GAA Betting: The All-Ireland Football Championship: Dublin Remain Favourites
Following a weekend when two of the four provincial championships were completed, the best betting sites are once again examining who the main contenders are for the All-Ireland senior football crown.
Although the group stages for the Sam Maguire Cup were already determined before last weekend’s action, there was silverware up for grabs in both Munster and Connacht on Sunday afternoon.
In the south, Kerry held off a stubborn resistance from Clare to record a 0-23 to 1-13 victory at Cusack Park in Ennis.
While in the west, there was an enthralling contest between Galway and Mayo at Pearse Stadium, Salthill which went right down to the wire.
Two points behind late on to their closest rivals on home soil, the Galwegians ultimately came out on top with unanswered frees courtesy of Rob Finnerty, Shane Walsh and match-winning goalkeeper Connor Gleeson earning them a 0-16 to 0-15 win.
It remains to be seen if there will be the same element of drama this weekend, but the 4pm meeting of Donegal and Armagh at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones in the Ulster final on Sunday is another game that could well be decided by the tightest of margins.
Earlier in the same day, Dublin will take on Louth in the Leinster senior football championship showpiece at Croke Park for the second year in succession.
Dublin Remain Favourites For All-Ireland Glory
Thanks to goals from Sean Bugler, Paul Mannion, James McCarthy, Colm Basquel and Paddy Small, the Sky Blues recorded a 5-21 to 0-15 triumph against the Wee County in their 2023 final meeting.
A similar result is expected on this occasion, and while there is still a long road ahead of them, Dublin remain the favourites to retain their All-Ireland title in 2024.
Dessie Farrell’s men are 6/4 on new betting sites to maintain their grip on the Sam Maguire trophy.
Kerry Still Behind Dublin In Sam Maguire Betting
Even though 0-23 is an impressive score to clock up, many commentators came away from Kerry’s Munster final date against Clare with fresh doubts in their heads about The Kingdom.
Chiefly, the amount of space that their defence afforded the Banner side’s attack and the fact that – for the third competitive game on the bounce – Jack O’Connor’s charges failed to register a goal.
They lost their All-Ireland crown to Dublin in last July’s tension-filled final at GAA HQ, and the bookies currently have them behind their Leinster counterparts in the race for glory this summer.
Yet with the likes of David Clifford, Paudie Clifford and Sean O’Shea within their ranks, Kerry remain a significant threat.
The Munster giants are rated as a 5/2 possibility for a 39th All-Ireland senior championship win with several bookmakers.
Derry Still In The Mix Despite Donegal Set-Back
It is just under three weeks since Derry surrendered the Ulster championship trophy with a 4-11 to 0-17 quarter-final defeat to Donegal at Celtic Park.
Mickey Harte’s side will watch on as Donegal and Armagh lock horns in Monaghan on Sunday for the Ulster title.
The latter two teams previously met in a NFL Division Two decider at Croke Park on March 31, the same day that Derry secured the NFL Division One crown in the same venue with a penalty shootout victory over Dublin.
That success, coupled with their impressive rise over the previous two years, has kept the Oaf Leaf county in the thoughts of Irish bookmakers, despite that aforementioned loss to Donegal.
Derry can be backed at 6/1 on betting apps to win their second All-Ireland football title.
Galway Odds Reduced After Connacht Final Triumph
Derry will return to competitive fare with an All-Ireland group stage encounter against Galway in Salthill on May 18.
Having previously struggled for form in 2024, the Tribesmen will have a pep in their step ahead of that game as a result of their Connacht final success.
The westerners were without several key players for the majority of the National Football League, but looked like a transformed team with a number of them back in the mix against Mayo.
The fit-again Damien Comer was a popular choice as man of the match, while Shane Walsh, John Maher and Matthew Tierney all made strong contributions from the bench.
Galway are now valued at 12/1 to earn their first All-Ireland title in 23 years.
Mayo, Donegal And Armagh Also In Contention
As for the team they overcame on Sunday, Mayo are 16/1 for Sam Maguire glory this year.
Whereas Galway and Mayo are currently fourth and sixth favourites for the All-Ireland respectively, Donegal and Armagh are presently fifth and seventh on many betting sites.
Now back under the management of Jim McGuinness after an almost decade-long absence, Donegal are available at 14/1 to win a second All-Ireland with the Glenties man at the helm.
The best odds on Armagh winning just a second Sam Maguire Cup crown in their history is20/1 with Ladbrokes, but if they were to accrue Ulster honours on Sunday, this could change very quickly.
Tyrone Viewed As Outsiders For All-Ireland Triumph
Tyrone are the only county outside of Dublin and Kerry to have won an All-Ireland title in the past 12 years, courtesy of their 2021 triumph over Mayo.
The Red Hand county are seen as an outside bet for a Sam Maguire success in 2024 with odds of 33/1.
Yet the Tyrone team has shown plenty of quality in their recent Ulster clashes against Cavan and Donegal, and could well have a say in the destination of the All-Ireland championship crown.
Outside of the eight teams mentioned above, the likes of Monaghan, Roscommon, Cavan, Meath and Louth are viewed as rank outsiders for what would be highly surprising All-Ireland victories.