THE GAA HAVE today revealed plans for football championship reform and there’s no doubt what the standout measure is.
Instead of knockout All-Ireland quarter-final ties, there would be two groups with round-robin games taking place instead.
But how would that format have looked like if it was in place for 2016?
The quarter-final groupings would have been:
- Group 1 – Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Mayo
- Group 2 – Tyrone, Dublin, Tipperary, Clare
Every team would play each other once with each team getting one game in Croke Park, one home game and one game.
That would interestingly create the prospect of major games being played in provincial venues.
Here’s what a schedule would have looked like using the dates that Director-General Pauric Duffy issued today in the document, if the structure had been in place in 2016.
We’ve put the likely home venues that counties would have used and we’re presuming that Dublin’s home game would be played in Croke Park.
The draws for the Round 2 and 3 games would be made by the CCCC during the season in question.
Fixtures
Saturday 16 July
Round 1
Kerry v Galway, Croke Park
Tyrone v Dublin, Croke Park
Saturday 23 July
Round 1
Donegal v Mayo, Croke Park
Tipperary v Clare, Croke Park
Saturday 6 August
Round 2
Kerry v Donegal/Mayo, Killarney
Galway v Donegal/Mayo, Pearse Stadium
Tyrone v Tipperary/Clare, Omagh
Dublin v Tipperary/Clare, Croke Park
Sunday 14 August
Round 3
Donegal v Kerry/Galway, Ballybofey
Mayo v Kerry/Galway, Castlebar
Tipperary v Dublin/Tyrone, Thurles
Clare v Dublin/Tyrone, Ennis
If teams finish level on points in the quarter-final round-robin stage, the following tie breakers will apply (in order of application):
- Result of game between two tied teams (only where two tied teams are level on points)
- Score difference
- Highest score for
- Goals scored
- Play-off match
What do you think of that format? Let us know in the comments section below.
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