National Forum

Provincial Final Replays - Good Idea Or Bad Idea?

(Oldest Posts First)

Provincial final replays seems to be gaining a bit of momentum at the moment for both football and hurling. In hurling that would mean Kilkenny and Cork waiting 5 weeks for an All Ireland semi final when no replays occur. Are provincial final replays likely to gain support?

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8930 - 10/06/2025 08:04:28    2616288

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Provincial final replays seems to be gaining a bit of momentum at the moment for both football and hurling. In hurling that would mean Kilkenny and Cork waiting 5 weeks for an All Ireland semi final when no replays occur. Are provincial final replays likely to gain support?"
Hard to say. There's pros and cons to it.

Personally - on balance I think the finish on the day is probably better.

brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 461 - 10/06/2025 10:27:33    2616318

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Replying To brianb:  "Hard to say. There's pros and cons to it.

Personally - on balance I think the finish on the day is probably better."
So do I.
The knock on effect on the calendar would have a load of teams sitting around for weeks and would require AI Finals to be brought well into August.
If allowed we'd have demands for Qtr Finals, Semi Finals to have replays as they are season ending for the losers.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2408 - 10/06/2025 10:38:58    2616321

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In the 2026 football format for the All Ireland series have Provinhial winners any advantage over the losers'

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1172 - 10/06/2025 11:20:01    2616334

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Replying To gunman:  "In the 2026 football format for the All Ireland series have Provinhial winners any advantage over the losers'"
No advantage whatsoever. Like league finals, all about glory on the day in football.
If they have the draw before provincial finals as they annoyingly do - Kerry could be drawn against the highest ranked league qualifier and Clare against the lowest league ranked qualifier!

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8930 - 10/06/2025 11:47:01    2616341

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Provincial final replays seems to be gaining a bit of momentum at the moment for both football and hurling. In hurling that would mean Kilkenny and Cork waiting 5 weeks for an All Ireland semi final when no replays occur. Are provincial final replays likely to gain support?"
Of course there should be replays in provincial hurling and football finals and anyone who thinks differently is clueless… The condensed calendar is just ridiculous… All Ireland Finals should be pushed back 3/4 weeks… which would be a reasonable compromise… Every thing over and the summer only right started… that's just not right

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 4058 - 10/06/2025 13:19:06    2616381

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On balance, I'd be for finish Prov Finals on the day - the calendar is already too tight and that SHC 5-week gap is too much (should be 2-3 weeks).

Having said that, penalties are an awful and an unnatural way to find a winner.
Instead, after extra time, play on as sudden death extra time - first team to a 2-pts lead wins,
i.e. a goal is always a 'golden score' as is a 2nd point.
(going a point down, gives that team a chance to come back).

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3296 - 12/06/2025 15:43:41    2616976

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Replying To omahant:  "On balance, I'd be for finish Prov Finals on the day - the calendar is already too tight and that SHC 5-week gap is too much (should be 2-3 weeks).

Having said that, penalties are an awful and an unnatural way to find a winner.
Instead, after extra time, play on as sudden death extra time - first team to a 2-pts lead wins,
i.e. a goal is always a 'golden score' as is a 2nd point.
(going a point down, gives that team a chance to come back)."
A golden score could work a bit like American football. Score a goal - game over; score a point; the opposition will kick/puck out the ball - if they score we're back level; if the ball goes out of play (other than a 45 / 65) game over.

Basically if the ball goes dead and a team are a point up they win.

brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 461 - 13/06/2025 10:54:08    2617142

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Replying To brianb:  "A golden score could work a bit like American football. Score a goal - game over; score a point; the opposition will kick/puck out the ball - if they score we're back level; if the ball goes out of play (other than a 45 / 65) game over.

Basically if the ball goes dead and a team are a point up they win."
The problem with golden scores or next score wins is there are so many variables, particularly refereeing errors. While most people accept that refs will of course make some mistakes, any error in this period is going to be critical and highlighted to an order of magnitude.
They could essentially decide the outcome of a game.
While penalties aren't everyone's cup of tea, they are pretty clear-cut in their nature.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2380 - 13/06/2025 11:39:33    2617159

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If a provincial final is level after extra time, play another 5 mins super extra time or whatever.

