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Greatest Football Upsets Of All Time

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Following on from Meath beating Dublin in the Leinster semi-final, I see some people are calling it the greatest shock of all time. Well, a while back I asked what was the greatest hurling upset of all time, and now it's football's turn. I disagree with Meath beating Dublin being the greatest by any stretch, but I might suggest Clare beating Kerry in the 1992 Munster final, Division 4 Longford beating Division 1 Mayo in the qualifiers in 2010, and the Leitrim U-21s beating All-Ireland champions Galway in the 2014 Connacht Championship. Throw in London's (Leitrim x2, Sligo and Fermanagh I think) and New York's wins in the championship and New York winning the National Football League a few times and you've got something.

What do you guys think?

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1165 - 01/05/2025 00:20:59    2605893

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Replying To Tacaí Liatroma:  "Following on from Meath beating Dublin in the Leinster semi-final, I see some people are calling it the greatest shock of all time. Well, a while back I asked what was the greatest hurling upset of all time, and now it's football's turn. I disagree with Meath beating Dublin being the greatest by any stretch, but I might suggest Clare beating Kerry in the 1992 Munster final, Division 4 Longford beating Division 1 Mayo in the qualifiers in 2010, and the Leitrim U-21s beating All-Ireland champions Galway in the 2014 Connacht Championship. Throw in London's (Leitrim x2, Sligo and Fermanagh I think) and New York's wins in the championship and New York winning the National Football League a few times and you've got something.

What do you guys think?"
I dont think Meath winnibg was a shock.A surprise yes but not a shock.Clare beating Kerry in 92 Munster final was a huge shock and younger posters might not realisethat Donegal beating Dublin in 1992 final was a big shock. Sligo besting Kildare in the noughties and Wexford beating Armagh in 08 were other shoxks as well as Fermanaghs herocs in 2004 getting to semi final.

CiarraiMick (Dublin) - Posts: 3879 - 01/05/2025 10:18:30    2605946

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Obviously from a very different era, but the one that's often nominated as the greatest gaelic football shock of all time is the 1957 Munster Championship semi-final: Waterford 2-5, Kerry 0-10.

Kerry had won the All-Ireland in 1953 and '55, been runners-up in '54, and would go on to win it again in '59. It's not like they were in the doldrums at the time. It was just an almighty, massive, monumental shock.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2842 - 01/05/2025 10:21:53    2605948

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Obviously from a very different era, but the one that's often nominated as the greatest gaelic football shock of all time is the 1957 Munster Championship semi-final: Waterford 2-5, Kerry 0-10.

Kerry had won the All-Ireland in 1953 and '55, been runners-up in '54, and would go on to win it again in '59. It's not like they were in the doldrums at the time. It was just an almighty, massive, monumental shock."
That Waterford win is the winner in my opinion.

Another shock from the old days was Ros dethroning a 3 in a row chasing Mayo in 1952.
The story goes there was a Newspaper strike at the time. Someone phoned in the result to Radio Éireann who refused to believe it.
They either didnt broadcast the result or did but with the score the wrong way round - depending on who you heard the tale from.
Result 3-6 to 0-5.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2274 - 01/05/2025 11:25:21    2605971

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That 'groups draw' yesterday is well up there.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4116 - 01/05/2025 11:39:51    2605980

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Replying To Tacaí Liatroma:  "Following on from Meath beating Dublin in the Leinster semi-final, I see some people are calling it the greatest shock of all time. Well, a while back I asked what was the greatest hurling upset of all time, and now it's football's turn. I disagree with Meath beating Dublin being the greatest by any stretch, but I might suggest Clare beating Kerry in the 1992 Munster final, Division 4 Longford beating Division 1 Mayo in the qualifiers in 2010, and the Leitrim U-21s beating All-Ireland champions Galway in the 2014 Connacht Championship. Throw in London's (Leitrim x2, Sligo and Fermanagh I think) and New York's wins in the championship and New York winning the National Football League a few times and you've got something.

What do you guys think?"
I'm not sure Clare winning was actually as big a shock as people think. They were in Div 1 at the time and had won the B All Ireland a few years before. Kerry were poor and a lot of the Cork team would have been passed their best. The fact that it had been so long since they won it makes it seem like a bigger surprise.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1578 - 01/05/2025 13:22:16    2606017

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Obviously from a very different era, but the one that's often nominated as the greatest gaelic football shock of all time is the 1957 Munster Championship semi-final: Waterford 2-5, Kerry 0-10.

Kerry had won the All-Ireland in 1953 and '55, been runners-up in '54, and would go on to win it again in '59. It's not like they were in the doldrums at the time. It was just an almighty, massive, monumental shock."
I think Kerry only had 15 that day. Some were traveling by car and it broke down I think. I think Kerry had a journalist with was reporting on the game in goal.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1578 - 01/05/2025 13:24:40    2606020

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Fermanagh beating Armagh surely?

