1982–83 National Football League (Ireland)

1982–83 National Football League
League details
Dates	October 1982 – 24 April 1983
League champions
Winners	Down (4th win)
Captain	Mark Turley
Manager	James McCartan
League runners-up
Runners-up	Armagh
Captain	Jim McKerr
	← 1981–82 1983–84 →

The 1982–83 National Football League was the 52nd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

Down defeated Armagh in the final.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Format

Group stage

Division One

Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
Armagh	7	5	2	0	12	Qualified for Knockout Stages
Down	7	4	3	0	11	Qualified for Knockout Stages
Cork	7	4	1	2	9
Dublin	7	3	1	3	7
Kerry	7	3	1	3	7
Offaly	7	3	0	4	6
Derry	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division Two of the 1983–84 NFL
Mayo	7	0	0	7	0	Relegated to Division Two of the 1983–84 NFL

^[4]

Division Two

Play-Off

30 April 1983 For 6th Place	Cavan	1-9 — 1-8	Wicklow	Pairc Tailteann, Navan^[5]
				Referee: P Kavanagh Meath

Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
Kildare	7	6	0	1	12	Qualified for Knockout Stages and promoted to Division One of the 1983–84 NFL
Meath	7	5	1	1	11
Galway	7	4	2	1	10
Roscommon	7	4	1	2	9
Tyrone	7	3	0	4	6
Cavan	7	2	0	5	4
Wicklow	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division Three of the 1983–84 NFL
Antrim	7	0	0	7	0	Relegated to Division Three of the 1983–84 NFL

^[6]

Division Three

Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
Louth	7	6	0	1	12	Qualified for National League Cup and promoted to Division Two of the 1983–84 NFL
Wexford	7	5	0	2	10
Laois	7	4	1	2	9
Clare	7	4	0	3	8
Donegal	7	3	1	3	7
Monaghan	7	3	0	4	6
Fermanagh	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division Four of the 1983–84 NFL
Longford	7	0	0	7	0	Relegated to Division Four of the 1983–84 NFL

^[7]

Division Four

Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
Westmeath	7	7	0	0	14	Qualified for National League Cup and promoted to Division Three of the 1983–84 NFL
Carlow	7	6	0	1	12
Leitrim	7	4	1	2	9
Limerick	7	2	2	3	6
Sligo	7	3	0	4	6
Tipperary	7	2	1	4	5
Waterford	7	2	0	5	4
Kilkenny	7	0	0	7	0

^[8]

Knockout stage

Semi-finals

10 April 1983

Down	1-9 – 0-4	Kildare

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 15,123

10 April 1983

Armagh	2-8 – 1-7	Meath

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 15,123

Finals

24 April 1983
Final

Down	1-8 – 0-8	Armagh

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 24,500^[9]

Referee: Weeshie Fogarty (Kerry)^[10]

National League Cup

Semi-finals

10 April 1983

Westmeath	1-8 – 0-5	Wexford

Portarlington

10 April 1983

Louth	2-10 – 1-5	Carlow

Portarlington

Final

24 April 1983

Westmeath	1-08 - 1-07	Louth
Tone (0-4), Coyne (1-0), Fahy (0-2f), W. Lowry (0-1), Tynan (0-1)		O'Kane (1-0), Dawe (0-3f), McDonnell (0-2), McCarragher (0-1), Quinn (0-1)

Pairc Tailteann, Navan^[11]

Referee: P. Kavanagh (Meath)


GK	1	Matt Scally
RCB	2	Mick McEnroe
FB	3	Pádraig McGowan
LCB	4	Pat Murray
RHB	5	Eddie Tynan
CHB	6	Mick Lowry
LHB	7	Michael Fagan
MF	8	Tommy McCormack
MF	9	Christy Flanagan
RHF	10	Séamus Coyne
CHF	11	Willie Lowry
LHF	12	Rory Fahy
RCF	13	Pat Brady
FF	14	Frank Tone
LCF	15	Michael Greene
Substitutes:
	16	Mick Clarke for Brady
	17	Séamus Conroy for Flanagan


GK	1	Gerry Farrell (Cooley Kickhams)
RCB	2	Séamus Haughey (Dundalk Young Irelands)
FB	3	Matt McDermott (St Fechin's)
LCB	4	Frank Taaffe (Oliver Plunketts)
RHB	5	Dessie Callaghan (Newtown Blues)
CHB	6	Aidan Wiseman (Clan na Gael)
LHB	7	Michael McCabe (Dundalk Young Irelands)
MF	8	Pat Matthews (Oliver Plunketts)
MF	9	Paul Reneghan (Geraldines)
RHF	10	Tony McCarragher (Cooley Kickhams)
CHF	11	Jimmy McDonnell (Geraldines) (c)
LHF	12	Benny McKeever (Clan na Gael)
RCF	13	Ray Quinn (Kilkerley Emmets)
FF	14	J.P. O'Kane (St Joseph's)
LCF	15	Kevin Dawe (Dreadnots)
Substitutes:
	16	Pat McConnon (Dundalk Young Irelands) for Matthews

References

^ GAA Final Teams
^ Armagh team photos
^ GAA Archive 1983^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17
^ "Kavanagh slip sinks Wicklow", Irish Press, 01/05/1983, p. 16
^ "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17
^ "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17
^ "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17
^ "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
^ "Tone was right for Westmeath", Irish Independent, 25/04/1983, p. 12

[1] GAA Final Teams

[2] Armagh team photos

[3] GAA Archive 1983^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17

[5] "Kavanagh slip sinks Wicklow", Irish Press, 01/05/1983, p. 16

[6] "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17

[7] "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17

[8] "How They Stand", Irish Press, 14/03/1983, p. 17

[9] "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151

[10] "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151

[11] "Tone was right for Westmeath", Irish Independent, 25/04/1983, p. 12

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]