Mon, 15th April 2024
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The shortened 2021 Allianz Football League season has ended without finals in three of the four divisions, a situation caused by the proximity of the provincial championships.
Counties who are due to play in the championship on the weekend after next were not required to fulfil finals next weekend but Offaly and Derry will go ahead in the Division 3 final in Croke Park next Saturday (5.0). Offaly begin their Leinster championship action against Louth eight days later.
Despite having no finals in three divisions, it will be recalled as a very interesting campaign, played in a north-south format due to Covid. While Dublin and Kerry will be pleased with their status as the top two in Division 1, there was important action in Divisions 2, 3, 4 too where the big winners were Mayo, Kildare (Div 2), Offaly, Derry (Div 3), Antrim , Louth (Div 4), all of whom will be promoted.
The big losers were Galway, Roscommon (Div 1), Laois, Westmeath (Div 2), Cavan, Tipperary (Div 3), all of whom of whom were relegated.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1
Joint-champions: Dublin, Kerry
Relegated: Galway, Roscommon
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2
Promoted: Mayo, Kildare
Relegated: Laois, Westmeath
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3
Promoted: Offaly, Derry
Relegated: Cavan, Tipperary
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4
Promoted: Antrim, Louth
2022 DIVISIONAL MAKE-UP
Division 1: Armagh, Dublin, Donegal, Kerry, Kildare, Mayo, Monaghan, Tyrone. (4 Ulster, 2 Leinster, 1 Connacht, 1 Munster)
Division 2: Clare, Cork, Derry, Down, Galway, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon (2 each from the four provinces)
Division 3: Antrim, Fermanagh, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Westmeath, Wicklow (5 Leinster, 2 Ulster, 1 Munster)
Division 4: Carlow, Cavan, Leitrim, London, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1: KERRY AND DUBLIN REMAINED UNBEATEN
Kerry, who won the title in 2020, are still champions but will have to share the honour with Dublin, whose last Allianz League title came in 2018.
Both enjoyed an excellent campaign, with each winning three and drawing one of their four games. The draw came when they clashed in Round 2 of the southern section (Dublin 4-9 Kerry 1-18).
Kerry’s three wins were achieved by an average of 15 points while they scored the impressive total of 13-69. Dublin’s three wins were achieved by an average of just under six points per game. Their total for the four games was 8-65.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2: MAYO MAKE QUICK RETURN TO TOP FLIGHT
Having dropped out of Division 1 last year for the first time since 1997, Mayo have spent only one season in Division 2. Four impressive wins over Down, Westmeath, Meath and Clare saw them take one of the promotion slots, alongside Kildare, who were last in Division 1 in 2018.
Laois and Westmeath drop to Division 3. Both were last there in 2019.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3: OFFALY, DERRY CLINCH PROMOTION PLACES
Offaly have moved into the Top 16 in the Alliance Football League for the first time since 2006 as they clinched a place in Division 2 with a win over Fermanagh last weekend. Derry’s win over Limerick takes them back into Division 2 for the first time since 2017. Both Derry and Offaly won all four games. Derry beat Offaly by two points in Round 7 of last year’s Division 3 programme.
Cavan and Tipperary, pre-season favourites for promotion, have been relegated. It completes a three-division drop for Cavan in successive years, having been in Division 1 in 2019. Tipperary were last in Division 4 in 2014.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4: LOUTH, ANTRIM TAKE THE HONOURS
Louth return to Division 3 after dropping out at the end of last season while Antrim, who are also promoted, were last in the third tier in 2017. Having finished third in Division 4 for the last three seasons, Antrim finally made it to the top two and the promotion slots with three wins in the northern section, followed by a seven-point win over Waterford on Sunday.
Louth lost their opening game (to Antrim) before winning the next three, crowned by the success over Carlow on Saturday when they had eight points to spare in the promotion shoot-out.
TOP SCORERS
DIVISION 1
David Clifford (Kerry) ............. 6-22 (2-0 pens, 0-9 frees, 0-1 mark)
Cormac Costello (Dublin) ....... 3-27 (2-1 pens, 0-14 frees)
Paddy McBrearty (Donegal) ... 0-26 (0-10 frees, 0-2 mark)
Shane Walsh (Galway) ........... 0-26 (0-16 frees, 0-3 ‘45s’)
Ciaran Murtagh (Roscommon) .....1-17 (0-7 frees
Rory Grugan (Armagh).............0-17 (0-10 frees)
Conor McManus (Monaghan)....1-14 (0-9 frees, 0-1 mark)
Con O’Callaghan (Dublin)..........3-7
Paul Donaghy (Tyrone)..........0-16 (0-9 frees, 0-2 mark, 0-1 ‘45’)
Donie Smith (Roscommon)....0-15 (0-11 frees)
DIVISION 2
John Heslin (Westmeath). 1-31 (0-22 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 mark)
Cillian O’Connor (Mayo)...2-24 (0-16 frees, 2-0 pens, 0-1 ‘45’, 0-2 mark)
Eoin Cleary (Clare)...........0-29 (0-19 frees, 0-2 ‘45s’)
Barry O’Hagan (Down)........1-16 (0-13 frees)
David Tubridy (Clare).........1-15 (0-8 frees, 1-0 pen)
Corey Quinn (Down)...............0-16 (0-6 frees, 0-1 mark)
Jimmy Hyland (Kildare)............2-10 (0-2 frees, 0-3 mark)
DIVISION 3
Seamus Quigley (Fermanagh.1-30 (0-21 frees, 0-1 ‘45’)
Shane McGuigan (Derry).....2-26 (0-14 frees, 1-0 pen
Hugh Bourke (Limerick)..........2-24 (0-14 frees, 0-1 mark)
Conor Sweeney (Tipperary).....2--13 (0-12 frees)
Gearoid McKiernan (Cavan).......2-11 (0-8 frees)
Cian Farrell (Offaly)......................
