Ulster SFC final could be staged at Croke Park

The strong following behind the current All-Ireland champions Armagh and Ulster holders Donegal could prompt the Ulster Council to take the game out of the province should the sides reach the final.

ULSTER FINAL: The Ulster SFC final is in line to take place in Croke Park on Saturday, May 10 if Armagh and Donegal qualify for the decider. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

The Ulster SFC final is in line to take place in Croke Park on Saturday, May 10 if Armagh and Donegal qualify for the decider.

The Irish Examiner understands should the counties win their respective semi-finals against Tyrone and Down this weekend, their showdown is likely to be staged in GAA HQ with an early evening throw-in.

Any other combination of counties and the game is expected to go ahead in St Tiernach’s Park in Clones on Sunday, May 11 at 1.45pm. However, the strong following behind the current All-Ireland champions Armagh and Ulster holders Donegal could prompt the Ulster Council to take the game out of the province.

The last Ulster SFC final to take place in Croke Park was in 2021 when the Tyrone-Monaghan game was moved to Dublin to allow for a larger crowd to attend at a time of pandemic restrictions. A crowd of 18,000 was permitted.

Prior to that, Armagh and Donegal’s 2006 clash brought 50,715 to Croke Park. For the same final meeting two years earlier, an attendance of 67,136 was recorded. In 2005, the Armagh-Tyrone drawn match and replay drew crowds of 60,186 and 31,954 respectively.

The Clones venue holds less than 30,000 and last year 28,896 watched the Donegal-Armagh final. Armagh, who have not lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup since 2008, have lost the last two provincial finals on penalty shoot-outs. The title has not been decided in normal time since 2021.

Meanwhile, David Gough has been appointed to take charge of Saturday evening’s Armagh-Tyrone Ulster semi-final in Clones. Gough sent off five players in the counties’s Division 1 game in the Athletic Grounds in February 2022. Tyrone’s Pádraig Hampsey, Peter Harte, Kieran McGeary and Michael McKernan along with Armagh defender Greg McCabe were all dismissed following a flashpoint in second-half stoppage time.

All of the one-game suspensions proposed for the four Tyrone players were upheld by the Central Hearings Committee despite Tyrone having serious grievances with how they were dismissed by Gough. It is believed they sought his notebook at the time but were informed he no longer had it.

Three of the players were cited for contributing to a melee the definition of which has changed in Gaelic football to a black card offence for anyone entering a disagreement without the sole purpose of removing their team-mate from it.

Cavan’s Joe McQuillan takes charge of the Donegal-Down Ulster semi-final game, which also takes place at the Monaghan venue. Elsewhere, Johnny Murphy will referee the Cork-Tipperary Munster SHC Round 2 game in SuperValu Páirc Ui Chaoimh this Sunday (4pm throw-in). Earlier that afternoon (2pm), Chris Mooney is the man in the middle for the Waterford-Clare game in Walsh Park.