Made a tidy few pound. Great team. Came within ace of beating Mayo and reaching final.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3473 - 01/05/2025 14:13:29    2606031

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Replying To oneoff:  "I think Kerry only had 15 that day. Some were traveling by car and it broke down I think. I think Kerry had a journalist with was reporting on the game in goal."
Yerra

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12299 - 01/05/2025 14:14:51    2606032

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Replying To oneoff:  "I think Kerry only had 15 that day. Some were traveling by car and it broke down I think. I think Kerry had a journalist with was reporting on the game in goal."
There was all sorts of rumours. It was said half the Kerry team went to Tramore for the day. The truth is that this Waterford team had many of the great hurling team of that era and were good footballers also.

Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3027 - 01/05/2025 14:25:09    2606034

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Replying To CiarraiMick:  "I dont think Meath winnibg was a shock.A surprise yes but not a shock.Clare beating Kerry in 92 Munster final was a huge shock and younger posters might not realisethat Donegal beating Dublin in 1992 final was a big shock. Sligo besting Kildare in the noughties and Wexford beating Armagh in 08 were other shoxks as well as Fermanaghs herocs in 2004 getting to semi final."
We played Armagh in the Division 1 League final in 2005. Armagh won their 1st ever League title that day. Many of the players played the game in 2008. We lost Leinster semifinals narrowly in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and made the final in 2008, back in the day when Leinster was still competitive. It wasn't that huge of a shock that we won that AIQF.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15557 - 01/05/2025 14:39:45    2606038

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Replying To Tacaí Liatroma:  "Following on from Meath beating Dublin in the Leinster semi-final, I see some people are calling it the greatest shock of all time. Well, a while back I asked what was the greatest hurling upset of all time, and now it's football's turn. I disagree with Meath beating Dublin being the greatest by any stretch, but I might suggest Clare beating Kerry in the 1992 Munster final, Division 4 Longford beating Division 1 Mayo in the qualifiers in 2010, and the Leitrim U-21s beating All-Ireland champions Galway in the 2014 Connacht Championship. Throw in London's (Leitrim x2, Sligo and Fermanagh I think) and New York's wins in the championship and New York winning the National Football League a few times and you've got something.

What do you guys think?"
We've done well, when Meath beating Dublin is an upset.

That gave me a wry smile, thinking back to some of the titanic ties.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4512 - 01/05/2025 14:43:09    2606040

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Replying To Breffni40:  "Yerra"
Not from Kerry though! ;D

nice the know they check in now and then, paying the rent.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4512 - 01/05/2025 14:49:22    2606042

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1986 Football League, Laois came out of what was basically Division 4 to beat the teams that finished 1st and 2nd in Division 1 to win it out!

Laoisvillian (Laois) - Posts: 88 - 01/05/2025 14:55:22    2606044

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Meath ambushing Kerry in the 2001 All Ireland semi-final is certainly up there.

Meath weren't massively impressive in Leinster, falling over the line against Westmeath in the 1/4 final, and even the year before in 2000 Meath were knocked out in the first round by Kildare, with Kerry going on to win the All Ireland. So I don't think they were that fancied.

But I distinctly remember Kerry being fairly hot favourites, few saw a Meath win, never mind the hammering it was. 2-14 to 0-5 was a trouncing in 2001 times, you rarely saw big victories like that, especially in the latter stages of the competition. Of course they couldn't finish the job and Galway were far too good in the final.

There's loads to choose from: Laois beating Dublin in the Leinster final 2003 has to be one too, Sligo beating Galway to win Connacht in 2007. Or even Donegal's heist against Dublin 2014.

We've had less and less shocks in recent years because the game has been played in a way that allows teams to mitigate risk, but the new rules have brough and element of the games of old back into it. If you are brave enough and beat your man, you will be rewarded.

Cabbagepatch1667 (Meath) - Posts: 12 - 01/05/2025 14:58:33    2606047

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Replying To TheUsername:  "Not from Kerry though! ;D

nice the know they check in now and then, paying the rent."
His mask slipped eh… lol ;o)
Hee hee.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4199 - 01/05/2025 15:07:06    2606053

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A few that come to mind that haven't been mentioned:

Tipperary reaching the 2016 SF.

Sligo winning Connacht in '07 (I think was big surprise)

Clare in '92 is the one that sticks out the most though.

Cbar (Mayo) - Posts: 344 - 01/05/2025 15:11:50    2606056

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Longford beating Kerry in the league in 2004 stands out

boxtyburgerbuns (Leitrim) - Posts: 248 - 01/05/2025 15:28:40    2606061

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Replying To TheUsername:  "Not from Kerry though! ;D

nice the know they check in now and then, paying the rent."
Have I never said I wasn't?

Seems only one of us is "checking in" ...

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1578 - 01/05/2025 15:56:59    2606067

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Replying To Fionn:  "His mask slipped eh… lol ;o)
Hee hee."
What mask? Shouldn't you be on the Dublin page telling everyone how you knew Dublin were going to lose at the weekend before it actually happened?

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1578 - 01/05/2025 15:58:25    2606068

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