BOYLAN TALKS SPORT

The draws for the 2023 provincial football championships have been confirmed this afternoon.

Colm O’Rourke will have his first Championship match as Meath manager against either Longford or Offally. If my reading of the draw is correct, the above will be a home fixture for the Royal County.

“We’ll be starting with a clean slate, picking players based on what we’ve seen in the club championship. Out of courtesy we contacted this year’s panel just to say thanks very much”.

Colm O’Rourke

Should they negotiate that initial hurdle, they are scheduled to tackle either Louth or Westmeath for a spot in a Leinster Final. That should be the minimum target.

No easy task, mind you, given the progress made by each county in their own right. We are in fact the ones who need to make advancements. Albeit not drastically so.

At this point, it must be remembered that, next year, the provincial championships are being run independently from the All Ireland one. Linked, yes – as we have seen with National League positions interwoven into the composition of the Tailteann Cup.

But what the incoming system means is that the regional championships get the status they deserve as stand alone while league positioning will do more to determine what route teams take thereafter.

Speaking of regional, mind you, at the launch of the new regional competitions which were presumably his brainchild, the Meath boss said “We’ll be starting with a clean slate, picking players based on what we’ve seen in the club championship. Out of courtesy we contacted this year’s panel just to say thanks very much”.

This worries me. Hugely. Does it mean that those who have been involved in recent seasons are just being cut adrift? If so that amounts to lunacy. Or at the very least would be highly disrespectful to some very fine footballers.

Fixtures below, dates to be decided.

MUNSTER SFC

Quarter-finals:

Tipperary v Waterford

Cork v Clare

Semi-finals:

Limerick v Cork/Clare

Tipperary/Waterford v Kerry

CONNACHT SFC

Quarter-finals:

Leitrim v New York

London v Sligo

Roscommon v Mayo

Semi-finals:

Galway v Roscommon/Mayo London/Sligo v New York/Leitrim

ULSTER SFC

Preliminary round:

Armagh v Antrim

Quarter-finals:

Fermanagh v Derry

Tyrone v Monaghan

Down v Donegal

Cavan v Armagh/Antrim

Semi-finals

Fermanagh/Derry v Tyrone/Monaghan

Down/Donegal v Cavan/Armagh/Antrim

LEINSTER SFC

First round:

Longford v Offaly

Wicklow v Carlow

Wexford v Laois

Quarter-finals:

Kildare v Wicklow/Carlow

Dublin v Wexford/Laois

Meath v Longford/Offaly

Westmeath v Louth

Semi-finals:

Kildare/Wicklow/Carlow v Dublin/Wexford/Laois

Meath/Longford/Offaly v Westmeath/Louth