The 1984–85 National Football League was the 54th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1984 – 7 April 1985 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Monaghan (1st win) |
| Captain | Eugene Sherry |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Armagh |
← 1983–84 1985–86 → | |
Monaghan won their first and only national title with a win over Armagh in the final.[1][2][3]
Format edit
This was the final year of the NFL in its present format before a move to a three division league for the 1985–86 NFL.
Divisions edit
- Division One: 8 teams
- Division Two: 8 teams
- Division Three: 8 teams.
- Division Four: 8 teams.
Round-robin format edit
Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.
Points awarded edit
2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.
Titles edit
Teams in all four divisions competed for the National Football League title.
Knockout stage qualifiers edit
- Division One: top 4 teams
- Division Two: top 2 teams
- Division Three: top team
- Division Four: top team
Knockout phase structure edit
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 Four
- Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three
- 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 edit
When the NFL was played, relegation was to be as follows:
- Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
- Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Three.
- Division Three: top 2 teams promoted to Division Two. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Four.
- Division Four: top 2 teams promoted to Division Three.
The change in format agreed in advance of the[4] 1985–86 NFL meant that promotion and relegation was as follows:
- Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
- Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Three.
- Division Three: top 2 teams promoted to Division Two.
- Division Four: top 2 teams promoted to Division Three.
Separation of teams on equal points edit
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 edit
Division One edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tyrone
|
7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | Qualified for knockout stage |
 Armagh
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Down
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Kildare
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
 Kerry
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Meath
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
 Galway
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1985–86 NFL |
 Cork
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Division Two edit
Play-Offs edit
Table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Monaghan
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Qualified for knockout stage; promoted to Division One of the 1985–86 NFL |
 Roscommon
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | Promoted to Division One of the 1985–86 NFL |
 Wexford
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Dublin
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Mayo
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Donegal
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Louth
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Relegated to Division Three of the 1985–86 NFL |
 Offaly
|
7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Division Three edit
Play-Offs edit
| 17 February 1985 For 1st Place | Cavan | 1-9 — 0-8 | Longford | Breffni Park, Cavan[8] |
| 24 February 1985 For 6th Place | Laois | 3-7 — 2-3 | Wicklow | Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow |
This result was to relegate Wicklow to Division Four of the 1985–86 NFL. The play-off turned out to be redundant because of the restructure to the league, and both teams were in Division Three of the 1985–86 NFL.
Table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cavan
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Qualify for knockout stages; promoted to Division Two of the 1985–86 NFL |
| Longford
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Promoted to Division Two of the 1985–86 NFL |
| Derry
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | Placed in Division Three of the 1985–86 NFL |
| Leitrim
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Clare
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Laois
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Wicklow
|
7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
 Antrim
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Division Four edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Carlow
|
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | Advance to Quarter-Final; placed in Division Three of the 1985–86 NFL |
| Westmeath
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Placed in Division Three of the 1985–86 NFL |
 Fermanagh
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| Limerick
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
 Sligo
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| Tipperary
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Waterford
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
 Kilkenny
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Knockout stages edit
Quarter-finals edit
Semi-finals edit
Finals edit
References edit
- ^ GAA Final Teams
- ^ GAA Gold Event
- ^ GAA Archive 1985[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Football League's new Div 3, North and South", Sunday Independent,25 August 1985, p.24
- ^ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 25/02/1985, p. 11
- ^ "Roscommon Rule Roost", Irish Press, 04/03/1985, p. 16
- ^ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 11/02/1985, p. 11
- ^ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 18/02/1985, p. 13
- ^ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 25/02/1985, p. 11
- ^ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 25/02/1985, p. 11
- ^ "Tyrone overcome first-half blows", Irish Independent, 04 March 1985, p. 12
- ^ "Murphy is hero as Monaghan advance", Irish Independent, 04 March 1985, p. 12
- ^ "Armagh's experience counts against Carlow", Irish Independent, 04 March 1985, p. 12
- ^ "Down make it an Ulster Monopoly", Irish Press, 11 March 1985, p. 16
- ^ "Super Armagh show their superiority", Irish Press, 25 March 1985, p. 16
- ^ "Tyrone survive", Irish Press, 25 March 1985, p. 16
- ^ "Monaghan seal it after extra time", Irish Press, 01 April 1985, p. 15
- ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
- ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151