REIGNING ALL-IRELAND SENIOR football champions Tyrone will open their 2022 Ulster championship campaign with a trip to Fermanagh in the preliminary round.
The winners of that tie will then face Derry in the quarter-finals, where there’s another mouth-watering clash in place store Donegal and Armagh.
Antrim and Cavan, and Monaghan and Down have also been pitted against each other in Ulster, after the 2022 provincial football draws took place on RTÉ Radio One’s Saturday Sport this afternoon.
There’s plenty of interesting fixtures ahead, with Mayo and Galway, and Kerry and Cork, both doing battle early on in Connacht and Munster respectively.
The 2021 Connacht finalists renew their rivalry in the quarter-finals of next year’s competition, with New York v Sligo, and London v Leitrim the predetermined fixtures in the last-eight stage, and Roscommon securing their passage to the semi-final. There, the Rossies will face the winners of Sligo and New York.
The 2021 Munster finalists, Kerry and Cork, go head-to-head in the semi-finals next season, with the two other successful quarter-finalists set to lock horns in the other last four battle. That means, it will be Tipperary/Waterford v Clare/Limerick.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty of exciting fixtures in the first round of the Leinster senior football championship, before long-time holders Dublin get their title defence — and of course, their bid to regain the Sam Maguire — underway against the winners of Offaly and Wexford in the quarter-finals.
There, the winners of Laois and Wicklow will face Meath, the winners of Louth and Carlow meet Kildare, and Westmeath and Longford will also do battle.
Des Cahill and Joanne Cantwell were joined in RTÉ studios by Oisin McConville and Kevin McStay for this afternoon’s draws, with the respective provincial officials also overseeing proceedings.
Tyrone’s All-Ireland winning joint-manager Feargal Logan was on the programme, too, adding on his side’s fate: “It’s an early start, we’re out of the traps in the preliminary round. It’s a difficult one heading up to Brewster Park, it’s an extra hurdle.
“Nothing sounds easy in that Ulster draw so we’ll have to get up and at it.”
Asked about the prospect of stringing together back-to-back All-Ireland crowns, Logan called it an “attractive notion” — “If you’re at the top table, you want to be dining at it repeatedly” — but played down the huge challenge, mentioning the “rehabillitation” of Dublin, with Dessie Farrell’s side and Kerry “coming hot and heavy” in 2022.
He said they’d be focusing on Ulster: “Let’s just take it a step at a time up in Tyrone.”
It was confirmed in October that there would be no revamp for the football championship as Proposal B was defeated at Special Congress. Next season’s All-Ireland SFC will go back to the pre-2018 qualifier system.
2022 Provincial Championship Draws
Connacht SFC
Quarter-finals
- New York v Sligo
- London v Leitrim
- Mayo v Galway
Semi-finals
- Roscommon v Sligo/New York
- London/Leitrim v Mayo/Galway
Leinster SFC
First round
- Louth v Carlow
- Laois v Wicklow
- Offaly v Wexford
Quarter-finals
- Dublin v Offaly/Wexford
- Meath v Laois v Wicklow
- Kildare v Louth/Carlow
- Westmeath v Longford
Munster SFC
Quarter-finals
- Tipperary v Waterford
- Clare v Limerick
Semi-finals
- Kerry v Cork
- Tipperary/Waterford v Clare/Limerick
Ulster SFC
Preliminary Round
- Fermanagh v Tyrone
Quarter-finals
- Donegal v Armagh
- Antrim v Cavan
- Monaghan v Down
- Derry v Fermanagh/Tyrone
Semi-finals
- Monaghan/Down v Derry/Fermanagh/Tyrone
- Donegal/Armagh v Antrim/Cavan.
Dublin to regain Sam.
@Frank Cauldhame: we will have something to say about that
@mel roberts: Ye will be hard to beat. Played a lovely style of football last season. Once again Ulster will be a battle field
@mel roberts: I hope both our counties meet Mel, it would be a cracker :-)
@Shaun Gallagher: You got a tough enough opener lad, Armagh are starting to come again
@Frank Cauldhame: Hoping the same Frank, Dublin are the one scalp we haven’t taken now out of the big sides, would be a great game I think
@mel roberts: absolutely. Should be a cracker
@mel roberts: Isn’t it great that opposing GAA fans can chat seriously or with banter and not fall out or name call, I love it, Tyrone played lovely football this year and will be gunning to retain the All Ireland, Dublin will be hoping to get back to their previous levels and as you say it would be a great match between two “footballing” sides.
@Frank Cauldhame: that’s what makes our game unique, at the end of the day we are all gaa men and women, kill each other for 70 minutes and shake hands when it’s all over. Hopefully grounds are back to full capacity this year, the all ireland was a strange experience with only 40000
@mel roberts: True Mel and fingers crossed we get full grounds next summer ;-)
2022. The year of the lilywhites.
@Brian Dunne: be good to see them competing again
I always find it interesting that the Ulster champions consistently end up in the preliminary game and yet the Munster champions get a pass to the semi finals.
It’s about time we restructure the provincial championships to have even numbers in each one.
One word to describe that whole draw. BORING. Restructure now.
Up Kerry!
Back door next year?
@Barra Mac An Bhaird: yes.
Mouthwatering? .Cork V Kerry. Fermanagh V Tyrone. Mayo v Galway. Yeah
Jesus that Northern draw is tough. At least Sam is coming north again