Don't rain on my parade!

As you all know, your resident Taffy is over to see the Dubs in the QFs for the first time ever. BUT! there is a fly in the sun cream...I saw this on the Indo today...

A draw in any one of the three third-round qualifiers this weekend could have serious ramifications for the scheduling of the remainder of the All-Ireland football championship. With one second-round replay between Wicklow and Armagh already throwing a very tight schedule off course, GAA officials will be keeping their fingers crossed that the games in Limerick (Limerick v Waterford), Casement Park (Antrim v Down) and Navan (Meath v Kildare) all produce a winner.

Another draw would make it virtually impossible to have an All-Ireland quarter-final draw on the following Sunday night, July 24, because of the restrictions it would impose on the potential permutations. In that event, the GAA's Central Competition Controls Committee (CCCC) would have to consider delaying the draw by seven days and putting back the All-Ireland quarter-finals by six or seven days, leaving the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of July and beginning of August without championship action. That would be a PR disaster for the association, one that the CCCC would be keen to avoid.

Under rule 6.27 (iii) that governs the organisation of the football championships, the All-Ireland quarter-finals are determined by draw, with the stipulation that the four provincial champions play the four winners of Round 4 of the qualifiers, provided the provincial champions don't meet the defeated finalists from their own province. But if two of the fourth-round qualifier winners are not decided by the night of Sunday, July 24 (the fourth-round qualifier involving two of Wicklow, Armagh, Tyrone, Mayo and Roscommon is already put back to the Bank Holiday weekend) then it virtually pre-ordains the pairings because of the need to observe the relevant rule stipulating that provincial final pairings cannot be repeated.

This throws up the question of whether it could then be classed as a draw, as the rule requires. So far this season there have been very few draws in the 43 football championship matches that have been played. London brought Mayo to extra-time in Ruislip in the Connacht championship, and Armagh were held by Wicklow in the Morgan Athletic Grounds on Saturday, even after extra-time.

The potential anomaly casts a cloud over the very tight nature of the scheduling of games in July and the desire to have the football championship down to just eight counties by the first weekend in August. The odds for a draw in the Meath/Kildare match is 7/1, with 9/1 being offered in the other two third-round qualifiers between Limerick and Waterford and Antrim and Down.
All I want to know is will I see the Dubs that weekend???

I can't remember how to calcutale odds, I think in this case you take the lowest which is 7/1 for a draw, so a 6/7 chance you'll see them ok.

Cari,calm down girl. It will all be grand. Exra time usually produces a winner. It was quite odd for Wikla to draw last week in extra time.

OK so that was an utter non-story from the Indo (barstewards!).

Thomond! It's OK for you, you can just go and see Caark anytime you like!

Not anytime I like, most championship games don't take place in Cork. Get to see most league games and a few championship ones up the country. Annoyed I went to Galwey last Saturday! To be honest,there is a slim chance of this happening.

Fairy nuff...you know what I meant

actually my odds were wrong it which is 7/1 for a draw, but for still being a draw after extra time you'd have to push the odds out a bit more to 10/1, so a 9 in 10 chance you'll see the game ok.

When I seen the headline I thought someone was going to suggest umbrella carriers for pre-match parades!!!

Hartley wrote:When I seen the headline I thought someone was going to suggest umbrella carriers for pre-match parades!!!

I'd do that for the Dubs!

lol - I wonder will it rain tomorrow night at Casement Park!?

raining bricks and stones and molotov cocktails