2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 132nd edition of the GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.

2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Championship details
Dates5 May – 14 September 2019
Teams33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning teamDublin (29th win)
CaptainStephen Cluxton
ManagerJim Gavin
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing teamKerry
CaptainGavin White
ManagerPeter Keane
Provincial Champions
MunsterKerry
LeinsterDublin
UlsterDonegal
ConnachtRoscommon
Championship statistics
No. matches played71
Top Scorer Cathal McShane (3-49)
Player of the Year Stephen Cluxton
2018
2020

Thirty-three teams took part – thirty-one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, London and New York. Kilkenny, as in previous years, did not enter.

Dublin were the defending champions. In 2018 they won a record-equalling fourth consecutive title, becoming only the fourth team to achieve this feat (the other four-in-a-row champions were Wexford in 1915–18 and Kerry in 1929–32 and 1978–81).[1] They won the 2019 final, defeating Kerry in a replay, and became the GAA's first ever five-in-a-row All-Ireland senior champions.[2]

Competition format

Provincial Championships format

Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. Most teams who lose a match in their provincial championship enter the All-Ireland qualifiers – New York does not enter the qualifiers.[3][4][5][6]

All provincial matches are knock-out. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes, two periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level the tie goes to a replay.

Qualifiers format

Twenty eight of the twenty nine teams beaten in the provincial championships enter the All-Ireland qualifiers, which are knock-out. Sixteen of the seventeen teams (New York do not enter the qualifiers) eliminated before their provincial semi-finals play eight matches in round 1 of the qualifiers, with the winners of these games playing the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2. The eight winning teams from round 2 play-off against each other in round 3, with the four winning teams playing the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4. This completes the double-elimination format as the four round 4 winners re-enter the main competition at the Super 8 stage (officially named The All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage). Further details of the format are included with each qualifier round listed below.

In rounds one to three, teams from divisions three and four of the National Football League have home advantage if drawn against teams from divisions one and two.

All qualifier matches are knockout with "Winner On The Day" rules being applied if a match is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes. Initially two extra time periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level two further periods of five minutes each way are played. If the score is still level, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out.

All-Ireland format

Significant changes to the format of the All-Ireland championship were made at the GAA's Annual Congress in February 2017 and introduced in 2018. The major change was the creation of the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage commonly known as "The Super 8s", which replaced the four knockout quarter-finals. Two groups of four teams compete in three rounds (officially referred to as phases) in the Super 8s.

The top two teams in each group contest the semi-finals on a weekend in early August. The All-Ireland final is played "by the 35th Sunday of the year".[7]

The semi-finals and final are knock-out. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes in a semi-final, two periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level the semi-final is replayed. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes in the final, the match is replayed.

The changes will be trialed for three years before being reviewed by the GAA in late 2020.

Live Gaelic Football On TV

RTÉ, the national broadcaster in Ireland, will provide the majority of the live television coverage of the football championship in the second year of a five-year deal running from 2017 until 2021. Sky Sports will also broadcast live games and have exclusive rights to a number of matches including some All-Ireland football super 8 matches. Both RTÉ and Sky Sports televise the two All-Ireland semi-finals and final live.

As of May 2019, BBC Northern Ireland planned to air four Ulster Championship games live: the Antrim–Tyrone quarter-final, the two semi-finals, and the final.[8]

Provincial Championships

Connacht Senior Football Championship

For official fixtures and results see Connacht Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Quarter-Finals
5 & 12 May
Semi-Finals
19 & 25 May
Connacht Final
16 June
New York 0-4  
Mayo 1-22     Mayo 0-17  
Leitrim 0-12     Roscommon 2-12  
Roscommon 3-17       Roscommon 1-13
          Galway 0-12
        Sligo 0-7
London 1-9     Galway 3-11    
Galway 0-16  

Leinster Senior Football Championship

The four teams who won their quarter-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's quarter-finals. Six of the seven remaining teams play-off in the preliminary round with the seventh team also receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

For official fixtures and results see Leinster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Preliminary Round
11/12 May
Quarter-Finals
25/26 May; 2 June
Semi-Finals
9 June
Leinster Final[9]
23 June
     
        Dublin 5-21  
Louth 0-22     Louth 0-10  
Wexford 1-14       Dublin 0-26  
          Kildare 0-11  
        Longford
(R)
3-15
0-10
 
Wicklow 1-10     Kildare
(R)
1-21
1-18
 
Kildare 0-15       Dublin 1-17
          Meath 0-4
        Carlow 0-9  
Meath 1-13     Meath 2-18  
Offaly 0-14       Meath 3-13  
          Laois 0-11  
        Laois 0-12      
        Westmeath 0-10      
     

Munster Senior Football Championship

The two teams who won the semi-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's semi-finals.

