Clare's victory over Cork in Sunday’s Munster SFC quarter-final has left a number of counties fretting over their place in the All-Ireland series.
Colm Collins’s side were relegated from Division Three last month along with Limerick, who they play in the Munster semi-final, meaning that one of them will play in the top tier Championship later in the summer instead of the Tailteann Cup.
With a maximum of 16 teams taking part in the All-Ireland series, a Division Two team will now be forced out and Meath, followed by Kildare, are currently in the firing line.
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The top 16 will be made up of the eight provincial finalists along with last year’s Tailteann Cup winners, Westmeath, while the remaining seven spots will be filled according to teams’ rankings in this year’s Allianz League.
From those League rankings, Kildare are at 13 and Meath 14, though with Westmeath (20), one of Sligo (23) or New York, as Connacht finalists, and now one of Clare (17) or Limerick (18) guaranteed a spot in the Sam Maguire Cup, at least three of the teams that will play in Division Two next year will have to drop to the Tailteann Cup.
Cavan (15) and Fermanagh (16) are already aware that that is likely to be their fate unless they get to the Ulster final, but Clare’s win means that another county has to be squeezed out.
Should Meath fail to reach the Leinster final, they will drop to the Tailteann Cup, though Westmeath getting to the provincial decider would likely grant them a reprieve as it would free up a spot in the top tier.
However, that would depend on neither Cavan or Fermanagh getting to the Ulster final.
If Meath do get to the Leinster final, then Kildare would be next in line to drop out of the All-Ireland series - unless they plot an unlikely route to the provincial decider themselves from the same side of the draw as Dublin.
Even Cork, ranked at 12, could yet find themselves in the Tailteann Cup as if, say, both Meath and Cavan reach their respective provincial finals, they would drop out along with Kildare.
Meath travel to Tullamore to face Offaly in the Leinster quarter-final on Sunday week, with the winners facing Westmeath or Louth in the other semi-final.
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