| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1977 – 23 April 1978 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Dublin (5th win) |
| Captain | Tony Hanahoe |
| Manager | Tony Hanahoe |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Mayo |
| Captain | John P Keane |
| Manager | Johnny Carey |
| ← 1976–77 1978–79 → | |
The 1977–78 National Football League was the 47th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
Dublin beat Mayo in the final.
Format
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2015) |
Group stage
Division One (North)
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mayo
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | Qualified for Knockout Stages |
 Cavan
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
 Roscommon
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
 Tyrone
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
 Antrim
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
 Derry
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1978–79 NFL |
Division One (South)
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dublin
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | Qualified for Knockout Stages |
 Kildare
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Cork
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
 Galway
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
 Kerry
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
 Offaly
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1978–79 NFL |
Division Two (North)
Group A play-offs
Armagh v Down| 22 January 1978 For 1st Place | Armagh | 2-9 — 2-7 | Down | Castleblaney |
| 29 January 1978 For 2nd Place | Down | 1-11 — 0-5 | Louth | Castleblaney |
Group B play-offs
Donegal v Fermanagh| 22 January 1978 For 1st Place | Donegal | 0-13 — 0-10 | Fermanagh | Ballybofey |
Inter-group play-offs
Armagh v Fermanagh| 5 February 1978 Semi-Final | Armagh | 2-7 — 0-7 | Fermanagh | Omagh |
| 5 February 1978 Semi-Final | Down | 3-9 — 1-6 | Donegal | Dungannon |
| 19 February 1978 Final | Down | 2-7 — 1-3 | Armagh | Castleblaney |
Group A Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armagh
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
 Down
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Qualified for Knockout Stages; promoted to Division One of the 1978–79 NFL |
| Louth
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Westmeath
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
 Antrim
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group B Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donegal
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
 Fermanagh
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Leitrim
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
 Sligo
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Longford
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Division Two (South)
Group A play-offs
Laois v Meath| 22 January 1978 For 1st Place | Laois | 4-8 — 1-12 | Meath | Tullamore |
| E Whelan 2-1, L Scully 1-2, W Brennan 1-1, B Bohane 0-3, Tom Prendergast 0-1 | Mick Fay 0-6, Fergus Fagan 1-1, Cormac Roe 0-2, O O'Brien, P Cromwell, Gerry McEntee 0-1 each | Referee: Johnny Geraghty (Galway) |
Group B play-offs
Wicklow v Carlow| 29 January 1978 | Wicklow | 3-5 — 2-7 | Carlow | Athy |
Inter-group play-offs
Wexford v Meath| 5 February 1978 Semi-Final | Wexford | 3-10 — 1-7 | Meath | Newbridge |
| 5 February 1978 Semi-Final | Laois | 4-16 — 1-7 | Wicklow | Athy |
| Tom Prendergast 3-5, W Brennan 1-4, S Allen 0-3, E Whelan 0-2, B Bohane, F Hennessy 0-1 each | Referee: Martin Meally (Kilkenny) |
| 5 March 1978 Final | Laois | 1-12 — 1-6 | Wexford | Carlow |
| Tom Prendergast 1-2, Billy Bohane 0-5, Willie Brennan, Colm Browne 0-2 each, Liam Scully 0-1 | Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Denis Guerin (Dublin) |
Group A Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laois
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Qualified for Knockout Stages; promoted to Division One of the 1978–79 NFL |
| Meath
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Tipperary
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
 Clare
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Limerick
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group B Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wexford
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
 Carlow
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Wicklow
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Waterford
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
 Kilkenny
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals
| Laois | 4-9 – 2-10 | Cavan |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Prendergast 2-1 Willie Brennan 0-5, Mick Moore 1-1, Stevie Allen 1-0, John Costello. Eamonn Whelan 0-1 each |
| Down | D – D | Kildare |
|---|---|---|
| Down | 1-15 – 1-11 a.e.t. | Kildare |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| Dublin | 0-12 – 0-7 | Laois |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Doyle 0-3, Brian Mullins, Anton O'Toole 0-2 each, Tommy Drumm, Bernard Brogan, David Hickey, Fran Ryder, Pat O'Neill 0-1 each | W Brennan 0-3, L Scully, S Allen, B Bohane, T Prendergast 0-1 each |
| Down | 0-8 – 0-10 | Mayo |
|---|---|---|
Final
| Dublin | 2-18 – 2-13 | Mayo |
|---|---|---|
References
- "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
- GAA Final Teams
- Mayo Archive 1978
- "059 Dubs 1978 | a whole new world". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- "GAA Results and Tables", Irish Independent, 5 December 1977, p. 11
- "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
- "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151