2026 Predictions

[Substandard]

Ulster: Tyrone- mainly because I think they're a team that can reinvent themselves quicker than others. With 5 realistic contenders, this is the one that will most likely be wrong.
Munster: Kerry- not much more to say.
Leinster: Dublin- it's great that Leinster is no longer the procession it was, with both Meath and Kildare in the frame.  It'd be nice to see Louth continue to push on, but they may have already been at their high water mark.
Connacht: Roscommon- just because.  It'll take Mayo a year or two to get an established systematic team running,  and a fully firing Galway would probably kill this call.  But we're a while waiting for this fully firing Galway performance, so feck everyone and everything,  we'll win Connacht.
All-Ireland: Dublin.  Kerry are an obvious shout, and the concensus is Donegal or Galway contenders.  Dublin with a fit Con O'Callaghan will be there or thereabouts, so by next August you'll see I'm not related to JP McManus!!

[Champion The Wonder Horse]

Ulster - Monaghan must be favourites, then Tyrone. Mcbrearty and Murphy big losses for Donegal. We'll mess things up again, Armagh regressing and Down progress not enough to bridge the gap.

Galway, Kerry and Dublin in the other three provinces.

Kerry favourites for AI, but surely Galway must stumble over the line soon.

[Armagh18]

Ulster - Monaghan must be favourites, then Tyrone. Mcbrearty and Murphy big losses for Donegal. We'll mess things up again, Armagh regressing and Down progress not enough to bridge the gap.

Galway, Kerry and Dublin in the other three provinces.

Kerry favourites for AI, but surely Galway must stumble over the line soon.

Murphy's staying on is he not? Not sure how Monaghan go from getting slapped by Donegal last year to being favourites for Ulster this.

[Champion The Wonder Horse]

Ulster - Monaghan must be favourites, then Tyrone. Mcbrearty and Murphy big losses for Donegal. We'll mess things up again, Armagh regressing and Down progress not enough to bridge the gap.

Galway, Kerry and Dublin in the other three provinces.

Kerry favourites for AI, but surely Galway must stumble over the line soon.

Murphy's staying on is he not? Not sure how Monaghan go from getting slapped by Donegal last year to being favourites for Ulster this.

Murphy was a one and done last year; can't see how he commits again to the McGuinness regime.

Monaghan as good as in an Ulster final already after that draw; all the main competition in the other half. Might not be favourites for the final when they get there, but a decent bet now at 13/2.

[ONeill]

Predictions:

Derry to barnstorm Division 2. Brolly to sing Caravan Of Love before final league game.
Derry to scour Tyrone for more future managers
Geezer to use AI to find a way to stop Clifford
Matty Og McGleenen to burst onto scene with a 50m run a la Lomu v England.
Trout found breeding in Healy Park
Kerry, Dublin, Galway and Monaghan provincials.
Kerry Galway final.
Galway 2001 team acknowledged

[Armagh18]

Predictions:

Derry to barnstorm Division 2. Brolly to sing Caravan Of Love before final league game.
Derry to scour Tyrone for more future managers
Geezer to use AI to find a way to stop Clifford
Matty Og McGleenen to burst onto scene with a 50m run a la Lomu v England.
Trout found breeding in Healy Park
Kerry, Dublin, Galway and Monaghan provincials.
Kerry Galway final.
Galway 2001 team acknowledged

I'd say that's our only hope!

[moonster]

Ulster - Donegal
Connacht - Mayo
Leinster - Kildare
Munster - Kerry

All-Ireland - Kerry

Will be couple handy titles for Kerry with lack of opposition. Dubs in transition, Mayo and Galway fill their togs against kerry in knockout championship. Ulster teams now fill their  togs against kerry and haven't to new rules. Wont beat the kingdom men 12 bodies behind the ball. McGuinness and co were shown up last year.

[Armagh18]

Surely to god either Geezer, Jimmy or MO'R will have something up their sleeve to stop Kerry this year?

[DaleCooper]

Assuming they can be stopped. Lot of people seem to underestimate the depth of quality Kerry have, they will be a serious force for many years.

Hopefully Tyrone can develop into a side worthy of some classic games[Vs Kerry] in years to come.

[Truthsayer]

Ulster - Donegal
Connacht - Mayo
Leinster - Kildare
Munster - Kerry

All-Ireland - Kerry

Will be couple handy titles for Kerry with lack of opposition. Dubs in transition, Mayo and Galway fill their togs against kerry in knockout championship. Ulster teams now fill their  togs against kerry and haven't to new rules. Wont beat the kingdom men 12 bodies behind the goal. McGuinness and co were shown up last year.

I'm guessing you mean 12 bodies behind the ball?!
Such a lazy anti-Ulster analysis. Kerry will probably win because they have the best players and the new rules allow the best players to express themselves... David Clifford especially.
Priceless coming from Waterford that tried to bring a blanket defence into hurling   

[Armagh18]

Assuming they can be stopped. Lot of people seem to underestimate the depth of quality Kerry have, they will be a serious force for many years.

