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Football Championship 2026

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Replying To bloodandbandage: "100%. Happy enough with the draw, as I'm sure Mayo are." The Mayo and Cork camps will be happy enough with that. Both will fancy their chances. 50/50 game. May the best team on the day win. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12151 - 22/06/2026 14:15:32 2681243 Link
Its great that Galway have managed to become an All Ireland favourite by doing nothing of note. Lost to Div 1 Roscommon, beat relegated Kildare and div 3 Westmeath at home. Last notable win was 31st Jan v Armagh - (also beat already relegated Dublin and Monaghan) at 5/1 and Kerry at 4/7 is doesn't make much difference, but have Galway actually performed like the 2nd best team in the country? no. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1922 - 22/06/2026 15:26:46 2681271 Link
Replying To tirawleybaron: "Its great that Galway have managed to become an All Ireland favourite by doing nothing of note. Lost to Div 1 Roscommon, beat relegated Kildare and div 3 Westmeath at home. Last notable win was 31st Jan v Armagh - (also beat already relegated Dublin and Monaghan) at 5/1 and Kerry at 4/7 is doesn't make much difference, but have Galway actually performed like the 2nd best team in the country? no." You would be a great judge to know what the 2nd best team in the country looks like... tribesman123 (Galway) - Posts: 39 - 22/06/2026 16:46:48 2681305 Link
Replying To tribesman123: "You would be a great judge to know what the 2nd best team in the country looks like..." I would. Glad you agree. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1922 - 22/06/2026 17:23:37 2681312 Link
Are the semi finals an open draw. endgame (Roscommon) - Posts: 2714 - 22/06/2026 17:40:47 2681318 Link
Replying To legendzxix: "Without doubt. Tyrone will be well up for it. It's a draw that will have brought the Kerry group back to earth. It's a great draw though. These are the games to be involved in." Some tasty draws for the quarterfinals! As T O'Se said last night, it's Kerry's to lose now, but no better buckos to put a spanner in the Kingdom's work than Tyrone. However, I can't see Daragh Canavan being fit to play. He didn't look anywhere near it when introduced the last day out. It was desperation stakes that he came in at all. Hope I'm totally wrong. Galway, even though they have flaking footballers and play a lovely brand, could well bottle it against Dublin. They're renowned bottlers in Croker in big games. The Dubs are bound to be tired but sometimes games down on top of each other like that bring the resilience and the rough n tumble out in fellas. Cork and Mayo could go anyway, but I fancy Cork as Mayo are woeful at defending. A decade ago, when Mayo had great defenders, they lacked the forwards. Now they seem to have sharp forwards but can be sliced open at the back. That extra week of play could tell against Monaghan versus Louth, but again a very 50-50 game. Louth need to up their killer instinct, as if they leave Monaghan lingering at all, no better boys than the Farney to pull a game out of the fire. It all seems quite 50-50 or thereabouts, bar Kerry and Tyrone. But... foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2583 - 22/06/2026 17:55:07 2681321 Link
I really don't know where the optimism comes from regarding our chances against Kerry. Kerry have beaten us convincingly the past couple of times we have met and they have only gotten better while we have regressed. Tyrone are no longer Kerry's bogie team and we have to accept that they are on a completely different level to us currently. Wally (Tyrone) - Posts: 936 - 22/06/2026 22:09:03 2681359 Link
Kerry Mayo Monaghan Galway 4 QF winners. Malachy O'Rourke to get the door after Saturday defeat. hlynch12 (Limerick) - Posts: 123 - 22/06/2026 22:53:15 2681363 Link
Replying To endgame: "Are the semi finals an open draw." Yes Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 1026 - 23/06/2026 08:31:05 2681380 Link
Replying To foreveryoung: "Some tasty draws for the quarterfinals! As T O'Se said last night, it's Kerry's to lose now, but no better buckos to put a spanner in the Kingdom's work than Tyrone. However, I can't see Daragh Canavan being fit to play. He didn't look anywhere near it when introduced the last day out. It was desperation stakes that he came in at all. Hope I'm totally wrong. Galway, even though they have flaking footballers and play a lovely brand, could well bottle it against Dublin. They're renowned bottlers in Croker in big games. The Dubs are bound to be tired but sometimes games down on top of each other like that bring the resilience and the rough n tumble out in fellas. Cork and Mayo could go anyway, but I fancy Cork as Mayo are woeful at defending. A decade ago, when Mayo had great defenders, they lacked the forwards. Now they seem to have sharp forwards but can be sliced open at the back. That extra week of play could tell against Monaghan versus Louth, but again a very 50-50 game. Louth need to up their killer instinct, as if they leave Monaghan lingering at all, no better boys than the Farney to pull a game out of the fire. It all seems quite 50-50 or thereabouts, bar Kerry and Tyrone. But..." We've won more big games than we bottled. Hard to know where this bottler reputation is coming from. Final 2024 and QF 2025 are the only 2 come to mind. Last time in croker before that was 2018 and we beat Kerry that year but lost to dubs in semi. In that period we beat Armagh in QF, Derry in semi, in huge games, then Dublin in QF and Donegal in semi, huge games against favourites both times as well. Had a scattering of QF appearances, 2014, 2016, 2017. Struggle to call any of those bottlejobs. Blowouts most of them. systematic (Galway) - Posts: 327 - 23/06/2026 09:00:45 2681384 Link
