It’s only October for God’s sake.
The Sam Maguire or the Liam McCarthy haven’t even made it around to the schools of Dublin and Kilkenny yet and this evening we’re already looking at the 2016 provincial football and hurling championships.
The action took place in RTE earlier, and as always the prospect of summer, and the smell of freshly cut grass isn’t too far away after tonight’s proceedings that has thrown up some mouth-watering clashes next year across the four provinces.
Leinster senior hurling championship
Galway have been handed somewhat of an easier Leinster championship draw for 2016, having been kept apart from the provincial winners, and current All-Ireland champions, Kilkenny.
Kilkenny,were seeded to the semi-finals as usual, and they will face the winners of the quarter-final clash of Dublin and Wexford, who were the first teams out of the hat.
The draw sees Kerry in the Leinster championship for the first time after their Christy Ring success this season and Antrim’s demotion.
The Kingdom take their place in the round-robin system along with Carlow, Offaly and Westmeath, where the group winner will face Galway, while the second placed team will have a clash with Laois to look forward to.
The winner of those last eight encounters will then meet in the Leinster semi-finals.
Munster senior hurling championship
Davy Fitzgerald just cannot get away from playing Waterford in the Munster hurling championship, and his Clare side will face his former charges once again in the provincial series next summer.
The two rivals will meet in the last four, which should please Derek McGrath as well as his counterpart, while Limerick will have to wait to see who their opponents are after the Munster champions Tipperary will face Cork in the opening round in early June.
Munster senior football championship
The controversial seeding draw once again kept Kerry and Cork apart from most of their fellow Munster rivals, with the so-called minnows left to battle it out in the quarter-finals.
The provincial champions Kerry will face the winners of the Shannonside derby of Clare and Limerick, while Cork will need to overcome the winner of the Tipperary-Waterford quarter-final to set up yet another Killarney Munster final in July.
Connacht senior football championship
Mayo’s bid for six-in-a-row will start away to London in a Connacht quarter-final which was pre-determined before tonight, while Roscommon’s players will need to check their passports as they face New York in a preliminary round which will be Kevin McStay’s first championship outing with his new side.
The winner of that clash will meet Leitrim, with Sligo awaiting the winner of that quarter-final in the last four.
The other side will see a possible Galway/Mayo semi final just like in this year’s championship.
Ulster senior football championship
The toughest championship of all, and the one that always brings so much insanity to the early summer, has once again brought us some cracking ties to look forward to next summer.
Derry will face old rivals Tyrone in what could be a clash of the early summer, while the champions Monaghan are on the same side of the draw as Donegal, with their title defence starting against Down.
The championship opens with a preliminary round clash of Fermanagh and Antrim before the winner faces the 2012 All-Ireland champions.
The ‘A’ side of the draw looks an easier passage to an Ulster final, with Cavan facing Armagh in their quarter-final clash in June
Leinster football championship
Pat Spillane tried to begin the campaign to ‘Get Dublin Out of Croke Park’ moments after tonight’s draw, and perhaps Nowlan Park can expect a visit from Jim Gavin’s side next summer.
Laois or Wicklow will battle it out for the scary honour of facing the Leinster and All-Ireland champions in a provincial quarter-final, and the Kilkenny venue is being touted as one that could host that game due to it’s large capacity and seating arrangements.
The biggest regional championship of all sees Mick Lillis’ side face Wicklow in a first-round clash, while also in the opening round Louth meet Carlow with the winners of that game progressing to face Meath.
Going on previous form the championship could be set up for a Meath/Dublin Leinster semi final.
The other half of the draw has Longford meeting Offaly in an opening round game and the winners of that contest meeting Westmeath in the last eight.
The final quarter-final sees Wexford up against Kildare.
