GAA Betting: What Are The All-Ireland Football Final Odds?
The intercounty GAA season comes to a fitting crescendo this weekend as Kerry and Galway meet in the 135th All-Ireland Football final on Sunday, July 24, and betting sites are eagerly looking forward to the throw in at 3.30pm.
Having begun all the way back on April 16, the 2022 Championship season has seen four provincial finals decided and 43 games played, but it all comes to a close on Sunday as the Kingdom and the Tribesmen battle it out for the Sam Maguire Cup.
Kerry are the most successful county in the history of the sport, winning the All-Ireland Football title a whopping 37 times.
For their part, Galway have lifted Sam Maguire nine times and are seeking to become just the third county to move into double figures of Championship victories this weekend.
The last time this pair met on All-Ireland final day was back in 2000, when a Paidi Ó Sé-led Kerry side emerged victorious after a replay.
The counties have contested seven finals (two of which were replayed in 1938 and 2000), with Kerry winning four titles to Galway’s three.
Can Pádraic Joyce’s men level the score on Sunday, or will Jack O’Connor’s charges push their county out even more on top of the all-time standings? Let’s have a look at how both counties got to the decider and some bets for the final.
All-Ireland Footbal Final Odds
| Result | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Kerry To Win | 1/3 | BetVictor |
| Galway To Win | 10/3 | Ladbrokes |
| Draw | 8/1 | William Hill |
How Kerry And Galway Got To The Final
Despite flattering to deceive last season, it was no surprise to see GAA betting sites rating Kerry as favourites to win it all going into this term.
Last year’s extra time loss to Tyrone was enough for the Kerry County Board to say goodbye to Peter Keane, and they handed over the reigns to Jack O’Connor for his third stint in charge of the Kingdom.
A fast start to the National Football League saw them into the final where they beat Mayo with ease to win the competition for a third year in-a-row (it was shared in 2021), but it has been eight long years since they last held Sam Maguire.
Their Championship campaign has been faultless so far, as they ruthlessly battered both Cork and Limerick to score an 11th Munster title success in 13 years. That was followed up with a routine victory over Mayo in the quarters.
Next, it was old rivals Dublin in the semi-final. The Kingdom controlled the game for long periods, but somehow found themselves level well into injury time.
Then Sean O’Shea stepped up with a free kick for the ages to land Kerry into final, securing their first Championship win over the Dubs in 13 years.
Sean O'Shea steps up with the final kick of the game to win the match for Kerry and break Dublin hearts.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 10, 2022
They reach the All-Ireland final to play Galway.
Highlights on #sundaygame from 10.10pm pic.twitter.com/WRq72iNlAz
Is it finally the Kingdom’s time to rule once again? Things are looking ominous (especially as they have a lot of the favourites for the Footballer of the Year award in their ranks), but Galway will be no pushovers.
The Tribesmen have been going about their business in an impressive manner and just seem to keep finding a way to win.
Successes against Mayo and Leitrim gave them a chance to avenge this season’s National League Division 2 final loss to Roscommon in the Connacht decider, and it was an opportunity they grabbed with both hands to score a 2-19 to 2-16 success.
Most neutrals would have wanted a romantic clash of Ulster rivals in the semi-final when Galway faced Armagh for the right to play Derry on June 26. The Tribesmen were ready for a war though, and that's exactly what they got from the Orchard County.
It was rip-roaring contest that featured a heart-stopping comeback, an all-out brawl and penalty kicks, but it was eventually won by Joyce’s side as they moved on to meet Derry next.
A major Hawkeye controversy aside, the game itself proved to be a disappointment as the Oak Leaf County failed to really show up.
Is there a problem with HawkEye? Shane Walsh's free late in the half was deemed wide by the technology at Croke Park, but the replay would suggest otherwise
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 9, 2022
📱 https://t.co/AhGH0dO2Ff
📺 https://t.co/ced90fBubg
📻 https://t.co/2SRRKdgjzu pic.twitter.com/NAimqXO9P2
Galway will not have cared one bit about that though, and they ruthlessly dispatched the Ulster champions on a 2-08 to 1-06 scoreline.
As this is their first final since 2001, Galway will no doubt be the underdogs on Sunday. But, something tells you that they won’t mind that at all.
Who Will Win The 2022 All-Ireland Football Final?
Even though Kerry’s last All-Ireland final win came all the way back in 2014 (their only win that decade), it’s not a shock to see them as the 1/3 favourites with BetVictor to beat Galway in normal time.
They are the sport’s aristocrats after all, and probably have the better panel of the two counties on paper. That’s why you’d have to lean towards them winning on Sunday.
They have built their team around fledgling stars like Sean O’Shea, the Clifford brothers (David and Paudie) and Dara Moynihan, so O’Connor has a nucleus of young talent in his panel that makes the rest of the country green with envy.