There shouldn't be a penalty shootout in any event. If needs be there should be a 45/65 shootout

boxtyburgerbuns (Leitrim) - Posts: 352 - 13/06/2025 11:52:03    2617165

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Penalties are quite an unsatisfactory way to decide a championship in my opinion.

Cork are Munster Champions but they didn't actually beat Limerick in a game of hurling to achieve that in the final. It just doesn't sit right. Same for Donegal in last year's Ulster Final against Armagh. It just doesn't feel right.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13816 - 13/06/2025 12:05:34    2617168

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Replying To boxtyburgerbuns:  "If a provincial final is level after extra time, play another 5 mins super extra time or whatever.

There shouldn't be a penalty shootout in any event. If needs be there should be a 45/65 shootout"
Remember that originally, it was a 45 or 65 shootout.

It was changed to penalties because they're much more clearcut over whether a shot results in a score or not. Consider how particularly in hurling, it can be unclear whether or not a ball goes between the posts, particularly if it's struck very high. That'd be some call for the match officials to make at a venue that doesn't have Hawkeye.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2945 - 13/06/2025 12:15:44    2617171

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Replying To MesAmis:  "Penalties are quite an unsatisfactory way to decide a championship in my opinion.

Cork are Munster Champions but they didn't actually beat Limerick in a game of hurling to achieve that in the final. It just doesn't sit right. Same for Donegal in last year's Ulster Final against Armagh. It just doesn't feel right."
What if replay is drawn even after extra time

It's the best solution otherwise you have to keep using extra days needlessly.

How many other sports use replays as much as gaa.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3780 - 13/06/2025 12:24:44    2617172

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "The problem with golden scores or next score wins is there are so many variables, particularly refereeing errors. While most people accept that refs will of course make some mistakes, any error in this period is going to be critical and highlighted to an order of magnitude.
They could essentially decide the outcome of a game.
While penalties aren't everyone's cup of tea, they are pretty clear-cut in their nature."
Good point - that's why I think a simple golden score wouldn't work without the opposition getting a chance to go the other way. We'd all hate to see a game decided on a refereeing decision.

How many times have we seen a game level with a free given in the last minute of injury time? The free goes over the bar - the ref nearly always allows time to level it back up again. Its almost an unwritten rule (still is in Hurling though the football hooter has put paid to that).

brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 461 - 13/06/2025 13:13:21    2617180

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Replying To KillingFields:  "What if replay is drawn even after extra time

It's the best solution otherwise you have to keep using extra days needlessly.

How many other sports use replays as much as gaa."
I'd imagine a hooter system in the hurling would take care of a lot of those

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2392 - 13/06/2025 13:14:09    2617181

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What if replay is drawn even after extra time

It's the best solution otherwise you have to keep using extra days needlessly.

How many other sports use replays as much as gaa.
KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3780 - 13/06/2025 12:24:44

What other sports do is of no concern.

Shorten extra time to 5 min a half. Then if still level play another 2 halves of 5 mins.

Very few games will still be level at that stage. You'll probably eliminate the vast majority of penalty shootouts by doing this with no extra minutes demanded on the players.

If needs be play one more round of extra time if still level after 70 + 20 mins ET. Increasing the playing by 10 minutes but you'd eliminate nearly all need for penalties at that stage.

Then if you must, you can then have your penalty shootout to have the game decided on the day.

Penalty shootouts, in all sports, are dramatic but ultimately an unsatisfactory way to decide who the better team was on the day. Give the teams a chance to win a football or hurling match, rather than a penalty competition.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13816 - 13/06/2025 13:41:57    2617186

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Another option would be to have the replay played on a Wednesday evening after the game.

These lads would be training anyway at that stage.

I understand about work etc but have the replay maybe at a venue that is handy for both sides from a distance point of view. 7pm throw in.

boxtyburgerbuns (Leitrim) - Posts: 352 - 13/06/2025 14:40:35    2617204

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If it means less chance of finals decided on a penalty shootout then certainly a good idea.

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 492 - 13/06/2025 14:51:51    2617210

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