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The Munster Senior Football Championship is the top tier inter-county football competition for Gaelic football teams based in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is organized by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The tournament is held every year and played in the summer months.
Munster Championship matches used to be held at a neutral ground or at a venue which is deemed halfway between the two competing sides. But eventually, the six counties agreed to a home and away arrangements depending on the size of their stadiums. As of the present, the rolling home and away format in selecting venues are being used.
All six counties of Munster compete in the knockout system tournament. The Munster Senior Football champions are then seeded to the quarterfinals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship while the five other teams will try to earn their spot in the All-Ireland by competing in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
This year, the Munster Senior Football championships will begin with the quarterfinals stage on May 11, 2019. It will conclude with the Final on June 22, 2019, in a venue still to be determined. Last October 12, 2018, the schedule of matches for the 2019 Munster Senior Football championship was determined.
Below is the schedule of fixtures as announced by the Munster GAA Council:
Quarter-Finals:
- Tipperary v Limerick – Semple Stadium, Thurles – Saturday, May 11. 7:00 p.m.
- Clare v Waterford – Cusack Park, Ennis – Saturday, May 11. 7: 00 p.m.
Semi-Finals:
- Cork v Tipperary/Limerick – Venue TBC – Saturday June 1. 7:00pm.
- Clare/Waterford v Kerry – Venue TBC – Saturday June 1. 7:00pm.
Final:
- Semi-final winner v Semi-final winner – Saturday June 22. Venue and time TBC.
In the history of the Munster Senior Football Championship, Kerry is the winningest county with a total of 80 titles since the inception of the tournament in 1888. These include two periods where they won eight straight provincial titles- from 1958 to 1965 and from 1975-1982.
Except for the victories of Tipperary and Clare in 1935 and 1992, respectively, the Munster Senior Football Championship has been won exclusively by Kerry or Cork since 1923. That’s how one-sided the history of this tournament has been.
Kerry is chasing a seventh straight Munster Senior Football title. The Munster Senior Football Cup has stayed in the Kingdom since 2012 when Cork defeated Clare. Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s boys have firmly held the provincial title ever since and it looks like it’s staying that way this year. Or at least that’s what the football betting gods are saying.
The six-time defending champions are heavy favorites heading to this year’s competition. Kerry is a massive -1000 favorite to win their seven consecutive Munster Senior Football championship this year.
Here are the odds to win the 2019 Munster Senior Football Championship. Odds taken from Bovada as of 5/9/19:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kerry | -1000 |
| Cork | +800 |
| Tipperary | +1100 |
| Clare | +2500 |
| Limerick | +25000 |
| Waterford | +10000 |
Who Wins?
Together with Leinster, Munster is the most lopsided province. The odds are a testament to that. The Munster provincial football title pales in comparison to the brilliance of the Munster Senior Hurling championship. And unless a miracle happens this year, I expect Kerry to win a seventh consecutive Munster Senior Football title.
Fitzmaurice has won six titles as manager and his record in the Munster Senior Football championship is an impressive 13-0 with one draw. The longest unbeaten run stands at 18 games and this was achieved by Kerry thrice in its history. With the way things are looking right now, they are going to add to that record in the next couple of years.
2018 saw the retirement of the likes of Kieran Donaghy, Donnchadh Walsh, Anthony Maher, Darran O Sullivan but last year also saw the debut of David Clifford, Jason Foley, Seán O Shea, Shane Murphy, Gavin White, Micheál Burns, Ronan Shanahan and Gavin Crowley. With continuity in their level of talent, Kerry looks unbeatable again this year.
Cork is pegged as the team that presents the closest challenge to them but really, unless something drastic or dramatic happens between now and the start of the tournament, I don’t see them beating Kerry at all because right now, the gap is so wide, I’d call it humongous. As for Clare, we’ve seen Colm Collins do wonders for them but I don’t think defeating Kerry is within his powers. Not at all. Let’s cut this short. I’m picking Kerry to win the 2019 Munster Senior Football championship and it won’t be close.
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