For official fixtures and results see Munster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Quarter-Finals 11 May[10][11] Semi-Finals 1 June[12][13] Munster Final 22 June[14]
     
        Cork 3-18  
Tipperary 1-10     Limerick 0-06  
Limerick 3-11       Cork 3-10
          Kerry 1-19
        Kerry 1-15
Clare 0-9     Clare 0-12    
Waterford 0-8  

Ulster Senior Football Championship

An un-seeded draw determined the fixtures for all nine teams. In April 2018 the Ulster GAA Competitions Control Committee introduced a rule that the two teams who play in the preliminary round are exempt from playing in the preliminary round in the following two years.[15] Derry and Tyrone were therefore awarded byes to the quarter-finals in 2020 and 2021.

For official fixtures and results see Ulster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Preliminary Round
12 May 2019
Quarter-Finals
18, 19, 25, 26 May 2019
Semi-Finals
2 & 8 June 2019
Final
23 June 2019
     
        Cavan 1-13  
        Monaghan 0-12  
          Cavan
(R)
0-17
0-23
 
          Armagh
(R)
1-14
0-17
 
        Down 3-13  
        Armagh 2-17  
          Cavan 2-16
          Donegal 1-24
        Fermanagh 0-09  
        Donegal 0-15  
          Donegal 1-16  
          Tyrone 0-15  
        Antrim 2-09      
Tyrone 1-19     Tyrone 2-23      
Derry 1-13  

All-Ireland Qualifiers

For official fixtures and results see All-Ireland Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Qualifiers Round 1

In the first round of the qualifiers sixteen of the seventeen teams beaten in the preliminary rounds or quarter-finals of the provincial championships compete. New York does not enter the qualifiers. The round 1 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2 of the qualifiers.

The following teams take part in round 1 –

Qualifiers Round 2

In the second round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 1 play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists. The round 2 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play each other in four matches in round 3.

The following teams take part in round 2 –

Qualifiers Round 3

In the third round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 2 play off in four matches. Round 3 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. In 2019 only Laois and Westmeath had played each other and this pairing was prevented in the draw. The four winners of these matches play the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4.

The following teams take part in round 3:

Qualifiers Round 4

In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 play the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The matches are normally held in neutral venues (unless the two teams involved have an arrangement or agree to a coin toss to decide who has home advantage). The four winners of these matches play in the round robin All-Ireland Super 8s.

The following teams take part in round 4 –

All-Ireland

For official fixtures and results see All-Ireland Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie

Structure

Format

The four provincial champions and the four winning teams from round four of the All-Ireland qualifiers are divided into two groups of four teams. Each group consists of two provincial champions and the two losing provincial finalists of the other two provinces or the team that beats them in round four of the qualifiers.

There are three rounds of two games in each group. Teams have one home game, one away game and one game in Croke Park:

Phase 1 - Weekend of 13/14 July - Each of the two provincial champions play one of the two qualifiers with both provincial champions having home advantage.

Phase 2 - Weekend of 20/21 July - The provincial champions play each other and the two qualifiers play each other. All round 2 matches are in Croke Park.

Phase 3 - Weekend of 3/4 August - Both qualifiers have home advantage when they play the provincial champions.

Dublin, if they qualify, will play their home game at Croke Park meaning that they will have two "Super 8" games in Croke Park.[16] Some counties criticised the use of Croke Park as a home venue for Dublin.[17] At the GAA Congress on 23 February 2019 Donegal proposed that Dublin be limited to playing one "Super 8" game at Croke Park. The motion failed as it only received 36% of the available votes.

Super 8 games are played in the four weeks beginning in early July and ending in the first weekend in August (which is also the bank holiday weekend in the Republic of Ireland). Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Tie-breaker

If only two teams are level on group points -

  • The team that won the head-to-head match is ranked first
  • If this game was a draw, score difference (total scored minus total conceded in all group games) is used to rank the teams
  • If score difference is identical, total scored is used to rank the teams
  • If still identical, a play-off is required

If three or more teams are level on group points, score difference is used to rank the teams.

