Cork footballers could face four Ulster trips in league next year

Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, and Fermanagh comprise half of the second tier while Louth and Meath would also present long trips

Wed, 30 Aug, 2023 - 07:05

John Fogarty

Cork’s senior footballers could yet avoid four lengthy trips to Ulster in next year’s Allianz Division 2 campaign.

Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, and Fermanagh comprise half of the second tier while Louth and Meath would also present long trips.

Cork this year enjoyed four of their seven round games at home – Meath, Dublin, Limerick and Derry – as they finished fourth in the group, which was enough to secure them a Sam Maguire Cup position.

However, this past season was the second in a two-year cycle of fixtures and a new rotation commences in 2024, meaning Cork could again play the majority of their league games on their own turf, which would be more welcome than usual given Kildare is the closest Division 2 county to them.

Were Cork to be drawn to face the four Ulster teams away, it would amount to four overnight stays and a combined round commutes from Cork city of approximately 3,000 kilometres with the longest trips being Armagh city and Enniskillen.

Donegal have in recent times arranged their home games against Cork for Ballyshannon, playing Division 1 games in the town’s Fr Tierney Park in 2015 and ’16. Hosting Cork in Ballybofey’s MacCumhaill Park or Letterkenny’s O’Donnell Park would lengthen the visitors’ return journey by 100km or 140km respectively. Louth’s Páirc Mhuire base in Ardee would be a 650 km-plus commute for Cork and Navan’s Páirc Tailteann a 600km round road trip.

Going back to Conor Counihan’s time in charge, Cork’s form away to Ulster opposition has been relatively good and they are no strangers to pointing the bus north. In 2015, as well as travelling to Donegal, they also faced Monaghan in Castleblayney, Tyrone in Omagh and Down in Newry.

In Division 1 last season, Kerry had three home games and there is a possibility they may have to make do with the same again because of the cycle concluding. If they are drawn away to Derry (Celtic Park), Dublin (Croke Park), Monaghan (Castleblayney’s St Mary’s Park), and Tyrone (O’Neills Healy Park), they could also have a combined return commute of 3,000km from Tralee.

Confirmed fixture details for next year’s Allianz Leagues are not expected until late November at the earliest with teams expected to be permitted to return to collective training at the end of that month as was the case in 2022.

Meanwhile, the PwC All-Stars football and hurling awards have been confirmed for Dublin on Friday, November 17.