The 2018 O'Byrne Cup was played by county teams of Leinster GAA. It began in December 2017 and ended in May 2018.[1][2][3]

2018 O'Byrne Cup
Tournament details
ProvinceLeinster
Year2018
TrophyO'Byrne Cup
Winners
ChampionsMeath (10th win)
ManagerAndy McEntee
CaptainBryan Menton
Runners-up
Runners-upWestmeath
ManagerColin Kelly
CaptainJohn Heslin
Other
Matches played14
← 2017
2019 →

On 14 January 2018, the result of the Meath versus Longford semi-final was determined by a free-taking competition, as the score was level at the end of both normal time and extra time. Each side took five free kicks from the forty five metre line and Meath won 2-1. This was the first inter-county Gaelic match to be decided in this way (previously the match would have been replayed).

The final was delayed on multiple occasions due to bad weather; it was finally played in May, with Meath the winners.[4]

Format

edit

There are 11 teams, in three groups of three teams and one group two teams. In the three-team groups, each team plays the other teams once; in the two-team group, the teams play each other in two games. Two group points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The four group winners play in the semi-finals and final. If a game is level after the normal seventy minutes, two ten minute periods of extra time are played each way. If the score is still level after extra time, a free-taking competition is held to determine the result.

Group stage

edit

Group 1

edit
Team Pld W D L Pts Diff
  Offaly 2 1 1 0 3 +16
  Wexford 2 1 0 1 2 –15
  Dublin 2 0 1 1 1 –1
30 December 2017
2:00 pm
Offaly 3-16 - 0-9 Wexford O'Connor Park
Referee: Niall Ward
Jordan Hayes 2-0, Bernard Allen 0-6 (0-2f), Cian Johnston 1-3, Sean Doyle 0-4 (0-2f), Bobby O'Dea, Joey O'Connor, Shane Tierney 0-1 each Donal Shanley 0-3f, Donnacha Holmes 0-2, Conor Carty, Glen Malone, Mark Rossiter, Cathal Devereux 0-1 each

3 January 2018
8:00 pm
Dublin 1-13 - 0-16 Offaly Parnell Park
Referee: Brendan Cawley
Colm Basquel 1-6 (0-3f), Shane Carthy 0-3 (0-1f), Gerry Seaver, Kieran Doherty, Killian O'Gara, Chris Carthy 0-1 each Report Cian Johnston 0-6, Nigel Dunne 0-4 (0-3f), Anton Sullivan 0-2, Cian Donohue, Declan Hogan, Jordan Hayes, Joey O'Connor 0-1 each

7 January 2018
2:00 pm
Wexford 1-12 – 0-14 Dublin St. Patrick's Park, Enniscorthy
Referee: David Hickey (Carlow)
Report

Group 2

edit
Team Pld W D L Pts Diff
  Longford 2 2 0 0 4 +10
  Louth 2 1 0 1 2 +2
  Kildare 2 0 0 2 0 –12
30 December 2017
2:00 pm
Louth 1-10 - 2-13 Longford Darver
Referee: Patrick Coyle
Ross Nally 1-1, Sam Mulroy 0-3 (0-2f), William Woods (0-1f) and James Butler 0-2 each, Andy McDonnell and Jim McEneaney 0-1 Sean McCormack 0-6 (0-4f), Pauric Gill 1-1, Andrew Farrell 1-0, Ronan McEntire 0-2, Paddy Collum (1 '45), Michael Quinn, Dessie Reynolds, Connor Berry 0-1 each

3 January 2018
8:00 pm
Kildare 0-9 - 2-11 Louth Hawkfield
Referee: Fergal Smyth
Neil Flynn 0-3, Brian McLoughlin 0-2 (2 frees); Luke Flynn 0-1, Johnny Byrne 0-1, Chris Healy 0-1, Kevin Flynn 0-1 Tadhg McEneaney 2-0, Andy McDonnell 0-2, James Butler 0-2 (2 frees), Tommy Durnin 0-2 (1 free), Bevan Duffy 0-1, Gerard McSorley 0-1, Ronan Holcroft 0-1, William woods 0-1, Niall Conlon 0-1.

