Connacht Division Four Sides Benefit From Controversial Championship Draw

The draw for next season’s GAA provincial championship provided some interesting ties, with the Connacht championship a major talking point.

New Mayo manager Kevin McStay will face his former side Roscommon in the Connacht quarter final, with the winners facing All-Ireland finalists Galway.

Not only does this mean that one of London, Sligo, Leitrim or New York will be in the Connacht final, but will also compete in the All-Ireland, rather than the Tailteann Cup, putting extra pressure on sides in the league campaign.

While this will give the division four sides some extra incentive in the Connacht Championship, it opens up the possibility of a major side not competing for Sam Maguire in 2023.

With Westmeath included as Tailteann Cup winners, and provincial finalists included in Sam Maguire, division two could be extremely interesting.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Saturday Sport, former Kerry manager Eamon Fitzmaurice spoke on the importance of the provincial championships in the upcoming season.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Sean Cavanagh on the importance of the provincial championships ahead of the new football format next year #GAA #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/YeHg9TeJkF

— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) October 15, 2022

“For the likes of Kerry and Dublin, it was more a means to an end than anything else, but with the added significance of the provincial finalists getting straight into the Sam Maguire group stage it is obviously huge.

Some of the division two could be sweating come the end of the league, even if they survive in division two, their spot in the Sam Maguire Championship could be still up for grabs.

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All-Ireland champions Kerry will start their All-Ireland defence against the winners of Tipperary and Waterford, while Dublin will face the winners of Wexford or Laois.

The Ulster championship has also delivered interesting ties, with Ulster Champions Derry facing Fermanagh in the quarter finals, with Tyrone facing Fermanagh in one of the most high anticipated clashes of the draw.