Dean Gallagher (Longford)..........1-12 (0-8 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 ‘45’)
DIVISION 4
Sam Mulroy (Louth).......4-16 (1-0 pen, 0-9 frees, 0-2 ‘45’)
Niall Murphy (Sligo)......3-15 (2-0 pens,. 0-8 frees, 0-1 mark)
Odhran Eastwood (Antrim)...2-16 (0-9 frees)
Keith Beirne (Leitrim)......0-20 (0-12 frees)
Sean Carabine (Sligo).....0-19 (0-14 frees)
Paul Broderick (Carlow)......0-16 (0-5 frees, 0-3 ‘45’)
Jason Curry (Waterford)......0-13 (0-9 frees, 0-2 ‘45’)
Mark Rossiter (Wexford)....0-12 (0-8 frees, 0-2 ‘45s’)
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2021 – RESULTS AND FIXTURES
DIVISION 1 SOUTH
Round 1: Kerry 4-21 Galway 0-10; Dublin 1-22 Roscommon 0-16
Round 2: Dublin 4-9 Kerry 1-18; Galway 2-16 Roscommon 1-13.
Round 3: Dublin 2-16 Galway 1-15; Kerry 2-15 Roscommon 1-12.
DIVISION 1 NORTH
Round 1: Donegal 0-18 Tyrone 0-16; Armagh 1-16 Monaghan 1-12.
Round 2: Donegal 1-20 Monaghan 4-11; Tyrone2-15 Armagh 2-10
Round 3: Armagh 1-16 Donegal 1-16; Tyrone 0-14 Monaghan 0-14.
DIVISION 2 SOUTH
Round 1: Kildare 2-12 Cork 0-14; Clare 1-16 Laois 0-12.
Round 2: Cork 2-12 Laois 0-10; Clare 1-13 Kildare 0-13.
Round 3: Kildare 2-18 Laois 1-8; Cork 0-22 Clare 1-18.
DIVISION 2 NORTH
Round 1: Mayo 2-21 Down 1-11; Meath 0-16 Westmeath 0-15.
Round 2: Mayo 0-21 Westmeath 2-12; Meath 2-15 Down 0-14.
Round 3: Mayo 3-17 Meath 2-12; Down 0-13 Westmeath 1-9.
DIVISION 3 SOUTH
Round 1: Limerick 1-13 Tipperary 0-14; Offaly 1-14 Wicklow 1-10.
Round 2: Offaly 0-16 Limerick 1-11; Tipperary 2-12 Wicklow 1-12.
Round 3: Offaly 1-17 Tipperary 1-12; Limerick 2-19 Wicklow 1-12.
DIVISION 3 NORTH
Round 1: Derry 0-21 Longford 0-5; Fermanagh 0-15 Cavan 0-14.
Round 2: Derry 5-13 Fermanagh 0-9; Cavan 1-19 Longford 1-13.
Round 3: Derry 1-16 Cavan 2-11; Fermanagh 1-15 Longford 0-18.
DIVISION 4 NORTH
Round 1: Antrim 1-15 Louth 3-8; Sligo 2-19 Leitrim 0-18
Round 2: Louth 0-19 Leitrim 0-10; Antrim 3-13 Sligo 3-12.
Round 3: Antrim 2-17 Leitrim 1-19; Louth 3-18 Sligo 1-14.
DIVISION 4 SOUTH
Round 1: Carlow 3-16 Waterford 0-10.
Round 2: Waterford 2-13 Wexford 0-18
Round 3: Carlow 2-12 Wexford 2-11
PLAY-OFFS
Division 1 semi-finals: Dublin 1-18 Donegal 1-14; Kerry 6-15 Tyrone 1-14.
Division 1 relegation play-offs: Monaghan 1-21 Galway 2-17 (aet); Armagh 1-17 Roscommon 0-11.
Division 2 semi-finals: Mayo 2-22 Clare 2-18; Kildare 1-14 Meath 0-14.
Division 2 relegation play-offs: Down 2-19 Laois 2-12; Cork 3-22 Westmeath 0-25.
Division 3 semi-finals: Derry 0-17 Limerick 0-13; Offaly 1-14 Fermanagh 0-12
Division 3 relegation-play-offs: Wicklow 3-11 Cavan 0-18; Longford 1-13 Tipperary 0-9.
Division 4 semi-finals: Louth 1-23 Carlow 1-15; Antrim 1-15 Waterford 0-11.
Division 4 Shield: Wexford 2-15 Sligo 0-9.
