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While I wouldn't back Galway with bad money, I've a feeling they'll qualify due to the Dubs doing them a favour. Joyce needs to be a bit bolder in his team selection, (unlikely), drop Conroy if necessary and introduce more pace and directness into the middle eight. John Daly hasn't been a starter for a while now, I think mgmt. feel he doesn't mark tight enough under the new rules. A bit of a redundant reason as a lot of them in recent matches fall into this category. Jack Glynn's (and McGrath's to an extent) form hasn't been so good this season and his place may be vulnerable.

Thriller writer Frederick Forsyth passes. Resident in Wicklow for a time I think.

If there's one thing you have to hand to Galway it's the confidence they bring and respect they have from all n sundry whilst doing absolutely nothing .  Scrapped by a very average (general feeling not mine ) mayo team in Connacht final
Beaten by the beaten docket of the dubs (again the general feeling )

Scrapped a draw against again not a fancied Derry team .
All this on top of bottling an all Ireland final last year (bottling it , is losing a final when odds on to win it )

Yet they still strut their stuff as if they've won 3 in a row , it's admirable if nothing else . Media never stop fawning over them , it's quite incredible the amount of superlatives have been used to describe each and every Galway player .

It's an awful shame the dubs didn't have their shooting boots on the last day and Con missing was massive too cause Armagh would be all out next day if they needed a result . Find it hard to believe Armagh would be foolish enough to go all out to win a dead rubber now the way it's panned out
. Galway win in that one , Dubs / Derry hard to call .

Donegal and Tyrone victories in our group will see our bucks bow out for the year im afraid . Mayo won't cope with the counter attack speed of Donegal , they'll cut us right open down the centre for 3-18 id guess (4 two pointers ) . Murphy will have a tussle with mcbrien, Murphy will complain to man in black and mcbrien will then receive a red card . Its Murphy's rules out there his receding hairline brings an aura of authority like an old school inspector.

Tyrone were lethargic against Mayo , that one week turnaround is an awful hindrance , they'll easily account for Cavan .

Galway are one lucky devil's of a team. Poxed how they avoided defeat at the weekend which would have knocked them out of the championship and now face Armagh who are already into the last 8.  Galway also lucky to win the last two Connacht finals against your lot and All-Ireland series games against Donegal,Dublin last year. Given their luck one can't rule them out in the All-Ireland series, as they say better to born lucky than rich.

As for Mayo,  you comfortably beat Tyrone in Omagh can be no excuses not to get at least a draw against Donegal in your home from home venue in Hyde Park.

Galway never trailed once they took the lead in this year's Connacht final. Not our fault Mayo couldn't take advantage. Or our fault Donegal couldn't score in the closing quarter with the match in the balance last year. Galway beat Dublin last year thanks to a superlative defensive effort in the second half, despite having so many players practically on one leg. That's the kind of luck I like.

Galway will beat Armagh handy enough, Armagh will be playing a lot of lads that need game time and haven't got much football. They will be trying to win the game but a lot of changes plus not needing a result usually ends one way. The Tribesmen to win by 4-5pts in the end after an Armagh rally late on to bring the score line down a bit and put some respectability on the scoreboard.

How likely are Armagh to rest first choice players if they'll be idle for 4 weeks in total before the 1/4 finals?

Padraig Joyce's big dilemma is what team to pick. Has to change it significantly from 5 - 9 at least. Unlikely he'll change goalie at this stage but it maybe in his mind.

Mayo folk are delighted with the venue (as they should be). A short drive from their main population centres and a venue that they are intimately familiar with as underage and senior players.

There's an understaendable frustration for Donegal supporters. We were dragged to Castlebar to play Galway in a qualifier in 2003 and it feels like the county is always at the rough end of these decisions. Hopefully we'll get a similar result to 2003. Up Donegal.

Ye won that game in 2003 so it did ye no harm. Ye played Galway twice in more recent years in Markiewicz Park which is much nearer, winning narrowly and losing heavily.

If Derry got what they deserved Galway would be out. Now they have a game against a team that has qualified top of group. Fine margins.