Hopefully Tyrone can develop into a side worthy of some classic games[Vs Kerry] in years to come.

No doubt, they've serious talent that goes without saying. Hopefully Dublin/Galway/Mayo and the Ulster teams can beat them a few times in the next few years, no one wants another 6 in a row situation.

[moonster]

Assuming they can be stopped. Lot of people seem to underestimate the depth of quality Kerry have, they will be a serious force for many years.

Hopefully Tyrone can develop into a side worthy of some classic games[Vs Kerry] in years to come.

Kerry missing Tom O'Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor, Paul Geaney, Dara Moynihan, Barry Dan O'Sullivan, Sean O'Shea, Tadgh Morley and Mike Breen for most of last year. All be fully fit for this year.

[statto]

It's almost 20 years since Kerry retained an AI. Does this count for anything going into 2026? Probably not a lot, except to say that they're likely not a whole lot different to all Kerry sides since the golden years i.e. a talented team, but if any of their top 2-3 players get knocks / lose a little form, they should be ranked somewhere between a challenger and a contender, rather than a favourite.

The biggest thing this year though is whether any of the other managers with loaded squads - Armagh, Tyrone, Dublin, Donegal, Galway - might actually try to embrace the new rules, instead of trying not to lose. Attacking the opposition's kickout would seem to be the key to new football. Hopefully they all go after it.

I sincerely hope that Donegal either have a revelation year or a blow out year. Jimmy came too close to ruining football again last season, and too close to setting us all back years again.

Did Jimmy Mcguinness do anything  different last year that  the other teams did?

Yes, they were tactically poor in the AI final , but what else did he do  to "ruining football again"?

Im far from a McG/Donegal fan , especially after  last year , so just curious  for your answer

It's not that they did it different to other teams, so much as how relentless they were in pursuit of maintaining the old way of playing football. And it very nearly worked too. Had it worked, then all the "Jimmy lites" who've been destroying club (and schools) football for the past decade would have felt entitled, vindicated to double down on their efforts. Their archbishop's sermon would have been extolled in coaching courses across the country.

Probably the oddest thing about 2025 though was that even though Armagh and Tyrone had clearly shown that clinging onto the vile bastard son of football tactics wasn't going to work against Kerry, Donegal still thought it would work by just being even more focused on not playing football.

I've never cheered for Kerry in my life til that final. But by God did football need Jimmy to lose, and to lose convincingly.

Armagh scored 1-21 in that game which would put you in the fight to win most games.  Kerry just played perfect football for 13/14 minutes and that killed off the game after Armagh had went 5 points up.   

[Armagh18]

It's almost 20 years since Kerry retained an AI. Does this count for anything going into 2026? Probably not a lot, except to say that they're likely not a whole lot different to all Kerry sides since the golden years i.e. a talented team, but if any of their top 2-3 players get knocks / lose a little form, they should be ranked somewhere between a challenger and a contender, rather than a favourite.

The biggest thing this year though is whether any of the other managers with loaded squads - Armagh, Tyrone, Dublin, Donegal, Galway - might actually try to embrace the new rules, instead of trying not to lose. Attacking the opposition's kickout would seem to be the key to new football. Hopefully they all go after it.

I sincerely hope that Donegal either have a revelation year or a blow out year. Jimmy came too close to ruining football again last season, and too close to setting us all back years again.

Did Jimmy Mcguinness do anything  different last year that  the other teams did?

Yes, they were tactically poor in the AI final , but what else did he do  to "ruining football again"?

Im far from a McG/Donegal fan , especially after  last year , so just curious  for your answer

It's not that they did it different to other teams, so much as how relentless they were in pursuit of maintaining the old way of playing football. And it very nearly worked too. Had it worked, then all the "Jimmy lites" who've been destroying club (and schools) football for the past decade would have felt entitled, vindicated to double down on their efforts. Their archbishop's sermon would have been extolled in coaching courses across the country.

Probably the oddest thing about 2025 though was that even though Armagh and Tyrone had clearly shown that clinging onto the vile bastard son of football tactics wasn't going to work against Kerry, Donegal still thought it would work by just being even more focused on not playing football.

I've never cheered for Kerry in my life til that final. But by God did football need Jimmy to lose, and to lose convincingly.

Armagh scored 1-21 in that game which would put you in the fight to win most games.  Kerry just played perfect football for 13/14 minutes and that killed off the game after Armagh had went 5 points up.   

a mad 15 minute spell where everything went right for them and everything went wrong for us. They were unbelievable.

Not sure we have the squad to challenge them this year with our absentees.

[Rossfan]

Yellow card for Statto.
Had GONE!!!!