1972–73 National Football League (Ireland)

The 1972–73 National Football League was the 42nd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1972–73 National Football League
League details
DatesOctober 1972 – 6 May 1973
League champions
WinnersKerry (11th win)
CaptainBrendan Lynch
League runners-up
Runners-upOffaly
CaptainTony McTague[1]
Other division winners
Division 2Tyrone

Kerry beat Offaly in the final to complete a three-in-a-row, captain Brendan Lynch scoring 2-3.[2][3][4]

Format

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Divisions

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  • Division One: 16 teams. Split into two groups of 8.
  • Division Two: 16 teams. Split into two groups of 8.

Round-robin format

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

Points awarded

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

Titles

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Knockout phase structure

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In the Semi-Finals, the match-ups were as follows:

  • Quarter-final 1: First-placed team in Division One (A) v Second-placed team in Division One (B)
  • Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One (A) v First-placed team in Division One (B)

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

Division One

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Tables

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Knockout stage

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Division One

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8 April 1973 Semi-Final Kerry 0-11 — 2-5 Derry Croke Park, Dublin[5]
29 April 1973 Semi-Final Replay Kerry w/o — scr. Derry Croke Park, Dublin[6]
15 April 1973 Semi-Final Offaly 0-11 — 0-6 Sligo Croke Park, Dublin
6 May 1973 Final Kerry 2-12 — 0-14 Offaly Croke Park, Dublin
Brendan Lynch 2-3; Mick O'Dwyer 0-5; Mickey O'Sullivan 0-2; Eamonn O'Donoghue, Donie O'Sullivan 0-1 each Attendance: 25,303[7]
Referee: John Moloney (Tipperary)[8]

Division Two

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8 April 1973 Semi-Final Tyrone 1-10 — 3-3 Wicklow Croke Park, Dublin[9]
15 April 1973 Semi-Final Down 0-9 — 0-8 Tipperary Croke Park, Dublin
6 May 1973 Final Tyrone 1-13 — 0-15 Down Croke Park, Dublin[10]

References

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  1. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  2. ^ GAA Final Teams
  3. ^ Mayo GAA Blog
  4. ^ Terrace Talk 1973
  5. ^ "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: 1973 League".
  6. ^ "Derry won't play", Irish Press, 28 April 1973
  7. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  8. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  9. ^ Cork Examiner, 9 April 1973, p. 12
  10. ^ "First senior triumph for Tyrone", Cork Examiner, 7 May 1973