2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Championship details
Dates 6 May – 2 September 2018
Teams 33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team Dublin (28th win)
Captain Stephen Cluxton
Manager Jim Gavin
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team Tyrone
Captain Mattie Donnelly
Manager Mickey Harte
Provincial Champions
Munster Kerry
Leinster Dublin
Ulster Donegal
Connacht Galway
Championship statistics
Top Scorer Conor McManus (2-47)
2017
2019

The 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 131st edition of the GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football competition since its establishment in 1887.

Thirty-three teams entered the competition – thirty-one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland (Kilkenny, as in previous years, did not enter), London and New York.[1]

Competition Format

Provincial Championships format

Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship.[2][3][4][5] All provincial matches are knock-out but the teams who lose a match (with the exception of New York) enter the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Qualifiers format

Twenty-eight of the twenty-nine teams who were beaten in the provincial championships enter the All-Ireland qualifiers, which have a single-game knockout format. Sixteen of the seventeen teams (New York do not enter the qualifiers) who lost in provincial first round or quarter-final games play eight matches in round 1. The winners play the eight losing 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 facing the four losing provincial finalists in round 4 to complete the double-elimination format. Further details of the format are included with each qualifier round listed below.

All-Ireland format

Significant changes to the format of the All-Ireland championship were passed at the GAA's Annual Congress in February 2017 and implemented in the 2018 championship. The major change was the creation of the All-Ireland Super 8's (officially referred to as the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage), which replaced the knockout quarter-finals. The eight remaining teams in the Championship are split into two groups of four teams. One group features the Connacht champions, Munster champions, Leinster runners-up (or the team that defeats them in the qualifiers) and Ulster runners-up (or the team that defeats them in the qualifiers). The reverse is employed for the other group, which features the Leinster champions, Ulster champions, Connacht runners-up (or the team that defeats them in the qualifiers) and Munster runners-up (or team that defeats them in the qualifiers).[6]

The top two teams in each of the two Super 8 groups advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of those matches meeting in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[6] The All-Ireland final was initially scheduled for 26 August 2018 but was moved to 2 September 2018 to avoid clashing with Pope Francis's visit to Ireland.[7]

A number of former players have publicly criticised the new format as they believe it will result in the same top county teams regularly playing at least three high-profile matches in July and August while the remaining teams are without competitive football until the end of December, thereby enabling the top teams to become even more elite. Prominent sportswriter and RTÉ Sport analyst Joe Brolly referred to the new system as the "Super 8/Crap 25".[8] The changes will be trialled for three years before being reviewed by the GAA in late 2020.

Changes from 2017 championship

Rules

  • From 1 January 2018 the kickout must travel beyond the 20 metre line. Previously the players had to be outside the 20 metre line before the kickout was taken but could run inside to collect possession. If the rule is broken by the team taking the kickout the referee throws the ball up on the 20 metre line between a member of each team.[9]
  • Replays will only be held for drawn provincial finals and All-Ireland finals, with extra time to be played in all other championship matches except the Super 8 group matches. Initially two 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, a free-taking competition is held until a winner is determined.[10]
  • The A and B split system for the qualifier draws introduced in 2014 has been discontinued.[11]

Referees' Interpretation

  • Players who enter a situation involving two players and cause a melee will receive red cards. Willie Barret, Referees Development Chairman, said "We would be particularly honing in on the first and second person into the melee after the initial two players have been involved."[12]

Provincial Championships

Connacht Championship

Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals Connacht Final
New York 1-15  
Leitrim (a.e.t.) 0-19     Leitrim 0-10  
        Roscommon 0-24  
          Roscommon 2-06
London 1-11       Galway 0-16
Sligo 1-21     Sligo 1-12
Mayo 0-12     Galway 4-24    
Galway 1-12  
17 June 2018
4:00 pm
Connacht Final
Roscommon 2-6 (12) (16) 0-16 Galway
(HT: 1-5 – 0-5)
Gls: C Murtagh 1, C Devaney 1 (1 pen)
Pts: D Murtagh 5 (2f), D Smith 1

Pts: S Walsh 8 (5f), I Burke 3, D Comer 2, S Kelly 1, S Armstrong 1, A Varley 1
Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
Attendance: 18,864

Leinster Championship

The four winning teams in the previous year's quarter-finals were given byes to this year's quarter-finals. Six of the seven remaining teams played off in the first round with the seventh team receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

