GAA Betting: Race For National Football League Becoming Tight
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After another week of compelling fare that saw some of the top players in the country coming to the fore, the best betting sites for GAA are once again examining who the most likely contenders are for this year’s National Football League.
Beginning on Saturday, All-Ireland champions Armagh played out a 1-17 to 1-17 draw with Mayo in a fascinating NFL Division 1 clash at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
While their western counterparts had recovered from a heavy deficit to lead by two points in the closing minutes of the game, Armagh ultimately secured a share of the spoils courtesy of late scores from Stefan Campbell and Conor Turbitt.
Croke Park also hosted a top-tier fixture on Saturday with Dublin emerging on the right side of a 3-20 to 2-12 scoreline against Derry in the Jones’ Road venue.
Supplementing the point-scoring prowess of Sean Bugler (0-6), Luke Breathnach and the returning Con O’Callaghan (0-4 apiece), Niall Scully, Conor Tyrrell and Lorcan O’Dell all shook the net for Dessie Farrell’s victorious Sky Blues.
Moving onto Sunday and two-time Footballer of the Year David Clifford made a triumphant return to the Kerry starting line-up in their 3-13 to 2-13 success over Tyrone in Pomeroy.
Despite spending 10 minutes on the sidelines after picking up a black card, the Fossa marksman conjured an outstanding tally of 3-3 for the Kingdom.
Galway Defeat Donegal
Although a strong breeze played its part in this game, it was very much central to Galway’s 0-21 to 0-14 victory against Donegal at Pearse Stadium, Salthill, on Sunday afternoon.
No fewer than seven two-pointers propelled the Tribesmen into a 0-17 to 0-1 interval lead and while Donegal did narrow the gap on the resumption, an excellent 0-11 haul from Shane Walsh ensured Galway were full value for the two points on offer.
Having begun the weekend behind Donegal in both the NFL Division 1 table and the outright betting for the competition itself, the Connacht men have now leapfrogged Jim McGuinness’ side on two counts.
Now a point clear of the O’Donnell County and Dublin at the summit of the top-tier, Galway are now joint-favourites for National Football League glory in the eyes of the bookmakers.
Though the absence of Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid and Damien Comer arguably cancelled out the fact that Donegal were missing Ryan McHugh, Patrick McBrearty and Michael Murphy, there is a sense that Galway might be targeting a league title more than their Ulster opponents.
The next few weeks will tell us how ambitious either side truly is for a springtime success, but for the time being the Tribesmen are the top tip for an NFL title at 2/1 with betting apps.
Dublin And Kerry Also In The Reckoning
Aside from their second round loss to Donegal, it has been a highly encouraging league campaign to date for Dublin.
Whilst experienced figures like Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Brian Howard, David Byrne and now the aforementioned O’Callaghan have played their part, a number of young players are stepping up to the mark in a bid to fill the void left by the likes of Brian Fenton, James McCarthy and Paul Mannion.
This Saturday night sees them paying a visit to Armagh in the Athletic Grounds – a game that will see former Na Fianna club-mates Dessie Farrell and Kieran McGeeney coming face-to-face.
They remain 2/1 joint-favourites for a 15th NFL crown in their history.
Donegal Remain Major Contenders For League Title
Having last claimed top honours in this competition way back in 1981, manager Padraic Joyce and his selectors might feel this is a good time to add their fifth league crown.
This weekend sees them on home soil once more – albeit in Tuam Stadium rather than Salthill – for a round five encounter with Tyrone and another win in that game could help to strengthen their credentials.
Despite suffering their first defeat of 2025 at Pearse Stadium last weekend, Donegal are 5/2 to win the National Football League with BoyleSports.
Before being on the receiving end of a seven-point defeat to Galway, the O’Donnell men had overcome Dublin, Kerry and Armagh in impressive fashion.
This Sunday’s showdown with Derry in Ballyshannon – a dress rehearsal of sorts for their Ulster senior football championship meeting in early April – offers them an ideal opportunity to get back on track and there is still a league final spot up for grabs for Donegal if they desire it.
Back in the mix following their victory over Tyrone, Kerry are a healthy 11/2 with GAA betting sitesfor a first NFL success since 2022.
The rampant form of David Clifford last weekend is enough to keep any defence on their toes and he has the likes of his brother Paudie, Sean O’Shea and Paul Geaney providing plenty of support at the moment.
Next up for the Munster kingpins is an encounter against Mayo at MacHale Park in Castlebar on Saturday and another win in that game could give them significant momentum heading into the closing two rounds of the regular NFL season.
Armagh And Mayo An Outside Bet For League Success
Even though they are currently just three points off the top-two spots in the Division 1 table, Armagh are seen as an outside bet for a top-tier league title.
Though the 25/1 that is available on them to win the competition is quite similar to the odds you could get on the Orchard to become All-Ireland winners at an advanced stage of the 2024 championship, the Ulster men have a lot of ground to cover if they want to claim another national title.
The same could be said for Mayo, who are currently just behind the fifth-placed Armagh in the Division One table on score difference.
After losing back-to-back games against Dublin and Galway, Kevin McStay’s charges have been much improved in the past couple of rounds.
Supplementing a morale-boosting win over Tyrone, Mayo went toe-to-toe with Armagh and will have felt the game was there to be won.
Yet the Connacht side’s main objective is still to retain their Division One league status and with odds of 33/1 currently available on them, a NFL success seems to be an unlikely prospect for this year.
This is the case to an even greater degree for Tyrone, whose three defeats in four games to date leaves them as rank outsiders for a National Football League title at 66/1.
Having accumulated a single point from their four games thus far in Division 1, defending champions Derry are effectively out of the reckoning for another NFL crown and are currently the favourites for relegation at odds of 1/5.