GAA Betting: What Are The All-Ireland Hurling 2024 Championship Odds?
Daire Walsh
Following the conclusion of the Allianz National League, betting sites are now taking a look at who they believe are the most likely winners of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
Eight years on from their last triumph at the grade, which was also the most recent national success for the county in the small ball code, Clare claimed the National Hurling League Division One title with a 3-16 to 1-20 win over Kilkenny at Semple Stadium in Thurles.
Although their Noreside opponents showed their customary fight in the closing stages of the contest, the Banner were worthy victors on the night.
Having seen his side reach All-Ireland semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, Clare manager Brian Lohan will be hoping their NFL success can be the catalyst for a long and fruitful summer.
They have also come perilously close to securing a first Munster senior hurling crown since 1998 in recent times, and they are one of the most consistent teams in terms of the round-robin games that precede the showpiece affairs in the southern province.
Clare Very Much In The Reckoning Following League Success
Now in their fifth season under the guidance of Lohan, Clare are currently 11/2 with three different bookmakers – including William Hill – to get their hands on the Liam McCarthy Cup for just the fifth time in their history.
Bet365 and Betway are also amongst those offering 6/1 on the Banner to emerge on top of the pile this year.
Especially with the likes of Aidan McCarthy, Mark Rodgers, Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly (albeit he has been injured in recent months) within their ranks, they will certainly be expected to be in the shake-up at the business end of the championship.
Limerick Remain Clear Favourites For All-Ireland
Yet, as the only winners of the Liam McCarthy Cup over the past four years, it comes as little surprise that Limerick remain the clear favourites to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park when the All-Ireland final is played on July 21.
Despite losing out to Kilkenny at the semi-final stage of the National Hurling League, supporters and analysts alike still view the Treaty County as the team to beat.
With All Star Hurler of the Year winners Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Diarmuid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane still key figures for manager John Kiely, along with a plethora of household names.
Limerick are in a good spot as they bid to become the first county to win five All-Ireland senior hurling titles on the bounce.
Clare did get the better of them in the round-robin phase of last year’s Munster championship, but Limerick turned the tables on their close rivals in a subsequent final meeting to earn a fifth successive provincial title.
There might be a sense that their winning run has to reach an end at some point, but there is little or no sign for the moment that they are going to be knocked off their pedestal.
At the time of writing, five different betting apps (such as Bet365 and Quinn Bet) are offering odds as short as 4/5 on Limerick maintaining their grip on the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Additionally, William Hill viewed the Munster giants as a 5/6 prospect for an All-Ireland success.
Kilkenny Also Hoping For A Big Year
All-Ireland finalists in the past two championships, Kilkenny are currently third favourites for Liam McCarthy glory behind Limerick and Clare.
Leinster champions for the past four years, the Cats have remained extremely competitive since Brian Cody brought his lengthy spell as manager to an end in the summer of 2022.
However, Kilkenny lost out to the Treaty by nine points in last year’s All-Ireland decider and have also suffered consecutive National Hurling League final defeats at the hands of Limerick and Clare.
TJ Reid remains a key player for their side at 36 years of age (he turns 37 in November), while Eoin Cody, Martin Keoghan and Adrian Mullen are all capable of providing him with good support in attack.
There are some doubts over their ability to go a step further in 2024, but it would be foolish to rule them completely out of the equation when it comes to an All-Ireland success.
Some bookmakers are offering the same odds as Clare on Kilkenny winning the country’s top hurling prize, but they can be backed at the slightly longer odds of 13/2 on GAA betting sites.
Galway Expected To Be In The Mix
In last year’s Leinster Senior Hurling Championship showpiece, Kilkenny snatched victory from Galway courtesy of a stoppage-time goal from Cillian Buckley.
While there isn’t necessarily an expectation that former Cats legend Henry Shefflin needs to win an All-Ireland with his adopted county, it is felt that he will need to lead Galway to a provincial title later this year.
Of course, should they come out on top in Leinster and thus qualify automatically for an All-Ireland semi-final, then the level of expectation might well change.
There is certainly plenty of ability within the Tribesmen’s ranks, whether that be 2023 All Star Evan Niland, Brian Concannon, Joseph Cooney, Daithi Burke or Conor Whelan, who was magnificent last season.
As semi-finalists in the three of the past four All-Ireland senior hurling championships, Galway certainly merit being in amongst Limerick, Clare and Kilkenny in the reckoning for the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Heading into their Leinster SFC group opener against Carlow on Sunday week (April 21), Galway are 7/1 with five betting sites to win a sixth All-Ireland SHC title – William Hill and Betway being amongst this particular cohort.
Cork And Tipperary Look To Be The Most Appealing Outside Bet
Outside of the above-mentioned quartet, it is in Munster that the dark horses appeared to be the most likely to emerge.
Cork displayed signs of life in the National Hurling League and are generally rated as either an 8/1 or 9/1 possibility with Irish bookmakers.
Since Galway’s All-Ireland success of 2017, Tipperary in 2019 are the only county outside of Limerick to have had the Liam McCarthy Cup in their possession.
There has been a lack of consistency to the Premier County’s play and results in the past few years, but Liam Cahill remains an astute manager and will be hoping to improve on last season’s quarter-final exit to Galway.
For the time being, the odds on Tipperary range from 10/1 to 12/1. Before taking over his native county, Cahill was in charge of the Waterford hurlers. In addition to reaching an All-Ireland final in 2020, he guided them to an NFL title two years later.
They are now in the second year of Davy Fitzgerald’s second stint as manager, but they will have a battle on their hands to even secure a coveted top-three finish in Munster.
As far as All-Ireland glory is concerned, the shortest odds on Waterford are currently 25/1 and the longest is 50/1 with the likes of William Hill.
Wexford are generally available with bookmakers at the latter price, while the likes of Dublin, Antrim and Carlow can only be found at odds of 100/1 or longer, and are seen as very unlikely contenders for the All-Ireland championship.