| Dates: | 7 May – 25 September 2005 |
| Teams: | 33 |
| Year: | 2005 |
| Leinster: | Dublin |
| Munster: | Kerry |
| Ulster: | Armagh |
| Connacht: | Galway |
| Matches: | 65 |
| Team: | Tyrone |
| Titles: | 2nd |
| Team2: | Kerry |
| Topscorer: | Stephen O'Neill (5-49) |
| Totalgoals: | 115 (1.77 per game) |
| Totalpoints: | 1533 (23.58 per game) |
| Next: | 2006 |
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2005, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2005 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the premier Gaelic football competition in 2005. It consisted of 33 teams and began on Saturday 7 May 2005. Few surprises came during the championship with the dominance of the Ulster teams evident once again. Gaelic football's "Big Three" of this era - Armagh, Kerry, Tyrone - all progressed to the semi-finals.[1] [2]
The Championship concluded on Sunday 25 September 2005 when Tyrone defeated Kerry, who were playing in their second consecutive All-Ireland Final, by a scoreline of 1-16 to 2-10. Tyrone had to play ten games (including three replays) in order to win the Championship - more than any other team before or since.
Since the introduction of the so-called "back-door" system a few years ago, a number of changes have taken place in the championship format. In 2005 the following system was used.
The provincial championships in Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht ran as usual on a "knock-out" basis. These provincial games were then followed by the "Qualifier" system:
The All-Ireland Quarter-finals: Each of the four Provincial Champions played one of the four winners from Round 4. The All-Ireland Semi-finals shall be on a Provincial rots basis, initially determined by the Central Council. If a Provincial Championship winning team is defeated in its Quarter-final, the team that defeats it shall take its place in the semi-final.
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The losers of the Preliminary round matches and quarter final matches of each provincial championship started the qualifier.
The winners of round 1 were joined by the semi-final losers of each provincial championship. The matches would be between a round 2 winner and a provincial championship semi final loser.
The winners of round 2 contest as the matches from here were lowered to four. Matches were open.
The winners of round 3 were joined by the losers of each provincial championship final. The matches would be between a round 3 winner and the loser of a provincial championship final.
The provincial champions and the winners of round 4 contested the quarter-finals. The quarter final matches would be between a provincial champion and a round 4 winner.
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See main article: 2005 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.
| Player | County | Scores | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen O'Neill | Tyrone | 5-49 | 64 | |
| Paddy Bradley | Derry | 2-29 | 35 | |
| Colm Cooper | Kerry | 4-22 | 34 | |
| Steven McDonnell | Armagh | 4-21 | 33 | |
| Tomás Quinn | Dublin | 1-29 | 32 | |
| Ross Munnelly | Laois | 1-24 | 27 | |
| Hugh McElroy | Monaghan | 3-17 | 26 | |
| Owen Mulligan | Tyrone | 2-20 | 26 |
| Player | Tally | Opposition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddy Bradley (Derry) | 1-10 | Monaghan | |
| Stephen O'Neill (Tyrone) | 2-06 | Monaghan | |
| Hugh McElroy (Monaghan) | 1-09 | London | |
| Niall Curran (Waterford) | 1-08 | Clare | |
| Colm Cooper (Kerry) | 2-05 | Limerick |