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1989–90 National Football League (Ireland)

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Gaelic football competition

1989–90 National Football League
League details
DatesOctober 1989 – 29 April 1990
League champions
WinnersMeath (6th win)
CaptainColm O'Rourke
ManagerSeán Boylan
League runners-up
Runners-upDown
CaptainPaddy O'Rourke
← 1988–89 1990–91 →


The 1989–90 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Royal Liver Assurance National Football League, was the 59th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

The tournament introduced several experimental rules: game divided into four quarters; all kick outs from the hands from within the small rectangle; free kicks from the hands or the ground; all sideline kicks from the hands; teeing up the ball is a foul. Of these rules, only the free kick from hand or ground, and the illegality of teeing up the ball, survive to the modern day. Meath defeated Down in the final.

Format

Divisions

  • Division One: 8 teams
  • Division Two: 8 teams
  • Division Three: 16 teams. Split into two regional groups of 8 (North and South)

Round-robin format

Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.

Points awarded

2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.

Titles

Teams in all three divisions competed for the National Football League title.

Knockout stage qualifiers

  • Division One: top 4 teams
  • Division Two: top 2 teams
  • Division Three (North): group winners
  • Division Three (South): group winners

Knockout phase structure

In the quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows:

  • Quarter-final 1: First-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (South)
  • Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (North)
  • Quarter-final 3: Third-placed team in Division One v Second-placed team in Division Two
  • Quarter-final 4: Fourth-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Two

The semi-final match-ups are:

  • Semi-final 1: Winner Quarter-final 1 v Winner Quarter-final 4
  • Semi-final 2: Winner Quarter-final 2 v Winner Quarter-final 3

The final match-up is: Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2.

Promotion and relegation

  • Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
  • Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 3 teams demoted to Division Three.
  • Division Three (North): group winners promoted to Division Two. Group runners up play-off for the third promotion slot from Division Three.
  • Division Three (South): group winners promoted to Division Two. Group runners up play-off for the third promotion slot from Division Three.

Separation of teams on equal points

In the event that teams finish on equal points, then a play-off will be used to determine group placings if necessary, i.e. where to decide relegation places or quarter-finalists.

League Tables

Division One

Play-offs

Dublin v Armagh
11 March 1990 For 4th Place Dublin 1-14 — 1-9 Armagh Drogheda

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Cork 7 5 1 1 11 Advance to quarter-finals
Down 7 5 0 2 10
Donegal 7 5 0 2 10
Dublin 7 4 0 3 8
Armagh 7 3 2 2 8
Kerry 7 2 0 5 4
Cavan 7 1 1 5 3 Relegated to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL
Derry 7 1 0 6 2

Division Two

Second Place play-offs

Meath v Mayo
11 March 1990 Semi-Final Meath 0-15 — 0-7 Mayo Croke Park, Dublin
Tyrone v Antrim
11 March 1990 Semi-Final Tyrone 0-12 — 0-8 Antrim Omagh
Meath v Tyrone
25 March 1990 Final Meath 1-20 — 1-10 Tyrone Breffni Park, Cavan
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: F. Finan (Sligo)

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Roscommon 7 5 1 1 11 Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division One of the 1990–91 NFL
Meath 7 4 0 3 8
Tyrone 7 3 2 2 8
Antrim 7 4 0 3 8
Mayo 7 4 0 3 8
Monaghan 7 2 1 4 5 Relegated to Division Three of the 1990–91 NFL
Louth 7 2 0 5 4
Wexford 7 2 0 5 4

Division Three

Division Three (North) play-offs

Leitrim v Offaly
18 March 1990 For 2nd Place Leitrim 4-8 — 2-7 Offaly Roscommon

Division Three (South) play-offs

Kildare v Wicklow
25 March 1990 For 1st Place Kildare 2-9 — 1-9 Wicklow Carlow

Division Three Promotion play-offs

Leitrim v Wicklow
15 April 1990 For 1st Place Leitrim 0-17 — 1-9 Wicklow Mullingar
Referee: A O'Neill Derry

Division Three (North) table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Longford 7 5 2 0 12 Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL
Leitrim 7 4 1 2 9 Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL
Offaly 7 4 1 2 9
Galway 7 4 0 3 8
Laois 7 4 0 3 8
Fermanagh 7 3 0 4 6
Sligo 7 1 0 6 2
Westmeath 7 1 0 6 2

Division Three (South) table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Kildare 7 6 0 1 12 Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL
Wicklow 7 6 0 1 12
Limerick 7 5 0 2 10
Tipperary 7 4 0 3 8
Clare 7 3 1 3 7
Waterford 7 1 1 5 3
Carlow 7 1 0 6 2
Kilkenny 7 1 0 6 2

Knockout stages

Quarter-finals

Cork4-10 – 5-5Kildare
Portlaoise
Roscommon2-22 – 3-13Dublin
Portlaoise
Meath2-12 – 0-13Donegal
Clones
Down1-21 – 1-5Longford
Navan

Semi-finals

Meath0-14 – 0-10Cork
Croke Park, Dublin
Down4-8 – 0-11Roscommon
Croke Park, Dublin

Final

Meath2-7 – 0-11Down
Croke Park, Dublin

References

  1. GAA's previous experimental rules - Irish Independent
  2. GAA Final Teams Archived 2015-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "GAA Archive 1990". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. Photos of final
  5. "Ups and Downs of the League", Irish Independent, 05 March 1990, p. 14
  6. "Bad-tempered spectacle!", Irish Independent, 12 March 1990, p. 13
  7. "GAA Results", Irish Independent, 05/03/1990, p. 15
  8. "Meath are Masters", Irish Press, 12 March 1990, p. 47
  9. "Tyrone to fore against Antrim", Irish Independent, 12 March 1990, p. 13
  10. "Meath are ready to bloom again", Irish Independent, 26 March 1990, p. 14
  11. "Leitrim one-two floors Offaly", Irish Independent, 19 March 1990, p. 11
  12. "Kildare struggle to end hard Wicklow challenge", Irish Independent, 26 March 1990, p. 14
  13. "Slick Leitrim back in big time", Irish Press, 16 April 1990, p. 51
  14. "Two defectors sink Kildare", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
  15. "Roscommon Roar!", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
  16. "Beggy goals lift Meath out of gloom", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
  17. "Longford are Down and out", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
  18. "Down men are just perfect!", Irish Press, 16 April 1990, p. 49

External links

National Football Leagues
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