First Round
Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Leinster Final
     
        Westmeath 1-12  
Laois (a.e.t.) 2-21     Laois 4-13  
Wexford 1-18       Laois 0-12  
          Carlow 0-8  
        Kildare 1-10  
Louth 0-12     Carlow 2-14  
Carlow 2-17       Laois 0-10
          Dublin 1-25
        Dublin 4-25  
Offaly 1-15     Wicklow 1-11  
Wicklow (a.e.t.) 1-20       Dublin 2-25  
          Longford 0-12  
        Meath 0-14      
        Longford 0-16      
     
24 June 2018
4:00 pm
Leinster Final
Dublin 1-25 (28) (10) 0-10 Laois
(HT: 1-08 – 0-05)
Gls: C. Kilkenny 1
Pts: Dean Rock 8 (5f, 1 '45), C Kilkenny 4, C Costello 4, B Fenton 2, C O'Callaghan 2, P Andrews 2, B Howard 1, N Scully 1, P Mannion 1

Pts: D Kingston 0-4 (0-3f), A Farrell 2, G Walsh 2, K Lillis 1, E O'Carroll 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry)
Attendance: 41,728

Munster Championship

The two winning teams in the previous year's semi-finals were given byes to this year's semi-finals.

Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals Munster Final
Tipperary 0-20  
Waterford 0-9     Tipperary 0-9  
        Cork 1-17  
          Cork 2-4
          Kerry 3-18
        Kerry 0-32
Limerick 0-14     Clare 0-10    
Clare 1-22  
23 June 2018
7:00 pm
Munster Final
Cork 2-4 (10) (27) 3-18 Kerry
(HT: 2-01 – 1-11)
Gls: M Collins 1, L Connolly 1
Pts: L Connolly 2 (1f), M Collins 1, P Kelleher 1
Gls: P Geaney 2, S O'Brien 1
Pts: P Geaney 5, S O'Shea 4 (2 45, 1f), J O'Donoghue 3 (1f), D Clifford 2, P Murphy 2, G White 1, BJ Keane 1
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
Referee: Ciarán Branagan (Down)
Attendance: 27,764

Ulster Championship

All nine teams were drawn randomly without conditions to determine the fixtures.

Preliminary Round
Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Ulster Final
     
        Fermanagh 0-12  
        Armagh 0-7  
          Fermanagh 1-8  
          Monaghan 0-10  
        Tyrone 1-16  
        Monaghan 1-18  
          Fermanagh 0-12
          Donegal 2-18
        Down 1-18  
        Antrim 0-14  
          Down 1-12  
          Donegal 2-22  
        Derry 0-16      
Donegal 2-20     Donegal 2-16      
Cavan 1-15  
24 June 2018
2:00pm
Ulster Final
Fermanagh 0-12 (12) (24) 2-18 Donegal
(HT: 0-05 – 2-07)

Pts: Sean Quigley 5 (5f), Seamus Quigley 3 (1f), B Mulrone 1, E Donnelly 1, C Jones 1, C Corrigan 1
Gls: EB Gallagher 1, R McHugh 1
Pts: M Murphy 4 (3f), C Thompson 3 (1f), P Brennan 2, P McGrath 1, EB Gallagher 1, O MacNiallais 1, M Langan 1, P McBrearty 1, J Brennan 1, M McHugh 1, D O'Connor 1
St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
Referee: David Gough (Meath)
Attendance: 28,150

All-Ireland Qualifiers

Qualifiers Format

The A and B split system for the qualifier draws introduced in 2014 was discontinued after 2017. In qualifier rounds one to three, teams from divisions three and four of the 2018 National Football League have home advantage if drawn against teams from divisions one or two.[13] All qualifier matches are knockout.

Initial Schedule

Qualifiers Round 1: 9 June 2018
Qualifiers Round 2: 23 June 2018
Qualifiers Round 3: 30 June 2018
Qualifiers Round 4: 7 & 8 July 2018

Qualifiers Round 1

In the first round, sixteen of the seventeen teams who were 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 previously met in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play the eight losing provincial semi-finalists in round 2 of the qualifiers. The draw was conducted on 28 May 2018.[14]

The following teams take part in round 1:

Qualifiers Round 2

In the second round, the eight losing provincial semi-finalists play the eight winning teams from round 1 of the qualifiers. The round 2 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have previously met in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play each other in round 3. The draw was conducted on 11 June 2018.[15]

