GAA Betting: Galway National Football League Favourites Ahead Of Final Round
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Following another weekend of high-scoring action, the best betting sites for GAA are once again examining who the favourites are for this year’s National Football League.
Kicking off the NFL Division One fixtures on early Saturday evening, was the meeting of Kerry and Armagh at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
There were question marks surrounding the Kingdom in the wake of their recent defeat to Mayo, but Jack O’Connor’s side produced a strong performance at home to the reigning All-Ireland champions.
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With a 0-10 haul from David Clifford being supplemented by goals from his brother Paudie and Dylan Geaney, Kerry recorded a 2-21 to 0-17 triumph over Armagh.
In Saturday’s other game, a previously unbeaten Galway made the trip to Croke Park for a round six showdown with Dublin.
The Tribesmen had knocked the Metropolitan outfit out at the quarter-final stage of last year’s All-Ireland senior football championship, but a brace of goals from Sean Bugler had Dublin in the driving seat on this occasion.
Galway did force their way back into contention with three-pointers by John Maher and substitute Damien Comer, only for their capital counterparts to ultimately secure a 2-19 to 2-13 win.
On Sunday, Derry were consigned to relegation from Division One courtesy of a 2-19 to 1-17 loss at the hands of Mayo at Celtic Park.
While Conor Glass led the way for the Oak Leaf with eight points (including three two-pointers), Ryan O’Donoghue (0-8) and Matthew Ruane (0-6) played instrumental roles in earning Mayo their third league success of the year.
Donegal had gotten the better of Derry in the previous round of the league, but came unstuck against provincial rivals Tyrone in the final Division One game on Sunday afternoon.
Bolstered by strong performances from evergreen duo Niall Morgan and Mattie Donnelly, the Red Hand claimed a 0-25 to 0-19 win on away soil.
Mayo And Kerry In The Race For A League Final As Well as Division One Survival
This helped to boost their survival hopes in advance of welcoming Dublin to Healy Park in Omagh this coming Sunday, when they will be battling with Mayo, Kerry and Armagh to avoid the second relegation slot from the NFL top-tier.
While Tyrone and Armagh are officially out of the running for National Football League glory in 2025, Mayo and Kerry are also still in the hunt for a Division One showpiece place.
Kerry will take on Galway at Pearse Stadium in Salthill and could yet require a victory to ensure they retain their Division One status for 2026.
However, they would need Donegal and Dublin to lose both their games this weekend, and hope that their score difference is strong enough in order to make a return to a league decider for the first time in three years.
This might explain why GAA betting sites are only offering odds of around 20/1 on Kerry winning this year’s National Football League.
For many weeks, Mayo were seen as more likely candidates for the drop than actually challenging for an NFL crown.
However, a sequence of results on Sunday could still see them finishing in the bottom two, but three wins and one draw from their last four games has led to their title odds being shortened significantly.
A number of their key players have been in fine form during this period, and with Kevin McStay’s men being at home to Donegal at MacHale Park in Castlebar on Sunday, another league win isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
At the time of writing, Mayo are now rated as third favourites for a league title on betting apps.
Things had looked bleak for the green and red when they fell to a 10-point reversal at the hands of Connacht rivals Galway in round two, but they are now just one point adrift of the Tribesmen heading into the closing weekend of the NFL’s regular campaign.
Galway Back As League Favourites In Spite Of Recent Loss
Despite losing out to Dublin at GAA HQ last Saturday, Galway remain at the summit of Division One on eight points, ahead of both Dublin and Donegal on score difference.
Though they lost out to Dessie Farrell’s side on the weekend just gone, the westerners had a number of missed goal opportunities throughout the game.
A glaring miss in the opening half from Robert Finnerty was followed by a period of dominance from their opponents, and Daniel O’Flaherty also smashed the crossbar in the second period.
A major silver lining for Galway in the game, however, was the performance of Damien Comer upon his introduction as a second-half substitute.
Seemingly thriving in the open spaces that the new rules for Gaelic football offer up, the Annaghdown attacker helped himself to a 1-2 in a productive cameo.
While they missed the chance to book their spot in the league final last weekend, Galway have another chance to seal a decider spot against Kerry on Sunday.
The Tribesmen have convincingly won both of the games they have played at Salthill in this year’s league, and as 7/5 favourites for NFL glory, they will be looking to reinforce their authority.
Dublin Very Much In Contention For A League Success
Even though John Small recently became the sixth key player from last year’s championship team to opt out of inter-county football for 2025, a Dublin team blending youth and experience has earned some big victories thus far in the latest edition of the NFL.
43-year-old goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton did look rusty on his return to the team last weekend, but he will be offered ample opportunity to get up to speed with the new Gaelic football rules in the coming weeks.
A victory away to Tyrone on Sunday could be enough to earn Dublin (2/1) another shot at league glory following their final loss against Derry 12 months ago.
Odds On Donegal Winning League Have Lengthened
Meanwhile, having previously been regarded as the favourites for a National Football League crown, Donegal (7/1) have now dropped to fourth in the betting stakes.
Given the O’Donnell County are in Ulster championship action against Derry a week after the Division One final is due to take place, there is a sense that they mightn’t necessarily be looking to book a spot in the top-tier showpiece.
It will be interesting to see what their approach will be to this weekend’s clash with Mayo.
However, after strongly refuting that his side went out to lose their game with Tyrone last Sunday, it is likely that Jim McGuinness will be anticipating a strong challenge from his troops in Castlebar.