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals Group 1

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Kerry 3 2 1 0 72 54 +18 5 Advance to semi-finals
2 Mayo 3 2 0 1 55 52 +3 4
3 Donegal 3 1 1 1 61 56 +5 3
4 Meath 3 0 0 3 46 72 26 0
Updated to match(es) played on 3 August 2019. Source:

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals Group 2

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Dublin 3 3 0 0 84 47 +37 6 Advance to semi-finals
2 Tyrone 3 2 0 1 51 50 +1 4
3 Roscommon 3 1 0 2 48 67 19 2
4 Cork 3 0 0 3 56 75 19 0
Updated to match(es) played on 4 August 2019. Source:
Semi-Finals Final
      
Dublin 3-14
Mayo 1-10
Dublin
(R)
1-16
(1-18)
Kerry
(R)
1-16
(0-15)
Tyrone 0-18
Kerry 1-18

All-Ireland Semi-Finals

The winners of Super 8s Group 1 play the runners-up of Super 8s Group 2 and the winners of Super 8s Group 2 play the runners-up of Super 8s Group 1.

10 August 2019 (2019-08-10)
17:00 IST (UTC+1)
Semi-Final
Mayo 1-10 (13) (23) 3-14 Dublin
(HT: 0-08 – 0-06)
Gls: Lee Keegan 1
Pts: Cillian O’Connor 3 (2f) Patrick Durcan 2, Colm Boyle 1, Séamus O’Shea 1, Fergal Boland 1, Stephen Coen 1, James Carr 1
Gls: Con O’Callaghan 2, Brian Fenton 1
Pts: Dean Rock 6 (6f), Paul Mannion 5, Brian Fenton 1, Niall Scully 1, Brian Howard 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
Attendance: 82,300
11 August 2019 (2019-08-11)
15:30 IST (UTC+1)
Semi-Final
Tyrone 0-18 (18) (21) 1-18 Kerry
(HT: 0-09 – 0-05)

Pts: Cathal McShane 7 (3f), Niall Sludden 2, Mattie Donnelly 2, Niall Morgan 2 (2 '45'), Peter Harte 1 (1f), Connor McAliskey 1, Darren McCurry 1, Richie Donnelly 1, Michael McKernan 1
Gls: Stephen O'Brien 1
Pts: Sean O'Shea 6 (5f, 1 '45'), David Clifford 5 (1f), Paul Geaney 3, Stephen O'Brien 2, David Moran 1, Jack Sherwood 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)
Attendance: 33,848

All-Ireland Final

The Central Competitions Control Committee of the GAA decided in October 2018 that, in future, the final should be played "by the 35th Sunday of the year". Traditionally the final was held on the third Sunday in September.

1 September 2019 (2019-09-01)
15:30 IST (UTC+1)
Final
Dublin 1-16 (19) (19) 1-16 Kerry
(HT: 1-09 – 0-08)
Gls: Jack McCaffrey 1
Pts: Dean Rock 10 (6f, 1 ’45), Jack McCaffrey 3, Paul Mannion 2, Con O’Callaghan 1
Gls: Killian Spillane 1
Pts: Sean O’Shea 10 (4f, 3 ’45), David Clifford 2, Gavin Crowley 1, Killian Spillane 1, Stephen O’Brien 1, Tommy Walsh 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: David Gough (Meath)
Attendance: 82,300
Standby: Conor Lane (Cork)
Linesman: Barry Cassidy (Derry)
Sideline: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
Umpires: Eugene Gough, Terry Gough, Stephen Gough, Dean Gough (all Slane GFC, Meath)
14 September 2019 (2019-09-14)
18:00 IST (UTC+1)
Final Replay
Dublin 1-18 (21) (15) 0-15 Kerry
(HT: 0-10 – 0-10)
Gls: Eoin Murchan 1
Pts: Ciaran Kilkenny 4, Con O’Callaghan 4, Paul Mannion 4, Dean Rock 3 (1 ’45), David Byrne 1, James McCarthy 1, Niall Scully 1

Pts: Seán O’Shea 5 (3f), David Clifford 5 (1f), Paul Geaney 4, Adrian Spillane 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
Attendance: 82,300
Standby: Maurice Deegan (Laois)
Linesman: David Coldrick (Meath)
Sideline: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
Umpires: Kevin Roache, DJ O'Sullivan (both Banteer/Lyre), Ray Hegarty (Bride Rovers), Pat Kelly (Kilshannig)