7 January 2018
2:00 pm
Longford 1-14 – 0-13 Kildare Pearse Park, Longford
Referee: Chris Dwyer
R Smyth 1-3 (0-1f); S McCormack 0-6 (4f); R Brady 0-4; D Reynolds 0-1 Report K Feely 0-4 (4f); P Cribbin, D Flynn, F Dowling 0-2 each; E Lawless, L Flynn, T Moolick 0-1 each

Group 3

edit
Team Pld W D L Pts Diff
  Meath 2 2 0 0 4 +20
  Carlow 2 1 0 1 2 +9
  Wicklow 2 0 0 2 0 –29
30 December 2017
2:00 pm
Carlow 3-8 - 0-6 Wicklow Bray Emmets
Referee: James King
John Murphy 2-1 (1-0 pen), Sean Gannon 1-0, Paul Broderick (0-1f) and Darragh Foly (0-1f) 0-2 each, Ciaran Moran, Diarmuid Walshe, Jamie Clarke 0-1 each Mark Jackson (0-2f) and Darren Hayden 0-2 each, Rory Finn and Seanie Furlong (0-1f) 0-1 each

3 January 2018
8:00 pm
Meath 0-9 - 0-7 Carlow Dr. Cullen Park
Referee: Seamus Mulhare
Ben Brennan 0-4 (0-1f), Donal Lenihan 0-3, Graham Reilly and Thomas O'Reilly 0-1 each Diarmuid Walshe 0-3 (0-2f), Darragh O'Brien 0-2 (0-1f), Daniel St. Ledger (1 '45) and Darragh Foley 0-1 each

7 January 2018
2:00 pm
Meath 4-19 – 0-13 Wicklow Páirc Tailteann
Referee: Stephen Murphy (Louth)
Report

Group 4

edit
Team Pld W D L Pts Diff
  Westmeath 2 2 0 0 4 +10
  Laois 2 0 0 2 0 –10
30 December 2017
2:00 pm
Westmeath 1-13 - 1-12 Laois Cusack Park
Referee: Patrick Maguire
Man of the Match: Luke Loughlin (The Downs)
Luke Loughlin 0-5 (0-1f), James Dolan 1-0, Callum McCormack 0-3, Ger Leech (0-2f) and Finbar Coyne 0-2 each, Denis Corroon 0-1 Gary Walsh 0-9 (0-7f), Paul Kingston 1-0, Brian Glynn 0-2, Aaron Dowling 0-1

7 January 2018
2:00 pm
Laois 1-13 – 3-16 Westmeath Stradbally
Referee: Fintan Pierce (Offaly)
Ross Munnelly 1-4 (0-2 frees), Eoin Lowry 0-6 (0-5 frees), Niall Donoher, Ronan Murray and Aaron Forbes 0-1 each Report Callum McCormack 3-3, Luke Loughlin 0-7 (0-2 frees), Kieran Martin 0-3, John Egan, Conor Slevin (free) and Alex Gardiner 0-1 each

Knockout stage

edit

Semi-finals

edit
14 January 2018 (2018-01-14)
14:00 GMT
Semi-Final
Meath   1-19 2-16
(a.e.t.)
(2–1 fk)
  Longford
(HT: 1-5 – 0-4)
Gls: S Tobin
Pts: B McMahon (4, 1f), S Tobin (2, 1f), B Menton (2), T O'Reilly (2), J Wallace (2), D O'Neill (2), B Conlon, D Toner, B Brennan (f), M McCabe, J McEntee
Gls: R Smyth, M Quinn
Pts: R Smyth (4, 2f), S McCormack (4, 1f), D Reynolds (2), R Brady (2), M Quinn, R McEntire, J McGivney, D Quinn
Free-taking competition
Seán Tobin  N
Mark McCabe  Y
Cillian O'Sullivan  Y
Joey Wallace  N
James McEntee  N
   N Robbie Smyth
 Y Sean McCormack
 N Paddy Colum
 N Barry Gilleran
 N James McGiveney
Páirc Tailteann, Navan
Referee: Darragh Sheppard (Dublin)

14 January 2018 (2018-01-14)
14:00 GMT
Semi-Final
Westmeath   1-9 1-7   Offaly
(HT: 1-7 – 1-2)
Gls: D Corroon
Pts: L Loughlin (3, 2f), J Egan (2), D Corroon, C McCormack, K Martin, F Coyne
Gls: J O’Connor
Pts: C Johnson (2), N Dunne (2, 2f), J Hayes, M Brazil, B Allen
TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar
Referee: David Hickey (Carlow)

Final

edit
13 May 2018 (2018-05-13)
15:00 IST (UTC+1)
Final
Westmeath   1-13 (16) (25) 4-13   Meath
TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar
Referee: Fergal Smyth (Offaly)

References

edit
  1. ^ "O'Byrne Cup and Walsh Cup groups and fixtures".
  2. ^ "Offaly to face the Dubs in O'Byrne Cup".
  3. ^ "HoganStand - 2018 O'Byrne Cup draw: Dubs grouped with Offaly and Wexford". www.hoganstand.com.
  4. ^ McKenna, Conor (13 May 2018). "13-man Meath power to O'Byrne Cup success".
edit