GAA Betting: Who Are The Contenders For This Year’s National Football League?
Daire Walsh
It is one of the more anticipated versions of the competition.
The action will get underway this weekend and the best betting sites for GAA are offering their view on who the main contenders are for the Allianz National Football League.
While there is always an element of intrigue for the start of an inter-county football season, there is arguably a greater level of interest surrounding the opening phase of this year’s league than ever before.
New Football Rules Set For A Litmus Test
The intrigue is largely due to the fact that a set of new rules for Gaelic football approved at the GAA’s Special Congress last November will be used in competitive fixtures for the first time.
Proposed by a Football Review Committee, these rule changes include a two-point scoring arc, one-on-one throw-ins at the beginning of each half, and the requirement that a team have at least three outfield players on each side of the halfway line during play.
While journalists, analysts and supporters alike have been forming opinions on who might benefit the most from these new rules, only time will tell how each team adapts to this brave new world for Gaelic football.
Nevertheless, betting apps have been analyzing who the most likely winners of the National Football Division One title are.
Based on the current odds available, it could prove to be one of the more open versions of the competition.
Kerry The Current League Favourites
Across his three spells in charge of the side, Jack O’Connor has guided Kerry to four All-Ireland senior crowns in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2022.
In each of these seasons, the Kingdom have also won NFL top-tier honours.
Even though their season will be geared towards being in top shape for the business end of the championship, they might well be eyeing a shot at league glory in the spring.
With the Clifford brothers – David and Paudie – having enjoyed extended breaks from competitive football over the winter months, they could emerge as a fresh outfit in 2025.
The return of coach Cian O’Neill – previously involved with the Kingdom from 2013 to 2015 – does add a rejuvenated look to O’Connor’s backroom team.
They will also be highly motivated to make amends for a disappointing semi-final exit to Armagh in last year’s championship.
The league will be their focus for now, of course, and Bet365 have Kerry as favourites for the National Football League crown at odds of 3/1.
The Munster county currently lead the NFL roll of honour with 23 titles – nine ahead of their long-standing rivals, Dublin.
Dublin Still High In Betting Despite Some Uncertainty
With the vastly experienced duo of Brian Fenton and James McCarthy retiring a few months after their All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-final defeat to Galway, there is uncertainty surrounding Dublin in 2025.
Manager Dessie Farrell will need to unearth some new players to deliver national success this year, though Cuala’s victory in the All-Ireland senior club football final last does serve as a timely boost.
They begin their latest league campaign against Mayo in Croke Park this Saturday, and some might expect that the Sky Blues will be going through a period of transition.
Farrell’s men are still available at odds of 6/1 with Boylesports.
Donegal, Galway And Armagh Also In The Mix
Breathing down their necks in the betting stakes are Donegal – who open their NFL campaign on Sunday away to Kerry in Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.
The return of Michael Murphy from retirement (he was absent in 2023 and 2024 seasons) has increased optimism around the O’Donnell County that Jim McGuinness has some tricks up his sleeve for the introduction of the new football rules.
We will see over the next few weeks how they adapt in the current landscape, but McGuinness kick-started his second stint as Donegal boss in encouraging fashion last year – winning NFL Division 2 and Ulster championship titles.
The second year of his first spell as O’Donnell manager yielded a Sam Maguire Cup crown, and while their record in that season’s national league was somewhat mixed, the Ulster outfit are available at 5/1 for this year’s Division One crown.
Having met each other in last July’s All-Ireland senior football championship final – a game the latter won on the slender margin of 1-11 to 0-13 – Galway and Armagh will meet in the opening round of this year’s NFL at Pearse Stadium, Salthill this coming Saturday.
Going into the 2024 championship, both counties found themselves behind several other teams in the betting for the Sam Maguire Cup.
It is a similar situation for the upcoming edition of the football league, as Galway and Armagh are both available at 6/1 – behind the aforementioned triumvirate of Kerry, Dublin, and Donegal.
Tyrone, Mayo And Derry Complete The Betting For NFL
After joint managers Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan opted to step away in the wake of last year’s championship, Tyrone have a new boss in the shape of former Fermanagh and Monaghan supremo Malachy O’Rourke.
He might have to wait a few weeks before he has his Errigal Ciaran contingent available after their All-Ireland club final loss to Cuala last weekend.
They will be on home soil against Derry at Healy Park in Omagh this Saturday. Without a Division One league title since 2003, the Red Hand are 7/1 to end a 22-year drought in 2025.
Despite being the last two winners of the National Football League, Mayo (10/1) and Derry (11/1) currently have the lowest odds for a Division One triumph.
This is possibly a tad unfair as even though last year’s championship didn’t quite go according to plan for either county, their spring form in recent seasons has generally been strong.
Yet the odds available on this particular duo show that there isn’t much to separate any of the eight teams in the top division.
As the opening few weeks of the competition go by, it won’t be a surprise if the odds for the top prize start to change dramatically.