Oisín McConville's top ten clashes of the Qualifiers era 

From early shockers to Newbridge or Nowhere, the back door opened the doors to some truly enthralling summer contests...

Facing up to the truth: Dessie Farrell, Dublin, in action against Armagh's Enda McNulty during a Bank of Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifier in 2003. Pic: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE

2001, Galway 0-13 Armagh 0-12.

Memorable for all the wrong reasons. We had beaten Down and Monaghan and were anxious to play a team outside of Ulster but the whole day unravelled for us long before the match began. We played some great stuff in the second half but we’d left ourselves with too much catching up to do.

2003, Armagh 0-15 Dublin 0-11.

Tommy Lyons, the Dublin manager at the time, suffered ridiculous and vitriolic abuse after Dublin were beaten by Westmeath in Leinster the following year. Tommy walked away at the end of that 2004 season but his demise really began a year earlier when we beat them - because Tommy also probably lost the dressing-room afterwards. He tore some of his players to shreds in his post-match briefing, including Stephen Cluxton who was sent off for kicking Stevie McDonnell in the second half. We took control in the second-half, especially Stevie, who was on fire that afternoon.

2006, Laois 0-9 Tyrone 0-6.

Rekindling this result seems more timely than ever this week considering Tyrone crashed out in the qualifiers again at the weekend when All-Ireland champions. Tyrone had also lost to Derry in Ulster that season, when only kicking 0-5. The match against Laois was a drab affair, with just 0-15 scored over the 70 minutes. Tyrone looked dead behind the eyes and they could never summon the resolve or desire to arrest the slide. For Tyrone, that has remained a recurring theme for them the year after they win an All-Ireland.

2008, Tyrone 0-13 Mayo 1-9.

When Tyrone look back on their memorable 2008 season, when they bounced back after losing to Down in Ulster to storm through the back-door to secure a third All-Ireland title in six years, they really used up their get-out-of-jail card in Round 4 against Mayo. Tyrone squeezed through to the quarter-finals by one point but only after another display of mass wastefulness from Mayo. Tyrone produced some good stuff midway through the second half when a run of six unanswered points set them on their way.

2009, Kerry 1-12 Sligo 0-14.

A game that will always be remembered for David Kelly’s missed penalty with almost the last kick of the match. Kerry were at home in Tralee but they were still smarting from a whipping from Cork in Munster and Sligo caught them cold. Kerry looked like a team only waiting to be put out of their misery but they finally found some momentum through the qualifiers before storming through to bag another All-Ireland, defeating Cork again in the final.

2012, Kerry 1-16 Tyrone 1-6.

Billed as the biggest qualifier of all, the match never lived up to its pre-game hype. It was a game Kerry dared not to lose, especially after having lost to Tyrone on three occasions during the previous decade in massive games. Kerry took care of business but Tyrone were only a pale shadow of the teams which had handed out hard lessons to Kerry in previous games.

2014, Monaghan 2-16 Kildare 2-14.

Monaghan overcame woeful conditions to edge out Kildare in a classic after extra-time. With torrential rain falling throughout, a tight and tense clash was only settled after a Chris McGuinness goal in extra-time. It was Monaghan’s first championship victory in Croke Park for 84 years.

2018, Kildare 0-21 Mayo 0-19.

The famous, or infamous, ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ match. This match said a lot about Kildare, in that if you fight for something, you have to back it up. Everyone said beforehand that they wouldn’t, especially against such an experienced Mayo side. But Kildare firmly did back it up.

2018, Roscommon 2-22 Armagh 1-19.

An absorbing and brilliant contest that resembled a good old-fashioned shoot-out. The point-scoring was exceptional as both sides just went at it. Niall Grimley reduced the margin to one approaching injury-time before Roscommon scored three points on the bounce, which was followed by an Enda Smith goal to secure Roscommon’s place in the Super 8s. It was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve watched in a long time.

2019, Mayo 2-13 Galway 1-13.

After going out of the championship so early the previous year, and after losing to Roscommon in Castlebar in Connacht, Mayo played like a team on a mission. It was a local derby with a difference as it was played in Limerick, and while only three points separated the sides at the end, I always remember Mayo being in control of that match.