Conán Doherty: “Like Mayo and Armagh, Tyrone won’t lose much sleep after being thrown out the Championship’s doorstep”
Tyrone, Mayo and Armagh were all thrown out the door in the first two weeks of the party and their punishment in the All-Ireland grand scheme? Nothing at all.
You see, although Derry, Galway and Donegal came to the Championship in the right dress codes while all somewhat defying the odds – and certainly silencing the dubious comments on each of their provincial chances – they were just two games shy of an All-Ireland Quarterfinals.
But the teams that conquered them and only banished them through the back door are now also two games away from the quarterfinals. You lost and still advanced.
That’s right – where once being eliminated in the first round meant a long, dangerous journey through four qualifiers, the introduction of the Táilteann Cup has cut that journey in half and, worse, it means that being eliminated from the provincial championship in the first round is indeed equivalent to elimination is in the state semi-finals.
When all is said and done, Tyrone will be no worse off than Derry or Monaghan should the Ulster semi-final throw anyone else into qualifying.
In fact, Tyrone will just rest, wait and give himself plenty of reset time, safe in the knowledge that the backdoor action won’t begin until after the provincial semifinalists knock each other out.
The backdoor could realistically trigger a prelim match this year, but if Limerick beats Tipperary at Munster, the qualifiers will likely feature an even number of eight Division One and Two teams who never reached their provincial finals. After a round, the remaining four play the losers of the provincial finals for a spot in the last eight.
They say the back door will be harder in 2022 because it’s only the top 16 teams in the league so obviously the draw will be harder no matter how it’s cut. But of course it gets tougher, we’re two games away from Croke Park.
What happened here is that in the old Round 3 phase, these teams jump into the qualifiers and get dropped there, regardless of whether they lost a preliminary round, quarter-final or semi-final.
Maybe it doesn’t matter. Perhaps it’s punishment enough for Tyrone that two of their last three All-Ireland defenses have ambushed Derry in the Ulster quarter-finals at Healy Park.
Perhaps it’s so painful for James Horan and Kieran McGeeney that the rest of their respective provinces are going on without them, essentially putting them to bed early so the adults can keep talking.
Perhaps for a team who have won a game in Ulster in the last 10 seasons, seeing the lone Derry flag appearing from the crowded Omagh stands was victory enough as home support grew quieter and Derry bolder.
Perhaps the hope and the aggression and the joy in Thomas Mallon’s voice summed up that day perfectly for Oak Leaf County. Mallon, a standout goalkeeper for Derry over the years, is now a manager, stationed on the terrace behind the goals, roaring for every decision, kickout and rally.
Maybe all that matters is that Derry believed for the first time in a long time. That Pádraig Joyce came back from the abyss and a lot more. That Donegal has made a mark.
Derry manager Rory Gallagher celebrates after his side’s win over Tyrone at Healy Park, Omagh. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
And maybe all that matters is that they’re all still on the hunt for provincial glory and more days like this.
But in Sam Maguire’s picture, what’s happening in Ulster or Connacht or elsewhere is no longer so relevant. Win two or three games and you’re in the last eight – even if you lose one in the process.
Tyrone, who had lost out with Fermanagh that year, was initially tasked with winning four games to reach the All-Ireland Quarterfinals via Ulster. They won one, lost one, and now somehow they’ve gotten to the point where they only need two wins.
In 2023, the soccer championship will change to a system where the eight provincial finalists and the other top eight teams in the leagues – excluding the provincial finalists – automatically qualify for the round of 16.
That means if you avoid relegation from Division Two, you’re almost guaranteed a place in the Championship’s bottom 16, no matter what happens in the province.
And now we get an early glimpse of life after the provincial championships, which are significant for promotion across Ireland.
In the opening weeks of this campaign, the provinces quarter-finals saw two of Division One’s top three teams that year and the current All-Ireland champions knocked out of the tournament, but they weren’t knocked back any further.
Big scalps that don’t affect the overall look. So much so that Tyrone and Mayo are still joint third favorites for the All-Ireland at some bookies. Just like two weeks ago.
And maybe that’s all right. Perhaps it’s high time provincial structures stopped unevenly dictating All-Ireland, with a discrepancy in the number of games played and a massive discrepancy in the opponents faced to advance to the same tier – all because of it of a geographic accident and an ancient line drawn through a map.
Perhaps this is a step towards separating provincial championships as isolated tournaments, but perhaps for all those afraid of cutting them off, it’s given a glimpse of the future and a glimpse of just how much they will always mean.
Whatever happens broadly, Derry badly needed Sunday and it joins the county annals alongside other famous victories over Tyrone like in 2006 and 2001 – days and moments untouched by history regardless of what afterwards happened or didn’t happen.
And whatever happens to the All-Ireland structure in the coming years, Tyrone will never want to lose to Derry at Healy Park in a league game. Mayo will never want to lose to Galway at Castlebar in a league game.
Even if everyone goes through after that, even if the provincial championship doesn’t affect your All Ireland chances, never underestimate local rivalry in the GAA and remember what a single game can do for a county’s dynamic. In both directions.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/like-mayo-and-armagh-tyrone-wont-lose-much-sleep-after-being-turfed-out-the-championships-front-door-41607389.html Conán Doherty: “Like Mayo and Armagh, Tyrone won’t lose much sleep after being thrown out the Championship’s doorstep”