2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship


The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 130th edition of the GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.
Thirty-three teams took part – thirty-one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, London and New York.
Dublin won their third championship in a row, defeating Mayo in the final on 17 September 2017 by 1–17 to 1-16.

Format

Provincial Championships format

, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. All teams who lose a match in their provincial championship enter the All-Ireland qualifiers. All provincial matches are knock-out.

Qualifiers format

Twenty eight of the twenty nine teams beaten in the provincial championships enter the All-Ireland qualifiers, which are knockout. Sixteen of the seventeen teams eliminated before their provincial semi-finals play eight matches in round 1, with the winners of these games playing the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2. The eight winning teams from round 2 play-off against each other in round 3, with the four winning teams facing the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4 to complete the double-elimination format. Further details of the format are included with each qualifier round listed below.

All-Ireland format

The four provincial champions play the four winners of round 4 of the qualifiers in the quarter-finals. Two semi-finals and a final follow. All matches are knock-out. If a game ends in a draw it is replayed. If a replay ends in a draw, two ten minute periods of extra time are played each way. If extra time ends in a draw, the match is replayed for a third time.

Changes from 2016

On 1 January 2017 the 'mark' was introduced. It is defined as -
When a player catches the ball cleanly from a kick-out without it touching the ground, on or past the 45 metre line nearest the kick out point, he shall be awarded a ‘mark’ by the referee. The player awarded a ‘mark’ shall have the options of taking a free kick or playing on immediately.

Provincial Championships

Leinster Senior Football Championship">2017 Leinster Senior Football Championship">Leinster Senior Football Championship

The four teams who won the quarter-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's quarter-finals.

Munster Senior Football Championship">2017 Munster Senior Football Championship">Munster Senior Football Championship

The two teams who won the semi-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's semi-finals.
The Munster championship differs from the other provincial championships with regard to which teams are designated A or B in the qualifiers -
An un-seeded draw determines the fixtures for all nine teams.

Connacht Senior Football Championship">2017 Connacht Senior Football Championship">Connacht Senior Football Championship

All-Ireland Qualifiers

A and B Teams

An A and B system for the qualifier draws was introduced in 2014 and has been retained. The teams are designated as A or B depending on which half of their provincial championships they play in. Although some teams receive byes in the early provincial rounds, their position in the round in which they enter the competition is usually determined by the provincial draw, resulting in most teams being designated as A or B randomly. For example, each of the four provinces has two semi-finals – one between two teams designated A and one between two teams designated B – and the beaten semi-finalists in each province will always be one A team and one B team.
In all qualifier rounds A teams play A teams and B teams play B teams. Usually the A teams play their provincial games before the B teams which allows the A qualifier games to be scheduled a week before the B qualifier games. The A and B system attempts to ensure that teams beaten in the provincial championships get a least two weeks before playing their subsequent qualifier match though this is not always possible.

Qualifiers Round 1

In the first round of the qualifiers sixteen of the seventeen teams beaten in the preliminary rounds or quarter-finals of the provincial championships compete. New York does not enter the qualifiers. Four A teams play four A teams and four B teams play four B teams. The round 1 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again with the winner of the provincial match receiving home advantage. The eight round 1 winners play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2 of the qualifiers.
The following teams take part in round 1;
;
Sligo '

London
;
Laois '

Longford '

Louth '

Wicklow '

Carlow '

Offaly '

Wexford '

;
Waterford '

Limerick
;
Antrim

Derry

Armagh '

Cavan '

Fermanagh '
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Qualifiers Round 2

In the second round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from Round 1A and Round 1B play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists. The round 2 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again with the winner of the provincial match receiving home advantage. The eight winners of these matches play each other in Round 3.
The following teams take part in round 2;
Derry
Laois
Longford
Sligo
Clare
Donegal
Mayo
Meath
Armagh
Carlow
Cavan
Wexford
Leitrim
Monaghan
Tipperary
Westmeath
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Qualifiers Round 3

In the third round of the qualifiers winning teams from round 2A play against winning teams from round 2A and winning teams from round 2B play against winning teams from round 2B. Round 3 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The four winners of these matches play the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4.
The following teams take part in round 3;
Clare
Donegal
Mayo
Meath
Armagh
Carlow
Monaghan
Tipperary
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Qualifiers Round 4

In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 play the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The matches are normally held in neutral venues. The four winners of these matches play the provincial champions in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
The following teams take part in round 4;
Donegal
Mayo
Cork
Galway
Armagh
Monaghan
Down
Kildare
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All-Ireland

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals

The four provincial champions play the four winners from round 4 of the qualifiers. Draw rules 1) Two teams who met in a provincial final cannot meet again 2) If one of the provincial champions has already met one of the qualifiers in an earlier match then those two teams cannot be drawn together if such a pairing can be avoided.
This was the final year of the knock-out quarter-finals which began with the introduction of the All-Ireland qualifiers in 2001. Following a vote at the GAA congress on Saturday 25 February 2017, the last eight teams in 2018 competed in two groups of four with the winners and runners-up in each group progressing to the semi-finals.

All-Ireland Semi-Finals

There is no draw for the semi-finals as the fixtures are pre-determined on a three yearly rotation. This rotation ensures that a provinces champions play the champions of the other three provinces once every three years in the semi-finals if they each win their quarter-finals and prevents the champions from the same two provinces meeting in the semi-finals in successive years. If a qualifier team beats a provincial winner in a quarter-final, the qualifier team takes that provincial winner's place in the semi-final.