What rubbish is this? In what way did Derry "deserve" the win there? McKinless was brutal.

Two very jammy goals for Galway, one of which should have been a sideline ball for Derry. We also played better than Galway bar a 15 min period

Galway's third goal was one of the actual few very good moves they put together and I'm pretty sure it was a Galway sideline ball - Derry player got an even later touch on it than the Galway player.

It's a five or six point wind as Galway have lads that can kick 2 pointers

Michael Meehan doesn't seem to think so.

Poor Galway performance.
Playing with a big lack of intensity - this is a flaw they are very prone to. You can't pick and choose which games you get "up" for ffs

Lack of pace and momentum as much as intensity. Too slow to move the ball at times. Ref. nearly as bad for Galway as Derry. Forwards are good enough if they can create the platform back the field.

Howl on lads, what issue are you trying to resolve considering Kerry have just got relegated out of the Joe McDonagh Cup?

Yes they were relegated but from 2020 to 2022 they were in the final three years in a row yes they may have gone back a bit but thats bound to happen sometimes when you have a small pool of players.

So back to my original point, what issue are you trying to resolve?

It's in answer to the original question; if you include Kerry, will they be there in perpetuity or must there be relegation, a-la Leinster?

Including Kerry would surely then mean introducing relegation for someone, and that would usually be Kerry who would most often be the whipping boys.

Match not on TV?

No. If you listen to the many southern media podcasts, you'll quickly realise it's all about Dublin, Galway and Kerry.  All Ireland champs starting the defence of their title at a packed home stadium in what has the makings of a great game, you'd have thought  someone would carry it.

Match not even on the Beeb? Maybe RTE / GAA+ not covering it for this reason?

I see Davy Fitz is unhappy...

Not often I agree with him but on this point he is bang on, it's actually nice from someone not from the North to highlight this for a change. We are refereed in a completely different way to most other teams and now he is seeing it too.

He is correct and so are you in so much we are refereed differently and have been for years, what Davy has said is that the reason McCloskey got the line is because the referee and particular the linesman Murphy hates him personally.

Ulster teams have been getting a rough ride long before Davy come along, he's only now seeing it for himself, but Davy being Davy made it about him and sadly that's how it will be interpreted.

Most people in Galway feel that we are always being refereed differently also. McCloskey got the line for jabbing Monaghan in the balls, an action spotted by Johnny Murphy. Can have no complaints there.

Listening to the GAA social this morning and McGeeney's comments after the Ulster final, I agree 100% that this is the best format of a championship that it is possible to get. This is our third year of it and there have been exciting final rounds in each year. This year there have been big shocks in the opening weekend leaving the groups wide open probably until the last game.

There is loads of jeopardy in every game as it's very difficult to get to an AI final unless you top your group. Of the 4 AI finalist only Galway last year didn't top their group but they had the eventual AI winners in their group. Galway and Mayo are under serious pressure in their final two games now.

Why are we changing it?

How on earth can you say that? This format allows for dead rubbers. By that very means it cannot be the best format

Very few teams eliminated by the final round of games so can't see too many dead rubbers there.

Doyen football journalist Brian Glanville. (Dublin father)

The top three in Munster will be Clare and Limerick who will decide the Munster Final. Tipp will be in third place.
The top three in Leinster will be Kilkenny and Dublin who will decide the Leinster Final. Offaly will be in third place.
Kilkenny and Clare to win provincials. Tipp V Clare Semi. Kilkenny V Limerick other Semi. Tipp V KK Final. Tipp to win.

Clare won't make it out of Munster. The big 3 of Tipp, Cork and Limerick will.

It is more certain now that Clare won't even get out of Munster. The worst All Ireland winners since 2013.

Maybe even the worst winners since Wexford in 1996?

Or speaks volumes for the calibre and competitiveness of the Munster championship. Clare would have sailed out of Leinster.

Definitely wouldn't have sailed out of Leinster. Kilkenny are a better team and there wouldn't be a lot between Clare and Dublin or Galway.