Marc Ó Sé previews the weekend action in All-Ireland series
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The final round of group fixtures in the All-Ireland series takes place this weekend and Ladbrokes ambassador Marc Ó Sé casts his eye over all the action.
Donegal really impressed me against Derry last weekend. It was good to see Oisin Gallen stepping up and providing the leadership against a steely Derry defence. Gallen kicked nine points last weekend so Monaghan will have to keep a close eye on him. Patrick McBrearty got some game time too so that makes Donegal a really formidable force again after being written off by some critics.
It’s decision time! The 12 counties who will contest the knock-out stages of the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship will be known by Sunday evening when the 4 groups complete their ‘Round Robin’ schedule. Check out this weekend's fixtures below! #GAABelong pic.twitter.com/Y7aptR588X
— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 15, 2023
However, Monaghan have really impressed me in recent weeks and I have to take my hat off to Vinny Corey and the job that he has done. I expect this to be a really tight battle but I just see Monaghan shading this game.
Dublin v Sligo (Sun, 13.45)
Sligo will be happy in general with how the year has gone. On Sunday, their main focus is to avoid a thumping from Dublin. The Dubs need to get a high-scoring average to top the group.
With so many top-quality players, I expect the Boys in Blue will achieve that and I will be backing them to cover the handicap of -13 at even money.
Kerry v Louth (Sun, 14.00)
This is a potential banana skin for Kerry considering how far Louth pushed Mayo. Maybe that element of surprise is now gone and Kerry will have two eyes firmly focused on this game. That said, they won’t get anything easy here as Mickey Harte has done a great job with Louth.
The Kerry GAA Supporters Club will be taking buses to Portlaoise on the 18th June for the Kerry vs Louth.
DETAILS https://t.co/53M9PN1jJy pic.twitter.com/9ZhYX8sZtG
— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) June 12, 2023
Kerry need to get more out of their star players and I am not talking about David Clifford who is single-handedly keeping his team together. I suspect he will do the same on Sunday as on this form, he is unmarkable. Kerry to win.
It is very hard to figure out where Kildare are at. One minute they match Dublin in the Leinster Championship game and the next, they are completely outpowered by them at Nowlan Park.
On the other hand, the Rossies are the real spark of this championship. Davy Burke has done an outstanding job since he took charge in October and the players have really bought into him. They have quality players too, but the big question is whether can they beat Kildare by more than the Dubs beat Sligo? I am not so sure. I still fancy the Rossies to win and I am backing them to cover the -4 handicap at 11/10.
Cork have made huge improvements under John Cleary. They ran the Kingdom really close a couple of weeks ago with only a kick of the ball between them. A lot of people have Mayo as favourites to reach the All-Ireland but there are still question marks hanging over them. I am sticking with them though and fancy them to get over the line here.
Galway v Armagh (Sun, 16.00)
There were some fireworks when these teams last met in the All-Ireland quarter-final which went right down to penalties. However, Galway have improved significantly since then and have added some real steel.
There have been serious question marks over Armagh, especially their style of play. Rian O’Neill is unavailabe through suspension and unless his ban is overturned, I am backing Galway.
I am hugely impressed with the work Dessie Dolan and his backroom team have done with these Westmeath boys. He has made them so competitive. They asked serious questions of Armagh and were very unlucky against Galway when a huge decision went against them.
They can really put it up to Tyrone who are coming good just at the right time. I think Tyrone will be a very difficult team to beat for the rest of the year if they can avoid injury. Tyrone to win.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