All-Ireland Final

Championship Statistics

RankPlayerCountyTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Cillian O'Connor Mayo3-6675107.5
2Dean Rock Dublin3-314066.7
3Conor McManus Monaghan2-313775.3
4Paul Broderick Carlow1-303356.6
4Andy Moran Mayo3-2433103.3
6Paul Geaney Kerry1-293256.4
7Patrick McBrearty Donegal1-262955.8
8Donal Kingston Laois3-182746.8
9Con O'Callaghan Dublin2-202664.3
10Eoin Cleary Clare1-222546.2
11James O'Donoghue Kerry0-242454.8
12John Heslin Westmeath1-202337.7
13Michael Murphy Donegal0-212154.2
13Robbie Smyth Longford0-212137
13Donal Lenihan Meath0-212145.2
16Conor Sweeney Tipperary2-131936.3

Top Scorer: From Play

RankPlayerCountyTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Andy Moran Mayo3-2433103.3
2Cillian O'Connor Mayo3-1827102.7
3Con O'Callaghan Dublin2-121863.0
4Paul Mannion Dublin0-171762.8
5Conor McManus Monaghan2-101672.3
5Paul Geaney Kerry1-131653.2
5Patrick McBrearty Donegal1-131653.2
5Daniel Flynn Kildare2-101644.0

Top Scorer: Single game

RankPlayerCountyTallyTotalOpposition
1John Heslin Westmeath1-1013 Offaly
2Con O'Callaghan Dublin0-1212 Kildare
2Cillian O'Connor Mayo0-1212 Derry
4Robbie Smyth Longford0-1111 Laois
4Cillian O'Connor Mayo0-1111 Cork
4Dean Rock Dublin1-811 Monaghan
7Paul Broderick Carlow0-1010 Wexford
7Conor McManus Monaghan0-1010 Down
9Eoin Cleary Clare0-99 Laois
9James O'Donoghue Kerry0-99 Clare
9Paul Broderick Carlow1-69 Leitrim
9Cillian O'Connor Mayo1-69 Sligo
9Cillian O'Connor Mayo1-69 Roscommon
9Paul Cunningham Wicklow2-39 Laois

Scoring Events

Matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ and Sky Sports under a new five-year contract that was agreed in December 2016.
In the United Kingdom, matches were shown on Sky Sports and worldwide coverage was provided on GAAGO. RTÉ Radio 1 also had full radio rights to all championship games which were previously shared with Newstalk.
RTÉ coverage was shown on RTÉ Two on The Sunday Game Live presented by Michael Lyster in high definition. Des Cahill presented The Sunday Game highlights and analysis show on Sunday evening.

Live Gaelic Football On TV

, the national broadcaster in Ireland, provide the majority of the live television coverage of the football championship in the first year of a five-year deal running from 2017 until 2021. Sky Sports also broadcast a number of matches and have exclusive rights to some games including two All-Ireland football quarter-finals. BBC Northern Ireland broadcast all games from the Ulster Championship which are shown live on RTÉ, with full deferred coverage later in the evening of those games not shown live.

Awards

Sunday Game Team of the Year

The Sunday Game team of the year was picked on 17 September, the night of the final. Dublin's James McCarthy was named as the Sunday Game player of the year.
  1. Stephen Cluxton
  2. Mick Fitzsimons
  3. Chris Barrett
  4. Keith Higgins
  5. Colm Boyle
  6. Cian O'Sullivan
  7. Jack McCaffrey
  8. Tom Parsons
  9. James McCarthy
  10. Kevin McLoughlin
  11. Aidan O'Shea
  12. Con O'Callaghan
  13. Paul Mannion
  14. Paul Geaney
  15. Andy Moran

    All Star Team Of The Year

Nominations were revealed on 21 September 2017. The football All Stars were revealed on 3 November 2017. Andy Moran was announced as player of the year and Con O'Callaghan as young player of the year.
  1. David Clarke
  2. Chris Barrett
  3. Michael Fitzsimmons
  4. Keith Higgins
  5. Colm Boyle
  6. Cian O'Sullivan
  7. Jack McCaffrey
  8. Colm Cavanagh
  9. James McCarthy
  10. Dean Rock
  11. Aidan O'Shea
  12. Ciaran Kilkenny
  13. Paul Mannion
  14. Paul Geaney
  15. Andy Moran
;Nominated Players
GOALKEEPERS
Stephen Cluxton, David Clarke, Niall Morgan
DEFENDERS
Jack McCaffrey, Cian O’Sullivan, Michael Fitzsimons, Philip McMahon, John Small, Jonny Cooper, Keith Higgins, Lee Keegan, Chris Barrett, Colm Boyle, Brendan Harrison, Pádraig Hampsey, Tiernan McCann, Paul Murphy, Tadhg Morley, Conor Devanney, Caolan Mooney, Fintan Kelly.
MIDFIELDERS
James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Tom Parsons, Colm Cavanagh, Enda Smith, Kevin Feely.
FORWARDS
Andy Moran, Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O’Shea, Jason Doherty, Cillian O’Connor, Ciarán Kilkenny, Con O’Callaghan, Paul Mannion, Dean Rock, Paul Geaney, Kieran Donaghy, James O’Donoghue, Peter Harte, Niall Sludden, Connaire Harrison, Patrick McBrearty, Jamie Clarke, Daniel Fly

Stadia and locations

Each team has a nominal home stadium, though not all teams are guaranteed a home game over the course of the Championship. In addition, games may be played at a neutral or alternate venue. For example, Dublin have not played a Championship game in Parnell Park, their nominal home, since the 2004 Championship.