Football Championship draw 2022: The winners and losers as provincial paths revealed
Following the draws for the 2022 provincial football championships, we look at the winners and losers; Mayo were handed a tough Connacht assignment, leaving the door open for the western province's lesser lights.
Wednesday 19 October 2022 08:38, UK
Who did the draw favour?
Winners
Connacht's lesser lights
The headlines are all about Mayo, Roscommon and Galway being on the same half of the draw. And it will be dog-eat-dog for the three Division 1 teams battling for the one spot in the Nestor Cup decider.
But opportunity knocks on the other side.
The provincial final will feature Sligo (bridging a gap since 2015), Leitrim (2000), London (2013) or New York for the first time.
The prize on offer is not just a shot at a Connacht title, but also a place in the Sam Maguire Cup group stages.
The National League
Division 2 was always going to be a bear pit, given the new format of the championship.
Teams know they need to finish as high up as possible to secure a berth in the All-Ireland Championship.
Westmeath are already assured of a Sam Maguire Cup spot, by virtue of their Tailteann Cup triumph last season. But there will also be a Division 4 side who will qualify, given the lopsided Connacht draw.
That means the National League games in the second tier take on added significance, and there will be no teams in the division treating the springtime as a slow crescendo to the summer.
Across all four divisions, league placings could be crucial in terms of the draws for the All-Ireland Championship and Tailteann Cup group stages.
Munster's Division 2 band
'Not Kerry' was the wish of the remainder of the Munster field ahead of the draw.
To that end, Cork, Clare and Limerick will now all fancy their chances of reaching the final. The trio of Division 2 sides are no strangers to suffering at the hands of the Kingdom, with the Rebels' shock win in 2020 appearing an anomaly, given results since then.
Of course, the winner of Tipperary vs Waterford will have the unenviable task of taking on the All-Ireland champions in the quarter-final.
Losers
Mayo
Kevin McStay may have envisaged an easier start to life as Mayo manager than the assignment he was handed on Saturday.
The 'Green and Red' will first face his former team Roscommon. If they are to clear that hurdle, a trip to Salthill awaits to take on 2022 All-Ireland finalists Galway.
No strangers to taking perilous routes through the championship, Mayo could do with claiming a Connacht title to give themselves the best possible seeding for the All-Ireland Championship group stages.
But if they are to do so, they will have to do it the hard way.
Kildare
The Lilywhites will be embroiled in the aforementioned Division 2 battle royale, looking to bounce straight back after their relegation from the top tier in 2022.
Their prospects of reaching a third consecutive Leinster final are bleak, given they are on the same side of the draw as Dublin. As Johnny Doyle acknowledged, there is still a significant gap to bridge, despite progress made under Glenn Ryan.
Of course, they will first have to overcome Wicklow or Carlow to set up that potential semi-final showdown with the Dubs, and there are enough veterans of the shock 2018 defeat to Carlow in the panel to know they cannot get too far ahead of themselves.
Nonetheless, their best shot at qualifying for the All-Ireland group stages is now via the National League.
Armagh
Given their upward trajectory in recent seasons, many feel the Orchard County could be primed to end their wait for an Anglo-Celt Cup. However, they are facing a long road if they are to achieve that goal.
They find themselves in the preliminary round where they will face Antrim.
History is not on their side. On just six occasions has a team that played in the preliminary round gone on to win the title: Cavan (1945 and 2020), Armagh (2005) and Donegal (2011, 2012 and 2018).
In a championship fraught with danger, Armagh will have four hurdles to overcome if they are to prevail.
2023 All-Ireland Championship: The new format explained
The National League and provincial championships will continue under the same formats as 2022.
Following their conclusion, 16 teams will proceed to the All-Ireland Championships, with the remainder entering the Tailteann Cup.
All provincial finalists, as well as the next eight teams in terms of National League ranking progress to the All-Ireland Championship round-robin stages, with four groups of four.
The four group winners will qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals, with the second-placed teams drawn against third-placed teams in preliminary quarter-finals.
The Tailteann Cup will follow a similar structure, with New York entering at the preliminary quarter-final stage.
