Mary Coughlan opposes penalty deciders as GAA confirms championship overhaul

Donegal GAA chairwoman Mary Coughlan has spoken out against the use of penalties to decide provincial finals, arguing that such a method is no way to determine a champion.

Her comments came during the GAA Annual Congress, which was held in Donegal Town on Saturday.

The event saw major decisions made regarding the future of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. From 2026, the competition will scrap its current round-robin format in favour of an enhanced backdoor system. Meanwhile, the decision on whether to reinstate replays for drawn All-Ireland finals has been postponed.

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Almost 93pc of delegates voted in favour of eliminating group stages from both the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cups, with this year marking the final season under the current structure.

The qualification criteria for the Sam Maguire Cup — based on league positions and provincial final outcomes — will remain unchanged during the three-year trial period. However, a significant shift will occur in the last-16 phase.

Teams will be divided into winners and losers after Round 1, progressing into separate brackets, Round 2A and 2B. The eight Round 1 winners will advance to Round 2A, with victors booking a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the losing teams from Round 2A will face the best performers from the Round 1 losers’ bracket in Round 2B to determine the final four quarter-finalists.

A key aspect of the overhaul is that, unlike the current system, no team will be able to lose three times and still progress to the knockout stages.

The issue of replays in All-Ireland finals and provincial deciders was deferred to a Special Congress later in the year. While some counties expressed support for reintroducing replays, concerns were raised about their impact on scheduling.

Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O’Donovan explained that Cork abstained from the vote, as they were in favour of replays for All-Ireland finals but opposed their inclusion for provincial finals.

Munster GAA chief executive Kieran Leddy voiced concerns that Munster Senior Hurling champions would face a five-week wait before their All-Ireland semi-final if replays were introduced, potentially putting them at a disadvantage. Limerick GAA secretary Mike O’Riordan shared similar concerns, warning that replays could diminish the value of the Munster Hurling Championship.

Coughlan stated that following last year's Ulster final in which her county overcame Armagh on penalties, she believed then that a shootout was no way to decide a final but now understands that this may have wider implications towards hurling championships.

"I can leave it to some of you to talk about hurling, but I do know about Ulster football, I agreed with the former Armagh chairman last year that penalties weren't a way to decide a provincial final," she told the Congress.

"If there are consequences from a hurling perspective we'll have to leave it so we can work out the hurling perspective, but from a football perspective, we would be of the opinion that, on the day, it (penalties) is not the right way to go when it comes to a provincial championship."

Before withdrawing the proposal, GAA President Jarlath Burns listened to a suggestion from Ulster GAA chief executive Brian McAvoy, who proposed a compromise — allowing replays for provincial football championships but excluding them from Leinster and Munster’s hurling competitions.

The coming months will see further debate on the issue, with Donegal voices, including Coughlan’s, playing a key role in shaping the discussion.