Championship Statistics

  • All scores correct as of 13 August 2019[18]

Top Scorer: Overall

Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average
1 Cathal McShane Tyrone 3-49 58 9 6.3
2 Seán O'Shea Kerry 1-53 56 8 7.1
3 Dean Rock Dublin 1-39 42 6 7.0
4 Mark Collins Cork 2-31 37 6 6.2
5 Mickey Newman Meath 4-24 36 7 5.1
6 Peter Harte Tyrone 1-32 35 9 3.9
7 Cormac Costello Dublin 1-31 34 8 4.3
Adam Tyrrell Kildare 1-31 34 6 5.7
9 Michael Murphy Donegal 2-25 31 6 5.2
10 Rian O'Neill Armagh 3-21 30 5 6
11 David Clifford Kerry 0-29 29 5 4.2
Conor Cox Roscommon 0-29 29 6 4.8
Patrick McBrearty Donegal 1-26 29 6 4.8
Cillian O'Connor Mayo 2-23 29 5 5.8
15 Paul Mannion Dublin 0-28 28 8 3.5
16 Con O'Callaghan Dublin 4-13 25 8 3.1
17 Donal Kingston Laois 0-24 24 5 4.8
Luke Connolly Cork 5-09 24 6 4
19 Paul Geaney Kerry 2-17 23 8 2.9

Top Scorer: Single game

Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition
1 Cormac Costello Dublin 1-12 15 Louth
2 Dean Rock Dublin 1-11 14 Roscommon
3 Bernard Allen Offaly 0-11 11 London
Mark Collins Cork 1-08 11 Laois
Seán O'Shea Kerry 1-08 11 Meath
6 Mark Collins Cork 0-10 10 Limerick
Donal Kingston Laois 0-10 10 Cork
Seán O'Shea Kerry 0-10 10 Dublin
Dean Rock Dublin 0-10 10 Kerry
Michael Murphy Donegal 1-07 10 Kerry
Adam Tyrrell Kildare 1-07 10 Longford
Brian Hurley Cork 2-04 10 Laois
13 Cormac Costello Dublin 0-09 9 Kildare
Peter Harte Tyrone 0-09 9 Longford
Shane McGuigan Derry 1-06 9 Tyrone
Patrick McBrearty Donegal 1-06 9 Meath
Mickey Newman Meath 1-06 9 Carlow
Mickey Newman Meath 1-06 9 Clare

Scoring Events

  • Widest winning margin: 26
  • Most goals in a match: 7
  • Most points in a match: 40
  • Most goals by one team in a match: 5
  • Highest aggregate score: 53 points
  • Lowest aggregate score: 17 points
  • Lowest score by one team in a match: 4 points

Miscellaneous

  • Dublin became the first county to win a 9th provincial title in a row and 5 All Ireland titles in a row
  • There were first time championship meetings for:
  • Darren Mulhearne notably made his championship debut for Waterford against Clare in the 2019 Munster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at the age of 46, believed to be the oldest player to debut. Two of his opponents in that game, and fellow debutants, had a combined age that was less than that of Mulhearne. He kept a clean sheet, in a one-point loss. Mulhearne was called into the team after Aaron Beresford sustained an injury. Mulhearne had first been part of the Waterford senior team as a 17-year-old schoolboy, but never played.[19][20][21]
  • Meath scored 0–4 in the Leinster final, the lowest score by a team in a provincial final since 1985, when Laois scored 0–4 against Dublin.[22]
  • Meath reached the last eight for the first time since 2010[23]
  • Dublin and their manager Jim Gavin extended their record-breaking unbeaten streak to 37 consecutive championship games, as of 14 September 2019. Gavin later stood down as Dublin manager.

