| Event | 2020 Leinster Senior Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 21 November 2020 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Derek O'Mahoney (Tipperary) | ||||||
| Attendance | 0[note 1] | ||||||
The 2020 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 21 November 2020. It was contested by Dublin and Meath. Dublin won a tenth consecutive title.[1]
Background[edit]
The game was held on a date originally intended for the second test of the 2020 International Rules Series. That event was cancelled in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, which also led to the delayed championship.[2][3] The GAA had proposed to hold a memorial ahead of the second test in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday massacre, which saw fourteen civilians killed at a football match at Croke Park during the Irish War of Independence.[4] This was instead held ahead of the 2020 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final.
As originally announced, the GAA intended the game to occur after a ceremonial "finishing of the match" featuring Dublin and Tipperary teams consisting of "available county or club players".[5] However, Dublin were playing in this game and Tipperary qualified for the 2020 Munster Senior Football Championship Final which was held the following day, limiting player availability.
Match details[edit]
        Dublin
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     Meath
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Man of the Match:
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Post-match[edit]
Dublin captain Stephen Cluxton laid a wreath for the centenary.[6]
Former Dublin player Ciarán Whelan said the result was "worrying" for the sport and that his former team "have their opponents psychologically smashed".[7]
The result, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, meant Dublin directly qualified for an All-Ireland semi-final against Cavan. Dublin won, easily, to qualify for the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, the eighth time in ten years that Dublin reached the decider.[8]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The game was played behind closed doors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.
References[edit]
- ^ "Dublin secure perfect 10 on emotional night at Croke Park". irishexaminer.com. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Future of International Rules series up in the air as 2020 games cancelled due to coronavirus crisis". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Glenn (5 April 2020). "AFL calls off International Rules series this year, with doubts on its future viability". Herald Sun. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "Rules return to feature Bloody Sunday memorial". Independent.ie. 19 November 2019.
- ^ "GAA launch series of tributes to the Croke Park Bloody Sunday victims". Hogan Stand. 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Ten-in-a-row Dublin have mastered the art of evolution". irishexaminer.com. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Whelan: Rest of Leinster is 'psychologically smashed'". rte.ie. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Dublin beat Cavan at a canter to reach another final". RTÉ. 5 December 2012.
