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GAA

25th Jun 2018

Kerry and Dublin’s first Super 8s opponents confirmed for class Croke Park weekend

Niall McIntyre

The Super 8s are only three weeks away now.

The provincial football championships are a farce and they have been for quite a while now. The average winning margin of the three finals that took place at the weekend was fifteen points.

Leinster and Munster are the worst of the lot. Dublin cantered to an eight successive Delaney Cup at the weekend without breaking a sweat in the whole pointless competition. Kerry made it six in a row down south when they destroyed Cork on Saturday.

It was just cringy when the Dublin players were being asked about how much winning Leinster means to them after their victory over Laois. Jonny Cooper barely smiled lifting the trophy.

The competitiveness just isn’t there anymore with the gap between the teams lengthening every year. In reality, for teams like Dublin and Kerry, their season only begins when the Super 8s do and deep down they knew this much a long time ago.

They will kick off on the weekend July 14/15 and we now know four of the eight teams that will be there.

Teams guaranteed place in Super 8s

  • Dublin
  • Kerry
  • Galway
  • Donegal

Teams in round three of qualifiers (Have to win this game and another to ensure place in Super 8s)

Kildare vs Mayo
Armagh vs Clare
Leitrim vs Monaghan
Cavan vs Tyrone

Teams waiting in round four of qualifiers (Have to win one more game to ensure place in Super 8s)

  • Fermanagh (On Group One side of draw)
  • Laois (On Group One side of draw)
  • Cork (On Group Two side of draw)
  • Roscommon (On Group Two side of draw)

Super 8s Group One

Munster and Connacht champions Kerry and Galway have booked their places already in Group One of the Super 8s.

They will be joined by defeated Ulster finalists Fermanagh and defeated Leinster finalists Laois, or any team that defeats them in Round Four of the qualifiers.

Here are the fixtures already confirmed for that group.

Kerry and Galway will meet in Croke Park on weekend 14/15 July.

Super 8s Group Two

Dublin and Donegal will be there.

So will defeated Munster and Connacht finalists Cork and Roscommon or any team that beats them in Round Four of the qualifiers.

The first round of fixtures sees Dublin take on Donegal in Croke Park on the weekend July 14/15. It’s an unfair fixture on the men from the hills.

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