Marc Ó Sé: Kerry and Mayo a great way to start All-Ireland series
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The All-Ireland group stage gets under way this weekend and Ladbrokes ambassador Marc Ó Sé casts his eye over the four games.
Clare will have to dust themselves down after losing to Kerry in the Munster Final. I was surprised with the poor ball- handling by Clare on the day. They were making mistakes that I had not seen all year, so I expect a huge improvement from them. Obviously, they were playing the All-Ireland champions, but this sloppiness is something I feel Colm Collins will target.
Clare host Donegal at Cusack Park in Round 1 of the All Ireland Championship Group 4 on Saturday .
Throw in at ‘the Park is at 2:00pm .
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or on link below. https://t.co/vZfwN03W3o pic.twitter.com/jWuIKZMjMc— Clare Gaa (@GaaClare) May 17, 2023
Donegal have been poor all year and it has all gone downhill since Michael Murphy left and Ryan McHugh is another fantastic footballer who they could do with. Theese two have been the go-to players who have dug Donegal out of holes in the past. If Clare can get enough quality ball to their inside line, they have a great chance of winning this game. I am backing them to win this at even money.
What a way to start the All-Ireland series, with two heavyweights taking each other on at Fitzgerald Stadium. Their last game at this venue was a cracker in the Super 8s in 2019 when Kerry took the honours. Many of the players who played that day will be on show again but the big difference is Kerry go into this game defending the Sam Maguire Cup as All-Ireland champions.
A historic weekend beckons for the GAA Football All-Ireland Championship, with games in all 4 groups of the new-look format to decide who reaches the quarter-finals. Check out this weekend's upcoming action below! #GAABelong pic.twitter.com/K0Yppp380D
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 18, 2023
Kevin McStay has done a wonderful job since he took charge this year. He has given a lot of young, quality players the opportunity to showcase their skills. Colm Reape, Jack Coyne, David McBrien, Donnacha McHugh and Sam Callinan are all flourishing. I have also been impressed by the hard work of players like Fionn McDonagh, Jack Carney, and Jordan Flynn in the half-forward line. In addition, Aidan O’Shea is playing with huge confidence and I certainly won’t write Mayo off.
For the first time this year, Kerry played a few gears above their normal level when they took on Clare and created many goalscoring chances. If they can continue this form, and Paudie and David Clifford can repeat their performances, Kerry should pull through at 4/11.
This is the most difficult game to call as it is hard to know which Tyrone team will show up. We all know the quality they possess but we have not seen them show it at a consistent level on the field of play for almost two years. That could all change for this game, and we have seen Tyrone raise their game against bigger teams. Just ask Kerry. Padraic Joyce brought in some real quality like Peter Cooke and Ian Burke, so I am going to give Galway the nod here and back them at 4/9.
These two counties contested the U20s final last weekend, with Kildare taking the spoils. Both counties will be delighted with how their youngsters have performed this year and the future looks bright for both counties.
With the seniors, I think both counties are at different levels. Kildare really stood up against Dublin and will be disappointed they didn’t get a result out of the game. Sligo, on the other hand, came in on the easy side of the draw, beating New York comprehensively and then losing to Galway.
Even though Sligo have the home venue at Markievicz Park, my bet is Kildare to win this game at 2/9.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