The following teams take part in round 2 –

Qualifiers Round 3

In the third round, 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. The four winners of these matches play the four losing provincial finalists in round 4. The draw was conducted on 25 June 2018.[16]

The following teams take part in round 3 –

Qualifiers Round 4

In the fourth round, the four losing provincial finalists play the four winning teams from round 3 of the qualifiers. Round 4 draw rules do not allow teams that have met in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided, which meant Fermanagh were kept apart from Armagh and Monaghan, who they had met in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Ulster Championship respectively. The matches are normally held in neutral venues. The four winners of these matches qualify for the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage. The draw was conducted on 2 July 2018.[18]

The following teams take part in round 4 –

All-Ireland

All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage

Most Irish sports media refer to this stage as the Super 8s.

Format

The four provincial champions and the four winning teams from round four of the All-Ireland qualifiers play three games each in two groups of four teams during the months of July and August. Each group consists of two provincial champions and the two losing finalists of the other two provinces or the team that beats them in round four of the qualifiers.

In the first round (officially phase one) the two provincial champions play each other and the two round four qualifiers play each other in Croke Park. In rounds two and three (phases two and three) the provincial champions play the two qualifiers. In phase two the qualifiers have home advantage and the provincial winners are at home in phase three. Dublin, if they qualify, will also play their home game at Croke Park.[19]

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.

Group 1

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Monaghan 3 2 1 0 51 41 +10 5 Advance to semi-finals
2 Galway 3 2 0 1 43 45 2 4
3 Kerry 3 1 1 1 67 58 +9 3
4 Kildare 3 0 0 3 51 68 17 0
Updated to match(es) played on 4 August 2018. Source: GAA.ie

Group 2

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Dublin 3 3 0 0 74 52 +22 6 Advance to semi-finals
2 Tyrone 3 2 0 1 73 51 +22 4
3 Donegal 3 1 0 2 52 57 5 2
4 Roscommon 3 0 0 3 53 92 39 0
Updated to match(es) played on 5 August 2018. Source: GAA.ie

All-Ireland Semi-Finals

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

11 August 2018 (2018-08-11)
17:00 IST (UTC+1)
Semi-Final
Dublin 1-24 (27) (18) 2-12 Galway
(HT: 1-09 – 1-07)
Gls: C O’Callaghan 1
Pts: D Rock 5 (4f), P Mannion 4, C Costello 3 (1f), C O’Callaghan 3, C Kilkenny 3, B Fenton 2, K McManamon 2, B Howard 1, P Flynn 1
Gls: S Walsh 1, D Comer 1
Pts: S Walsh 5 (3f), I Burke 2, J Heaney 1, T Flynn 1, D Comer 1, M Daly 1, G O’Donnell 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Bellaghy, Derry)
Attendance: 54,716
12 August 2018 (2018-08-12)
15:30 IST (UTC+1)
Semi-Final
Monaghan 0-15 (15) (16) 1-13 Tyrone
(HT: 0-08 – 0-08)

Pts: C McManus 7 (6f), C McCarthy 3, K Hughes 2, R Beggan 1 (1f), D Wylie 1, F Kelly 1
Gls: N Sludden 1
Pts: C McAliskey 4 (2f), P Harte 2 (1f), N Sludden 2, L Brennan 1 (1f), T McCann 1, F Burns 1, C Cavanagh 1, C McShane 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)
Attendance: 49,696

All-Ireland Final

The final was initially planned for 26 August 2018. It was rescheduled to 2 September to avoid a clash with the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families 2018.

2 September 2018 (2018-09-02)
15:30 IST (UTC+1)
Final
Dublin 2-17 (23) (17) 1-14 Tyrone
(HT: 2-07 0-06)
Gls: Paul Mannion (pen), Niall Scully
Pts: Dean Rock 7 (3f, 1 ’45), Ciaran Kilkenny 3, Brian Fenton 2, Paul Mannion 1, Brian Howard 1, Kevin McManamon 1, Michael Darragh MacAuley 1, Jack McCaffrey 1
Gls: Peter Harte (pen)
Pts: Connor McAliskey 3 (1f), Lee Brennan 3 (3f), Cathal McShane 2, Mark Bradley 2, Peter Harte 1 (1f), Tiernan McCann 1, Kieran McGeary 1, Padraig Hampsey 1
Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
Attendance: 82,300

Stadia and locations

Each team has a nominal home stadium, though not all teams are guaranteed a home game over the course of the Championship. In addition, games may be played at neutral or alternate venues. For example, Dublin have not played a Championship game in Parnell Park, their nominal home, since the 2004 Championship.[20]

