GAA Betting: Kerry Still The Frontrunners For All-Ireland Title
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Following a compelling weekend of high drama, the best betting sites for GAA are once again pondering who the main contenders are for this year’s All-Ireland senior football championship.
After winning the previous 14 editions of the competition, Dublin were once again expected to maintain their stranglehold on the Leinster senior football championship.
However, their dominance of the province finally came to an end at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise on Sunday as Eoghan Frayne struck 11 points for Meath in a 0-23 to 1-16 semi-final victory over their arch rivals.
Meeting them in a forthcoming Leinster SFC showdown will be neighbours Louth, who earned a 1-18 to 0-18 triumph against Kildare to book their spot in a provincial decider for the third season in succession.
While the final pairings in both Munster and Connacht had been determined on the previous weekend, the penultimate round of the Ulster senior football championship also took place across Saturday and Sunday.
Whereas Armagh pulled out all the stops to squeeze past Tyrone on a final score of 0-23 to 0-22 at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones on Saturday evening, Donegal had six points to spare over Down in the same venue a day later.
Meath’s Victory Over Dublin One Of The Moments Of The Championship
Given you have to go back to 2010 for the last time their opponents lost a game in the eastern province, Meath’s win against Dublin in Portlaoise on Sunday goes down as the result of the championship so far.
Having struggled to make a lasting impact in the summer for so many years, this is a much-needed shot in the arm for the Royal County.
Yet despite now being just 70 minutes away from reclaiming the Leinster SFC title, Meath are somewhat short of being considered realistic challengers for an All-Ireland crown.
As things stand, Robbie Brennan’s men are a massive 150/1 chance to collect the Sam Maguire Cup at the end of July.
Not surprisingly, plenty of teams remain ahead of them in the eyes of bookmakers for the All-Ireland title in 2025.
Kerry Still The Frontrunners For All-Ireland Success
After requiring extra-time to get past Cork at the semi-final stage, Kerry will look to add a Munster senior championship to the National Football League Division 1 title they recently accrued when Jack O’Connor’s side face Clare in Killarney this Sunday.
Although Paudie Clifford is set to miss the game through suspension, the excellent form of his brother David in the Cork game suggests the Kingdom will be more than able to cope in his absence.
Kerry will be hell-bent on making up for a disappointing semi-final loss to Armagh in the 2024 championship and remain favourites to reclaim the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 2022.
Including BoyleSports, most bookies currently rate the Munster giants at 11/4 to win Gaelic football’s top prize.
Donegal Also In Contention For Sam Maguire Cup
Although the Kingdom have been viewed as the team to beat by betting sites in recent weeks, there is also a consensus that Donegal are their main rivals for an All-Ireland title – for the time being at least.
The fact that the O’Donnell County have already played three championship games in comparison to one for Kerry means there is a significant body of evidence for what Jim McGuinness’ men are capable of, though there will be even tougher encounters on the horizon.
In their 1-19 to 0-16 win over Down last weekend, the vastly-experienced duo of Paddy McBrearty and Michael Murphy helped themselves to a combined tally of 1-7.
They will have vital roles to play in their quest for ultimate success in 2025 and with bookmakers rating their chances of claiming an All-Ireland at 7/2, McGuinness’ troops will be one to watch out for.
Galway And Dublin Also In The Mix
Whilst there was little to separate them in the grand scheme of things, Dublin were slightly ahead of 2024 finalists Galway before last weekend as third favourites amongst betting apps for an All-Ireland title.
Dublin’s shock defeat to Meath has altered that to a certain degree, with many people across the world of GAA now casting doubts over the credentials of Dessie Farrell’s side as they aim to regroup for the upcoming All-Ireland group stages.
Galway will be hoping to secure a fourth successive Connacht crown when they take on Mayo in a provincial final at MacHale Park in Castlebar this Sunday.
That is understandably their focus for now, but with many bookmakers having them at 11/2 for All-Ireland glory, the Tribesmen will also be aiming for a strong showing in the All-Ireland series.
Despite their loss to Meath, it would be foolish to rule out the prospect of Dublin once again climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand at the end of the summer.
Some GAA betting sites still have them slightly ahead of Galway in the betting, but there are others that rate their All-Ireland chances at around 9/1.
Defending Champions Armagh Have Strong Credentials
The same general odds are presently available on Armagh to complete back-to-back All-Ireland crowns in 2025, and with wins against Antrim and Tyrone already under their belts, Kieran McGeeney’s outfit are in a healthy position ahead of a Ulster final date with Donegal on May 10.
Although it may seem peculiar that the competition’s defending champions are some way down the pecking order, the odds on them to win the Sam Maguire Cup are much shorter than this time last year.
Even though 7/1 is the most readily available price on offer for the Orchard County, QuinnBet are rating their All-Ireland prospects at 10/1.
Tyrone And Mayo Among Outsiders For All-Ireland Crown
There was disappointment at losing the game, but Tyrone can still take plenty from their display against Armagh last Saturday. There is quality throughout their team and with odds of 14/1, they could come into consideration as an outside bet.
Meanwhile, upcoming Connacht finalists Mayo are available at 20/1 to win their first All-Ireland crown in 74 years.
Beyond the above, there are several others who are capable of pulling off some big results in the championship, but are ultimately seen as rank outsiders to win the All-Ireland title.
Included amongst this cohort are the likes of Derry, Cork, Monaghan, Down and Roscommon, as well as the aforementioned Leinster final pairing of Meath and Louth.