Tyrone and Dublin will meet in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League on Sunday.
By John Harrington
It’s the final regulation round of the Allianz Football League across four divisions and most teams have something worthwhile to play for be that a place in a divisional final, promotion, or avoiding relegation.
As ever, expect many of those permutations to come down to the final few minutes and scores across a range of fixtures.
It’s worth remembering that when teams finish with equal points for qualification for the concluding stages, or for promotion or relegation, the tie shall be decided by the following means and in the order specified:
(i) Where two Teams only are involved - the outcome of the meeting of the two Teams in the previous game in the Competition;
(ii) Where three or more teams are involved - scoring Difference (subtracting the total Scores Against from total Scores For);
(iii) Highest Total Score For;
(iv) Highest Total Goals For;
(iv) A Play-Off
The full Allianz League tables with scoring differences included can be downloaded at the bottom of this article and also found at the following link - https://www.gaa.ie/fixtures-results/tables.
It’s also worth remembering that the Allianz Football League carries added significance because it impacts what teams can participate in the All-Ireland SFC.
Ultimately the 16 counties that will compete in Round One the All-Ireland series are to be seeded in the following way:
First seeds: The four provincial champions
Second seeds: The four provincial runners-up
Third seeds: The next four highest ranked teams at the conclusion of the league
Fourth seeds: The next four highest ranked teams at the conclusion of the league
There is one exception - the previous year's Tailteann Cup winner (Meath, 2023) if not already qualified as one of the teams will be eligible instead of the lowest ranked fourth seeded team following the conclusion of the Allianz Football League.
It must be noted that a league final winner will be considered a higher seed than the team they defeated in the final.
The remaining 16 teams, who don't advance to the All-Ireland SFC, will compete in the Tailteann Cup.
How they currently stand in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League.
Allianz Football League Division 1
Sunday, March 24
Derry v Roscommon, Celtic Park, 1.45pm
Dublin v Tyrone, Croke Park, 1.45pm
Kerry v Galway, Fitzgerald Stadium, 1.45pm - TG4
Monaghan v Mayo, Clones, 1.45pm
A draw with Roscommon will be good enough to secure a place in the Allianz Football League Final for Derry.
Even if they lose they’ll be through to the final if one or both of Dublin and Kerry don’t win their matches.
If Dublin and Kerry both win and Derry lose, then all three teams will finish on 10 points each and the top two will be decided by scoring difference.
Currently Dublin (+28) and Derry (+25) have a decent advantage over Kerry (+9) in that regard.
Tyrone and Mayo both still have a mathematical chance of reaching the final themselves if they win their respective games against Tyrone and Monaghan, and Galway defeat Kerry.
In that scenario four teams would finish level on points, but Dublin’s superior scoring difference (currently they’re on +28, Kerry are on +9, Mayo are on +5, and Tyrone are on -1) would surely see them finish second behind Derry.
Monaghan are already relegated and either Roscommon or Galway will join them in Division 2 next year.
Roscommon are currently second from bottom on three points while Galway have five points, so Roscommon will need to beat Derry and hope Kerry beat Galway in order to retain their Division 1 status.
In that scenario both teams would finish on five points but Roscommon would finish ahead Galway on scoring difference. The head-to-head rule would not apply because they drew when they played one another in Round 2.
A draw with Kerry would be enough for Galway to retain their Division 1 status.
How they currently stand in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League.
Allianz Football League Division 2
Saturday, March 23
Cavan v Fermanagh, Kingspan Breffni, 7pm - BBC iPlayer & GAAGO
Cork v Armagh, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 7pm
Donegal v Meath, Ballybofey, 7pm
Kildare v Louth, Netwatch Cullen Park, 7pm - TG4
Armagh and Donegal are already promoted while Cavan, Cork, and Meath are safe, so the only thing to be decided in Division 2 is whether Louth or Fermanagh are relegated along with a Kildare side that has already fallen through the trapdoor.
Louth need to just draw with Kildare to retain their Division 2 status because their win in Round 5 over Fermanagh means the head to head rule is on their side.
So, the math is simple for Fermanagh. They need to beat Cavan in Kingspan Breffni and hope Kildare can do them a favour against Louth.
How they currently stand in Division 3 of the Allianz Football League.
Allianz Football League Division 3
Sunday, March 24
Antrim v Wicklow, Corrigan Park, 2pm
Down v Clare, Pairc Esler, 2pm - TG4 App/Deferred
Offaly v Limerick, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm
Sligo v Westmeath, Markievicz Park, 2pm
Down and Westmeath on 11 points and Clare on 10 points are all vying for promotion.
The vital game then clearly is Clare’s trip to Down where a win for either team will guarantee promotion, with a draw also sufficing for Down.
Westmeath can also secure their promotion with a win over Sligo, but if Down do them a favour by beating or drawing with Clare it doesn’t matter what result they get against Sligo.
If Westmeath and Clare both finish on 11 points then Westmeath are promoted because they defeated Clare in Round 2 and so finish above them on the head to head rule.
Limerick are already relegated to Division 4 and it’s just a question now of whether Antrim (currently on four points), Offaly (currently on three points) or Wicklow (currently on two points) join them there.
A draw against Limerick would suffice for Offaly because even if Wicklow beat Antrim and the three teams (Offaly, Antrim, and Wicklow) all finish on four points each, Offaly’s superior scoring difference would see them finish above the other two.
In that scenario Antrim would likely finish above Wicklow because their scoring difference (-15) is much healthier than Wicklow’s (-45).
If Wicklow beat Antrim and Limerick beat Offaly, then Offaly will be relegated. If Antrim draw with or beat Wicklow, then Wicklow will be relegated.
If Wicklow beat Antrim and Offaly beat Limerick, then Antrim will be relegated along with Limerick.
How they currently stand in Division 4 of the Allianz Football League.
Allianz Football League Division 4
Sunday, March 24
Carlow v London, Netwatch Cullen Park, 1pm
Waterford v Laois, Fraher Field, 1pm
Wexford v Longford, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 1pm
Leitrim v Tipperary, Avant Money Pairc Sean MacDiarmada, 1pm
Top of the table Laois on 10 points will be sure of promotion if they draw with or beat bottom of the table Waterford.
Wexford, Longford, and Leitrim are all on eight points and also in the hunt for promotion.
The meeting of Wexford and Longford will have a big bearing on the final promotion picture. If Longford win they’ll most likely be promoted because even if Leitrim defeat Tipperary and both teams finish on eight points, Longford will finish above Leitrim on the head to head rule because they beat them in Round 5.
Were Wexford to win and Leitrim to beat Tipperary, then Leitrim would finish above Wexford on the head-to-head rule because they defeated them in Round 3.
The most unexpected variable would be a Laois loss to Waterford which would mean there’s a good chance three teams could finish level on 10 points each in which case scoring difference would be used to decide the top two.
The simplest way of looking at the promotion picture in Division Four is that Laois are certain of promotion with a win or a draw against Waterford.
Wexford, Longford, and Leitrim must win to have a chance of finishing in the top two, but also hope that other results go their way.