Replying To endgame: "Are the semi finals an open draw." no - repeat pairing are to be avoided if at all possible. Assume Monaghan, Cork, Dublin and Kerry - then Kerry and Cork cant meet Assume Monaghan, Mayo, Dublin and Tyrone - then Mayo play Dublin and Monaghan v Tyrone tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1922 - 23/06/2026 09:40:02 2681391 Link
Replying To hlynch12: "Kerry Mayo Monaghan Galway 4 QF winners. Malachy O'Rourke to get the door after Saturday defeat." It's a pity Hoganstand couldn't give you the door. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2787 - 23/06/2026 10:45:44 2681405 Link
Replying To Wally: "I really don't know where the optimism comes from regarding our chances against Kerry. Kerry have beaten us convincingly the past couple of times we have met and they have only gotten better while we have regressed. Tyrone are no longer Kerry's bogie team and we have to accept that they are on a completely different level to us currently." Ah sure Tyrone shouldn't turn up then. Tyrone on their day don't fear anyone, they haven't played well yet, emphasis on Yet. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2787 - 23/06/2026 10:48:49 2681407 Link
Replying To hlynch12: "Kerry Mayo Monaghan Galway 4 QF winners. Malachy O'Rourke to get the door after Saturday defeat." Malachy has brought Tyrone further than they could dream of this year. He won't be getting any door. Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2126 - 23/06/2026 11:40:02 2681429 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Ah sure Tyrone shouldn't turn up then. Tyrone on their day don't fear anyone, they haven't played well yet, emphasis on Yet." Totally agree, Tyrone are waiting in the wings. Nobody giving them a chance but on their day they can beat any team. Good luck next weekend Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 1026 - 23/06/2026 12:10:53 2681443 Link
Of the teams left - only Dublin and Tyrone have a history of sticking it to Kerry. Louth, Cork, Mayo, Galway, Monaghan - will all be cannon fodder for Kerry. Dublin aren't what they were and Kerry have a team as good as any they ever had. So its up to Tyrone to save the championship - they are the only ones who put it up to Kerry regardless of how good Kerry are going. 15 of the 21 players who played against Mayo have won an all Ireland at some level for Tyrone. They have the midfielders who can match Kerry and can play the Donegal game plan v Kerry. Their biggest problem is they don't have enough man markers to stop Kerry - so they will have to win midfield and win it well. They can overload their press on the Kerry kick out, particularly with Morgan pushing up to midfield for kick outs. If Tyrone don't stop Kerry, then no one else will. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1922 - 23/06/2026 12:17:05 2681447 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "It's a pity Hoganstand couldn't give you the door." Brilliant Saynothing lol and agree. CiarraiMick (Dublin) - Posts: 4194 - 23/06/2026 12:19:11 2681448 Link
Replying To systematic: "We've won more big games than we bottled. Hard to know where this bottler reputation is coming from. Final 2024 and QF 2025 are the only 2 come to mind. Last time in croker before that was 2018 and we beat Kerry that year but lost to dubs in semi. In that period we beat Armagh in QF, Derry in semi, in huge games, then Dublin in QF and Donegal in semi, huge games against favourites both times as well. Had a scattering of QF appearances, 2014, 2016, 2017. Struggle to call any of those bottlejobs. Blowouts most of them." I thought Galway's weakness in 2024 was lacking the 'street smarts' of Armagh, ahem. Was a game they might have won had it not been for the prolonged injury break at a time they were threatening to come to the fore. No team would have beaten Dublin in 2018. BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4415 - 23/06/2026 12:30:19 2681452 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Ah sure Tyrone shouldn't turn up then. Tyrone on their day don't fear anyone, they haven't played well yet, emphasis on Yet." This is it, but everything will have to fall right for you on the day. You have to hit them hard and at speed, if you look at both the Munster final, and Armagh the last day, we both played into Kerry hands with slow, lateral play outside the D. This type of play will never beat this Kerry team. I've a big connection to Tyrone, so will be shouting you on after our match on Saturday. It's definitely not impossible and Tyrone will be fresh! bloodandbandage (Cork) - Posts: 597 - 23/06/2026 12:39:27 2681455 Link
The intention of the new championship is to be a "blunt instrument". Heavyweight clashes in 2B and R3 will become a more common occurrence. Kerry and Tyrone could have been the final last year had both avoided each other in the semi final draw. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9874 - 23/06/2026 13:17:46 2681467 Link