  1. Casement Park is not in use this season. Redevelopment is planned for the ground.

Championship Statistics

  • All scores correct as of 4 September 2018

Top Scorer: Overall

Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average
1 Conor McManus Monaghan 2-47 53 9 5.89
2 Dean Rock Dublin 2-41 47 7 6.7
Connor McAliskey Tyrone 2-41 47 10 4.7
4 Michael Murphy Donegal 1-34 37 7 5.29
5 Paul Broderick Carlow 1-29 32 4 8
Neil Flynn Kildare 2-26 32 8 4
7 Cillian O'Connor Mayo 3-22 31 4 7.75
8 David Clifford Kerry 4-18 30 5 6
Diarmuid Murtagh Roscommon 0-30 30 6 5.0
Shane Walsh Galway 1-27 30 6 5.0
Ciaran Kilkenny Dublin 2-24 30 7 4.2

Top Scorer: From Play

  • As of 4 September 2018
Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average
1 Ciarán Kilkenny Dublin 2-24 30 7 4.2
2 David Clifford Kerry 3-15 24 5 4.8
Connor McAliskey Tyrone 2-18 24 10 2.4
4 Daniel Flynn Kildare 4-10 22 8 2.75
5 Neil Flynn Kildare 2-15 21 8 2.6

Top Scorer: Single game

Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition
1 Cillian O'Connor Mayo 3-09 18 Limerick
2 William Woods Louth 0-13 13 London
3 Conor McManus Monaghan 1-09 12 Kerry
David Clifford Kerry 2-06 12 Kildare
5 Paul Broderick Carlow 0-11 11 Kildare
Paul Broderick Carlow 1-08 11 Louth
Connor McAliskey Tyrone 1-08 11 Meath
Paul Kinsgston Laois 3-02 11 Westmeath
9 Luke Connolly Cork 0-10 10 Tipperary
Adrian Moyles London 0-10 10 Louth
Ciaran Kilkenny Dublin 1-07 10 Wicklow

Scoring Events

Miscellaneous

Live Gaelic Football on TV

RTÉ, the national broadcaster in Ireland, 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. In the UK, Premier Sports have exclusive coverage of 26 games including Sunday provincial games from all 4 regions, 1st/2nd choice of qualifiers from rounds 1 and 2 and 4 of the 12 quarter-fiinal group matches. Sky Sports broadcast a number of matches and have exclusive rights to a number of games including some All-Ireland super 8 matches.[21] BBC Northern Ireland showed at least two live games from the Ulster Championship and other games were shown in their entirety at a later time.[22][23]

Live Football On TV Schedule
Date Fixture &
Match Details
Broad-
caster
Provincial and Qualifier Matches
13 May Mayo v Galway
Connacht Quarter-Final
RTÉ
3 June Monaghan v Fermanagh
Ulster Semi-Final
BBC NI
RTÉ
9 June Meath v Tyrone
Qualifiers Round 1
Sky Sports
10 June Dublin v Longford
Leinster Semi-Final
RTÉ
17 June Galway v Roscommon
Connacht Final
RTÉ
23 June Tipperary v Mayo
Qualifiers Round 2
Sky Sports
23 June Cork v Kerry
Munster Final
RTÉ
24 June Donegal v Fermanagh
Ulster Final
BBC NI
RTÉ
24 June Laois v Dublin
Leinster Final
RTÉ
30 June Cavan v Tyrone
Qualifiers Round 3
Sky Sports
30 June Kildare v Mayo
Qualifiers Round 3
Sky Sports
7 July Roscommon v Armagh
Qualifiers Round 4
RTÉ
7 July Cork v Tyrone
Qualifiers Round 4
Sky Sports
7 July Fermanagh v Kildare
Qualifiers Round 4
Sky Sports
All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage
14 July Tyrone v Roscommon
Phase 1 Group 2
Sky Sports
14 July Dublin v Donegal
Phase 1 Group 2
RTÉ
15 July Kildare v Monaghan
Phase 1 Group 1
Sky Sports
15 July Kerry v Galway
Phase 1 Group 1
RTÉ
21 July Roscommon v Donegal
Phase 2 Group 2
Sky Sports
21 July Tyrone v Dublin
Phase 2 Group 2
Sky Sports
22 July Kildare v Galway
Phase 2 Group 1
RTÉ
22 July Monaghan v Kerry
Phase 2 Group 1
RTÉ
4 August Kerry v Kildare
Phase 3 Group 1
Sky Sports
4 August Galway v Monaghan
Phase 3 Group 1
Sky Sports
5 August Dublin v Roscommon
Phase 3 Group 2
RTÉ
5 August Donegal v Tyrone
Phase 3 Group 2
RTÉ
Knockout Stage
All-Ireland Football Semi-Finals
11 August Dublin v Galway RTÉ
Sky Sports
12 August Monaghan v Tyrone RTÉ
Sky Sports
All-Ireland Football Final
2 September Dublin v Tyrone RTÉ
Sky Sports

