Football semi replay would clash with hurling final
A draw in either or both All-Ireland senior football semi-finals this weekend may mean a replay is scheduled for the same day as the Limerick-Galway All-Ireland SHC final.
According to the GAA master fixtures plan, a replay or replays following drawn results in the Dublin-Galway and Monaghan-Tyrone will be played on August 18 or 19, the latter being the same date as the hurling decider.
Like the hurling semi-finals, there is a facility of two 10-minute periods of extra-time if required in the football games.
In 2015, the Dublin-Mayo semi-final replay was played in Croke Park the day before the Kilkenny-Galway hurling final.
However, a football semi-final replay clashing with hurling’s biggest day has not been ruled out.
The chances of draws on Saturday and Sunday are strong too, as Galway and Dublin drew in Salthill earlier this year before Dublin were victorious in the Division 1 final by four points. Earlier this summer, Monaghan came out on top by two points in their Ulster quarter-final against Tyrone. They also won February’s top flight meeting when the margin was a solitary point.
As Galway and Limerick’s club championships remain on hold, the GAA will be hoping the hurling final doesn’t turn out to be Galway’s third replay of the summer, as the replay won’t be played until 20 days later on Saturday, September 8. Such a development would have major consequences on Limerick having their competitions finished in time for the Munster championships. A replay in the football final is pencilled in for September 15.
Meanwhile, Westmeath’s James McGrath is expected to be confirmed today or tomorrow as the referee for Sunday week’s hurling final.
The Turin man previously took charge of the 2012 All-Ireland final replay between Kilkenny and Galway, as well as the 2013 All-Ireland final replay between Clare and Cork.
In this year’s Championship, the 41-year-old has been the man in the middle for the Limerick-Tipperary and Kilkenny-Wexford provincial round matches, the Clare-Cork Munster final and the Limerick-Kilkenny All- Ireland quarter-final.
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