Kildare fans will love this.
Anything that presumes Dublin will win the Leinster championship will be sweet relief to the Lilywhites who’ve been talked up consistently this year. No-one likes to be talked up – not even Dublin.
And, whilst the loss of Diarmuid Connolly until the semi-final stage has been brushed aside by the public because Dublin are said to cruise to the last four anyway, Jim Gavin might just be looking with a little angst towards the path carved out for his side in 2017.
- Leinster semi v Westmeath (finalists last two years)
- Leinster final v Kildare (Division One and flying)
- All-Ireland quarter-final v Ulster loser (if the Ulster loser makes it there)
Anyone who finds themselves in the B side of the qualifiers can count their lucky stars because, instead of Mayo, Donegal, Meath and Clare joining the A section, the B group will meet Leitrim, Tipperary, Westmeath and Down or Monaghan in round 2.
The prize for advancing isn’t so great though – Dublin and Tyrone and Monaghan will soon join them.
With the path for the A section looking mighty dangerous, the B side could prove a little more opportunistic.
The winners of Round 1B meet the next four losing provincial semi-finalists.
The four winners of Round 2B then play each other in the two ties of Round 3B.
The two winners from those games then meet losing provincial finalists in a playoff for the quarter-finals.
If Dublin win the Leinster championship – and they’re 1/9 to do so – they will most likely meet the losing Ulster finalist in the quarter-finals.
If Monaghan beat Down at the weekend – the final will be contested between Tyrone and the Farney men and you wouldn’t back against either of them winning a Round 4 qualifier from any of those games.
If the losing Ulster finalist wins in Round 4, they will play Dublin in the quarter-final of the All-Ireland.
So winning the Ulster championship becomes even more crucial now.
Here’s how the All-Ireland series looks.
Mayo couldn’t play Galway in the quarter-final so, being in the A section, they’d automatically be assigned the tie with the Munster champions.
Dublin couldn’t play Kildare in the quarter-final either and the losing Ulster finalist couldn’t play the winning one so, if Kildare come through or one of the Ulster tams come through the back door, Dublin will automatically be set up with them.
Here’s how it could look.
For Dublin, it could well be Monaghan in the quarter-finals, Tyrone in the semi-finals.
But, of course, it’s still all to play for.
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