GAA Betting: The All-Ireland Football Championship: Dublin Still The Favourites
Daire Walsh
The weekend past saw the All-Ireland senior football championship group stages kicking into gear and with some significant heavyweights set to be in action on Saturday, the best betting sites are once again taking a look at who the main contenders are for the Sam Maguire Cup.
All-Ireland finalists in the past two years – winning the 2022 decider before falling short 12 months later – Kerry began their Group Four campaign with a comprehensive 0-24 to 1-11 victory at the expense of Monaghan.
Runners-up to the Kingdom in that Sam Maguire showpiece two years ago, Galway followed up their Connacht final success over Mayo with a 2-14 to 0-15 triumph against Derry in the opening round of Group One.
Mayo bounced back from that recent provincial loss by defeating Cavan on a score of 0-20 to 1-8 in Group Two, while Cork enjoyed a narrow 1-13 to 1-11 win away to Munster rivals Clare in Group Three.
It is a somewhat staggered opening to the group stages of the All-Ireland SFC, but there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding the games.
In Group One this weekend, Armagh will look to put their heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Donegal in the Ulster final behind them when they welcome Westmeath to the Athletic Grounds.
Whereas neighbours Louth and Meath will be clashing at Inniskeen in Group Four – a de facto home ground for the former side – current kings of the northern province Donegal will play host to Tyrone at MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey in Group Three.
Dublin Still Out In Front As All-Ireland Favourites
Meanwhile, after being tested to the max by Louth in their recent Leinster final meeting at Croke Park, Dublin will get their Group Two odyssey up and running with a showdown against Roscommon at the same venue.
Although they shared the spoils with Davy Burke’s Connacht outfit in last year’s All-Ireland group stages, Dublin are expected to come through this game with flying colours and set themselves up for a safe passage towards the quarter-finals of the Sam Maguire Cup.
In fact, despite Kerry enjoying a convincing victory last Saturday, Dessie Farrell’s Metropolitan side remain the favourites for All-Ireland football glory in 2024.
Even if a number of players were below their best in the aforementioned Louth game, the form of Brian Fenton and Con O’Callaghan was quite encouraging and their final tally of 1-19 would be enough to win most games in the championship.
The return of Jack McCaffrey from a recent injury lay-off is also good news for Farrell and his management team, and there was also an opportunity to get more minutes into the legs of Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons and James McCarthy.
Rated at 6/4 with GAA betting sites – the defending champions are as short as 5/4 with some firms.
Kerry Still Viewed As Main Challengers To Dublin
Since the start of the year, Kerry and Derry have been seen as the two most likely challengers to Dublin’s throne.
A reversal to Galway has led to question marks about the latter, but Kerry maintain their potent threat.
Given there is a fear of an overreliance on David Clifford and Sean O’Shea for scores, Kingdom boss Jack O’Connor will have been pleased to see the evergreen Paul Geaney chipped in with five points against Monaghan last weekend.
Odds of 5/2 are on offer with the majority of new betting sites for an All-Ireland title.
Galway Leapfrog Derry In Betting After Their Win Over Them
Following two consecutive Ulster final victories and appearances at the penultimate phase of the All-Ireland championship, Derry seemed to be on a continued upward trajectory when they claimed the National Football League Division One crown on March 31, at Croke Park.
Yet an early exit in the provincial championship at the hands of Donegal halted their momentum and there was further cause for concern when they lost out to Galway in Salthill on Saturday last.
The second-quarter dismissal of Gareth McKinless put the Oak Leaf on the back-foot and in spite of the best efforts of Shane McGuigan, Lachlan Murray and Ciaran McFaul, Derry came out on the wrong side of the result.
Previously the third favourites for an All-Ireland title, the northerners have slipped to fourth in the rankings with the biggest odds on Mickey Harte’s men being 12/1 with the bookies.
As a consequence of their victory over Derry – and that Connacht final triumph – Galway have now moved up the ladder and are just behind Dublin and Kerry in the eyes of betting firms for the All-Ireland crown.
Goals from Sean Kelly and Cein D’Arcy aided their cause last weekend, but it was veteran midfielder Paul Conroy who produced the standout display for the Tribesmen.
Nine-time winners of the Sam Maguire Cup and finalists as recently as 2022, Padraic Joyce’s Galway are currently available at odds of 7/1 with most bookmakers.
They are also up for grabs at 13/2 and 6/1 with a number of others and appear to be trending in the right direction at the moment.
Donegal And Mayo Given Outside Chances Of All-Ireland Glory
Despite getting the better of them in the Ulster championship, Donegal are still just behind Derry in the betting for the All-Ireland series.
This is likely due to the fact that their recent championship record is a fair bit off their Oak Leaf counterparts, but the O’Donnell County have displayed plenty of grit upon Jim McGuinness’ return to the fold.
Though some bookmakers have them as far out as 16/1, Donegal are available at 12/1 in the race for the Sam Maguire Cup.
Bolstered by the return of Cillian O’Connor to the starting line-up, Mayo registered a comfortable win over Cavan last Saturday. However, the county was rocked by the news that key defender Patrick Durcan is set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament injury.
Regarded as a work in progress under manager Kevin McStay, it will be interesting to see how the green and red adapt to life without the Castlebar Mitchels footballer.
Available at the relatively short odds of 10/1, the vast bulk of betting apps only see Mayo as a 14/1 prospect for a long-awaited fourth All-Ireland title.
Armagh And Tyrone Also Featuring In All-Ireland Betting
Armagh are seeking to bridge a 22-year gap to their last Sam Maguire Cup success, when current manager Kieran McGeeney was captain of the side.
Even though BoyleSports are offering odds of 14/1 on the Orchard in the wake of an agonising Ulster final loss, other bookmakers are less optimistic about their chances, with odds of 22/1 freely available.
The latter odds are the shortest available on Armagh’s provincial rivals Tyrone, with the longest being 28/1. The Red Hand have struggled for consistent form since winning their fourth senior crown in 2021, but morale in the county will have been boosted by their recent All-Ireland U20 championship success over Kerry.
Though they could well feature in the knockout rounds of the All-Ireland championship, the odds on the likes of Cork, Monaghan and Roscommon pulling off a surprise Sam Maguire Cup win range from 66/1 all the way out to 150/1.