GAA All-Ireland Football Championship Odds

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It is time to have a look again at what the betting sites are saying with two rounds of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship’s group phase completed.

Five teams – Derry, Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Monaghan – are through to the knockout stages. 

Only Clare are ruled out and thus playing a dead rubber in the concluding series (although that won’t be entirely the case for Derry in terms of attempting to secure their highest position possible).

The desire to avoid games with nothing at stake is apparently the key reason GAA’s central council opted to have three out of each group advancing. 

It has removed an essential sense of jeopardy but while there is plenty negative commentary about the type of football being played, I have been pleasantly surprised by the competitiveness so far.

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It is clear that navigating this new structure has had its challenges for managers, their sports science/conditioning/sports psychology coaches and of course the players themselves. 

That has provided the odd result that raised an eyebrow and some surprisingly close-run affairs. 

I should issue a reminder that group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, which will be played at a neutral venue. Those berths are all still up for grabs. 

Runners-up will have home advantage in preliminary quarter-finals against the third seeds.

There are unlikely to be any surprises when it comes to teams not qualifying, though as it stands, champions Kerry could conceivably be getting their club championships under way in July. 

Dublin And Kerry Head The All-Ireland Championship Betting

Dublin had a bit more cohesion about them in their defeat of Kildare at Nowlan Park, but the Lilies made it easy for them.

Their manager, Glenn Ryan, bemoaning a lack of workrate that gave the Leinster champions the time to kick points at their ease in the second half especially.

Dessie Farrell’s crew are favourites on GAA betting sites, available at 12/5, which is marginally better than last week, due no doubt to them no longer being top of Group 2 on score difference. 

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Next up are Kerry at 7/2, who scratched out a two-point win over old rivals Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. 

They were far from impressive and needed a controversial penalty goal from the outstanding David Clifford to get over the line.

Kerry didn’t cough up as many goal chances as against Mayo but were workmanlike to say the least. 

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Is this a cause for concern or a symptom of attempting to build for the knockout stages? We will find out in a few weeks, presuming they advance. 

This isn’t a guarantee, but they would have to lose to Louth (1,000/1) in their final Group 1 outing and Cork (100/1) would need to get a draw or better against Mayo, when the action resumes the weekend after next, for that to happen.

Mayo And Galway Maintain Winning Records

888sport have Galway shortening up a mite at a best available 9/2 after they finished strongly to eventually account for Westmeath at Cusack Park and book their place in the last 12, at least, from Group 2.

Pádraic Joyce will be delighted with the professional manner in which his crew are attending to business, without any real stress, without any extremes of performance. 

It is why so many are talking about them now as a team that can end the county’s 22-year famine and you’d certainly trust them to see out a tight game now. Their ability to maintain a sound defensive structure is well established now too.

The team that beat them in the League final, Mayo, have moved ahead of them in the market though – with the most attractive odds about Kevin McStay’s squad only 4/1 thanks to Bet365. 

This is despite an ordinary showing against Louth, though the Wee County men were flattered by the one-point margin. 

We have seen enough from Mayo to know they are major contenders though and it would be ludicrous to make any kneejerk assessments on the back of last weekend. The betting sites illustrate as much.

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As previously mentioned, Mayo have Cork in their final game and a draw would cement top spot for them

It is less straightforward for Galway, who will go toe-to-toe with Armagh (28/1) in a repeat of the dramatic All-Ireland quarter-final they only won on penalties last year. 

The Orchard County’s finest haven’t looked good since losing another penalty shootout for the Ulster title, limping to a one-point win over Westmeath before losing by two to Tyrone in Omagh at the weekend. 

Given they played most of that game without the suspended Rian O’Neill, that wasn’t a bad effort but they might wish they had taken a more positive approach a little earlier after those tactics began paying off. But obviously, down to 14, they had to keep themselves in the game before opening up too.

They could still top the group with victory over Galway and should be playing with a bit of hurt and anger after that. Were they to win, it could just kickstart something special for Kieran McGeeney’s charges. 

If it’s just those two on top, Armagh would get the nod on the basis of that result. If, as is likely, Tyrone (20/1) beat Westmeath and it’s a three-way tie, score difference will come into it. 

Right now, Galway are on +11 with Tyrone and Armagh on -1. Remember, finishing third means you have an away preliminary quarter-final.

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Time To Take Rossies Seriously

I put up Roscommon at 100/1 at the start of the championship because I felt betting apps were being very generous given the team’s profile.

It was a bit of a novelty bet with a view to making a profit from any investment with some timely trading prior to their interest in proceedings concluding.

In the meantime, we have already scored with advised bets on them beating Mayo in the Connacht Championship and on the handicap against Dublin, when they got the draw. 

But in a year where no team has really stood up to lay claim to the mantle, I believe they might even still represent a bit of value at 33/1 with BoyleSports.

This would certainly be the case if they could remain at the top of Group 3, which is where they sit by virtue of a two-point superior score difference over Dublin.

Kildare (150/1) and Sligo (1,000/1) could themselves advance at one of the top pair’s expense were they to overcome Roscommon and Dublin respectively.

You certainly can’t see the Dubs failing but the other tie could be awkward for the Rossies, as Kildare are so unpredictable and one of their own leading the opposition might elicit something better from them. 

They are entirely unreliable though, unlike Roscommon, but the Dubs might make up the deficit in terms of score difference to go straight to the final eight. 

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Nonetheless, a game in The Hyde to join them would be a fantastic prize for Roscommon. And certainly, there are a few teams at least they would fancy beating in the quarters too.

Derry (14/1) and Monaghan (50/1) are joint top of Group 4, the latter edging the top seeding right now on points scored. 

Donegal (125/1) are already qualified and have a shot of at least a home preliminary quarter-final if they can take out Monaghan. 

Finally, Derry should have no problems dealing with a Clare team playing its last game of the year.