You’ll find Galway best-priced at 10/3 with Ladbrokes for a victory on Sunday. There outside odds are not unexpected as they’ve taken advantage of a fortunate draw to make it this far in the competition.
But, with the likes of Seán Kelly, Liam Silke, Cillian McDaid, Damien Comer and Shane Walsh providing the backbone to their side, you write Galway off at your peril.
Lastly, two of the last six All-Ireland finals have finished in a draw, so you can’t rule out the 8/1 odds being offered by William Hill for this game to end up level after 70-plus minutes.
All-Ireland Football Final Bets
David Clifford surged into space before firing in a goal that's put Kerry in front against Mayo #rtegaa #kerryvmayo
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 26, 2022
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If you are hunting a first goalscorer punt, then surely David Clifford is your first port of call at 4/1 with Paddy Power. He has already achieved the feat once this season, grabbing the opening (and only) goal of the game against Mayo in this year’s All-Ireland quarter-final.
Semi-final hero Sean O’Shea took less than four minutes to raise a green flag against Dublin, and he is next on the hitlist at 8/1.
He (along with Shane Walsh of Galway) needs a seven-point haul on Sunday to become this season’s top scorer in the Championship and, to add to his appeal, he also takes the Kingdom’s spot kicks. Although, he did miss his last penalty, which was saved by Dublin’s Evan Comerford.
Of the Galway contingent, the aforementioned Shane Walsh is a 9/1 shout with BoyleSports. His only goal this season came in the Connacht final victory over Roscommon, but it was the first three-pointer of that game.
Damien Comer slots the ball into an empty net to get his second goal of the game for @Galway_GAA. pic.twitter.com/mc1jSaPcbf
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 9, 2022
His full-forward line colleague Damien Comer joins him at 9/1, and the second goal he netted in the semi-final with Derry was one for the ages. But, don’t forget, he also was the first person to find the net that day too.
As you have probably guessed, those four names feature heavy in the RTÉ Man of the Match betting (Clifford 3/1, O’Shea 7/1, Walsh 10/1 and Comer 12/1).
But, the industrious Paudie Clifford of Kerry is well in with a sniff at 10/1 with Betfair, especially given how his hard work makes the Kingdom forward line tick.
Of the outside shots, Galway captain Séan Kelly is and intriguing prospect at 22/1. If he manages to keep the Cliffords and O’Shea quiet, you may just hear his name called out at Sunday evening’s banquet.
Finally, betting apps have set the handicap on Sunday at four points. Kerry -4 is available at Evens, while Galway +4 is a 10/11 punt. If you are seeking to push the boat out, the -4 handicap draw can be backed at nifty 9/1 odds.
How Do You Win The All-Ireland Football Championship?
With 33 counties on the starting grid, the Gaelic Football Championship is undoubtably the GAA’s showpiece attraction. Starting all the way back in 1887, Kerry are the most successful team in the competition’s history winning a total of 37 times.
Kilkenny are the only county on the island of Ireland not to compete in the Championship at present, while entries from London and New York have been welcomed for a long time now.
From the Championship’s humble beginnings up until the year 2000, the tournament was based on a provincial system that progresses into the All-Ireland Championship.
The four provincial winners from Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster were then placed in two All-Ireland semi-finals, the victors of those two games advanced to the final and the winners were crowned the All-Ireland champions.
The All-Ireland Qualifiers came into being in 2001, giving teams a second shot should they lose in their province. All-Ireland quarter-finals were also introduced that year, and the four provincial champions played the four Round 4 Qualifier winners from then on up until 2017.
Galway were the first team to take advantage of the so-called ‘back door’ in the same year it started, as they won the All-Ireland after being caught out by Roscommon in the Connacht semi-final – they avenged that defeat in the All-Ireland quarter finals before beating Meath comprehensively in the final.
In 2018 the Super 8s were introduced which saw the quarter-final stage replaced by two groups of four teams consisting of the final stage Qualifier winners and the four provincial champions.
Each team would play three games (one home, one at Croke Park and one away) with the top two counties in each group moving forward to the semi-finals, where the Super 8s group winners would play the runner-ups from the other group.
This format was paused in favour of the pre-2001 knockout Championship format in 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid pandemic, but it returns this season with some tweaks.
From now on there will be just two rounds of Qualifiers as teams from Division 3 (excluding the two promoted sides) and Division 4 of the National League, along with the two teams relegated from Division 2 will be placed into a second-tier competition called the Tailteann Cup - which will be held on a straight knockout basis - should they fail to reach their provincial final in the Championship.
The rest of the teams will head for the Qualifiers should they lose in their provinces and can progress as normal to the Super 8s. The competition is then won in the fashion stated above from there on out.
Don’t get too comfortable with the current format though, as change is once again coming in 2023 as the GAA top brass have opted to switch to a round robin system at this year’s Congress.
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