Farney County will have a difficult defence of their title against the winners of a preliminary round meeting between Tyrone and Down. 2012 Sam Maguire winners Donegal (with their new-look management set-up) will aim to return to their clinical best as they face old rivals Derry in the quarter-finals, while the renewal of acquaintances between Armagh and Cavan, as well as an evenly-matched meeting of Fermanagh and Antrim, (both currently without managers) are also notable highlights.
MUNSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
Quarter-Finals: Tipperary V Limerick; Clare V Waterford
Semi-Finals: Cork V Tipperary/Limerick; Kerry V Clare/Waterford
CONNACHT SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
Preliminary Round: New York V Mayo
Quarter-Finals: London V Galway; Roscommon V Leitrim
Semi-Finals: London/Galway V Sligo; Roscommon/Leitrim V New York/Mayo
ULSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
Preliminary Round: Tyrone V Down
Quarter-Finals: Fermanagh V Antrim; Derry V Donegal; Armagh V Cavan; Monaghan V Tyrone/Down;
Semi-Finals: Fermanagh/Antrim V Derry/Donegal; Armagh/Cavan V Monaghan/Tyrone/Down
LEINSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
First Round: Wicklow V Laois; Longford V Offaly; Westmeath V Louth
Quarter-Finals: Wicklow/Laois V Dublin; Longford/Offaly V Wexford; Westmeath/Louth V Kildare; Carlow V Meath
Semi-Finals: Wicklow/Laois/Dublin V Longford/Offaly/Wexford; Westmeath/Louth/Kildare V Carlow/Meath