Referees Panel

As announced in April 2019:[24]
  1. Ciaran Branagan (Down)
  2. Barry Cassidy (Derry)
  3. Brendan Cawley (Kildare), first year[25]
  4. David Coldrick (Meath)
  5. Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
  6. Maurice Deegan (Laois)
  7. David Gough (Meath)
  8. Jerome Henry (Mayo)
  9. Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
  10. Fergal Kelly (Longford)
  11. Conor Lane (Cork)
  12. Martin McNally (Monaghan)
  13. Joe McQuillan (Cavan)
  14. James Molloy (Galway), first year
  15. Noel Mooney (Cavan)
  16. Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
  17. Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)
  18. Derek O'Mahoney (Tipperary)

Stadia and locations

Team Location Stadium Stadium
Capacity
Antrim Belfast Corrigan Park 5,000
Armagh Armagh Athletic Grounds 19,500
Carlow Carlow Dr. Cullen Park 21,000
Cavan Cavan Breffni Park 32,000
Clare Ennis Cusack Park 14,864
Cork Cork Páirc Uí Chaoimh 50,288
Derry Derry Celtic Park 22,000
Donegal Ballybofey MacCumhaill Park 18,000
Down Newry Páirc Esler 25,000
Dublin Donnycarney Parnell Park 13,500
Fermanagh Enniskillen Brewster Park 20,000
GAA Drumcondra Croke Park 82,300
Galway Galway Pearse Stadium 26,197
Kerry Killarney Fitzgerald Stadium 43,180
Kildare Newbridge St. Conleth's Park 6,200
Laois Portlaoise O'Moore Park 27,000
Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada 9,331
Limerick Limerick Gaelic Grounds 49,866
London Ruislip Emerald GAA Grounds 5,000
Longford Longford Pearse Park 10,000
Louth Drogheda Drogheda Park 7,000
Mayo Castlebar MacHale Park 42,000
Meath Navan Páirc Tailteann 10,000
Monaghan Clones St. Tiernach's Park 36,000
New York Kingsbridge Gaelic Park 2,000
Offaly Tullamore O'Connor Park 20,000
Roscommon Roscommon Dr. Hyde Park 25,000
Sligo Sligo Markievicz Park 18,558
Tipperary Thurles Semple Stadium 45,690
Tyrone Omagh Healy Park 26,500
Waterford Waterford Walsh Park 17,000
Westmeath Mullingar Cusack Park 11,000
Wexford Wexford Wexford Park 20,000
Wicklow Aughrim Aughrim County Ground 10,000

References

  1. Whooley, Declan (2 September 2018). "The 5 key areas that sealed Dublin's 4 in a row". RTÉ.
  2. https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/indomitable-dublin-side-write-their-names-into-gaa-history-with-fifth-allireland-sfc-title-in-succession-38497981.html
  3. "Connacht Championship @ GAA.ie".
  4. "Leinster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  5. "Munster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  6. "Ulster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  7. "'Super 8' system to replace Senior Football Championship quarter-finals after GAA vote". RTÉ Sport. 25 February 2017.
  8. "Ulster SFC: Four Ulster Championship games to be shown live on BBC NI". 1 May 2019 via www.bbc.com.
  9. "Under par Dublin defeat Meath by 16 points to claim record 9th Leinster crown in-a-row". The 42. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  10. "Limerick stun Tipperary to claim first senior football win in Munster since 2012". The 42. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  11. "Clare failed to score after the 39th minute as they scraped past Waterford". Irish Independent. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  12. "First half blitz seals victory". Irish Independent. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  13. "O'Shea hits 0-5 as Kerry seal Munster decider with unconvincing win over Clare". The 42. 1 June 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. "14-man Kerry survive Cork test to remain Munster football champions". The 42. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  15. "Ulster SFC format to change from 2020". www.hoganstand.com. Hoganstand.com. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  16. "Championship draw heralds new beginning for GAA". The Irish Times. 19 October 2017.
  17. "Congress: Dubs will continue to enjoy home comforts after Donegal motion fails". www.hoganstand.com. Hogan Stand. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  18. "Results". Hogan Stand. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  19. Roche, Cian (1 May 2019). "'A dream come true': 46-year-old keeper in line to make Championship debut for Waterford". The42.ie.
  20. "Waterford hand 46-year-old keeper Mulhearne first start". RTÉ. 10 May 2019.
  21. Rooney, Declan (14 May 2019). "'I might become professional' - The story of the unemployed 46-year-old debutant Waterford goalkeeper". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media.
  22. https://www.balls.ie/gaa/meath-wides-leinster-final-412772
  23. O'Riordan, Ian (7 July 2019). "Meath reach Super 8s after super fast and super close contest". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  24. "GAA announces Referee Panel for Championship 2019". 25 April 2019.
  25. "Kildare referee Brendan Cawley, named on senior inter-county championship panel". Leinster Leader. 17 April 2019.
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