Awards

Sunday Game Team of the Year

The Sunday Game team of the year was picked on 2 September, the night of the final. Dublin's Ciarán Kilkenny was named as the Sunday Game player of the year.[24]

  • 1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
  • 2. Jonny Cooper (Dublin)
  • 3. Padraig Hampsey (Tyrone)
  • 4. Eoghan Ban Gallagher (Donegal)
  • 5. Karl O'Connell (Monaghan)
  • 6. James McCarthy (Dublin)
  • 7. Jack McCaffrey (Dublin)
  • 8. Brian Fenton (Dublin)
  • 9. Colm Cavanagh (Tyrone)
  • 10. Shane Walsh (Galway)
  • 11. Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin)
  • 12. Brian Howard (Dublin)
  • 13. Paul Mannion (Dublin)
  • 14. Conor McManus (Monaghan)
  • 15. David Clifford (Kerry)

References

  1. "Football – GAA.ie".
  2. "Connacht Championship @ GAA.ie".
  3. "Leinster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  4. "Munster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  5. "Ulster Championship @ GAA.ie".
  6. 1 2 "'Super 8' system to replace Senior Football Championship quarter-finals after GAA vote". RTÉ Sport. 25 February 2017.
  7. "Football final will have a September date in 2018". RTÉ Sport. 12 October 2017.
  8. "GAA hierarchy focuses on the elite and leaves the Crap 25 to fend for themselves". Independent.ie. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. "New 20-metre rule means goalkeepers will have to kick longer". HoganStand.com. 30 September 2017.
  10. "Championship draw heralds new beginning for GAA". The Irish Times. 19 October 2017. The abolition of replays will introduce the championship's most dramatic quirk – the possibility of a free-taking competition...This will only happen in the rarest of circumstances, whereby a qualifier game is level after 70 minutes, still level after another two periods of 10 minutes each and then still level after two periods of five minutes each.
  11. "Championship draw heralds new beginning for GAA". The Irish Times. 19 October 2017. For the first time since 2013, the All-Ireland qualifiers will not be split into A and B sides. Initially a measure designed to create more room in the calendar for club matches, it was done away with in among the raft of broader club-friendly changes at the 2017 Congress.
  12. "Refs to issue tougher punishment on melees". www.hoganstand.com. Hogan Stand. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  13. "Championship draw heralds new beginning for GAA". The Irish Times. 19 October 2017. For the first time, in the opening three rounds of the qualifiers home advantage will be given to Division Three and Four teams that are drawn against teams from Division One and Two.
  14. "Tyrone to take on Meath in Qualifiers". RTE Sport. 28 May 2018.
  15. "All-Ireland Football Championship qualifier Round 2 draw LIVE updates". Irish Mirror. 11 June 2018.
  16. "Mayo face third round qualifier showdown in Kildare". RTE Sport.
  17. "GAA release statement explaining Kildare v Mayo venue furore". The Irish Times. 27 June 2018.
  18. "Cork and Tyrone to meet in football qualifiers". RTE Sport. 2 July 2018.
  19. "Championship draw heralds new beginning for GAA". The Irish Times. 19 October 2017. The qualifiers will feed into the Super Eights...There will be two points for a win, one point for a draw.
  20. "Here are the last 10 times Dublin footballers played outside Croke Park". Irish Examiner. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  21. Stafford, Mikey (4 May 2018). "Here are the 31 GAA Championship games live on RTÉ TV". RTE.ie. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  22. https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/bbc-ni-to-lose-most-of-their-ulster-championship-games-1.3471757
  23. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/bbc-suffer-a-setback-to-coverage-of-ulster-series-36837734.html
  24. "Ciarán Kilkenny named The Sunday Game footballer of the year as champions Dublin dominate team of the season". Irish Independent. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
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