All-Ireland Series Sam Maguire 2026

[Dunneroyal]

I think Mayo will beat Meath. Those 2 corner forwards.

Could happen. But I'd take Conlon over either of them. Throw in Morris and Costello and I think we win

[Wildweasel74]

Tyrone get to quarters they start to smell blood in the water and go up a gear, wouldnt be a match, Meath should be looking for, out of the 4 options, if Meath come through.

[imtommygunn]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Would be 50 50. Meath are an interesting one. They looked good against Derry but Derry have been very poor this year so Meath still a lot to prove. They could beat mayo out the gate or get beat. Hard to know how good they are.

[Cunny Funt]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF.

Any of those teams can reach the All-Ireland semi-final.

The team I'd give the least chance is the former stand out team Dublin and mainly because of how far they have fallen back.

Westmeath v Louth,Cork could go either way.

Monaghan reached the semi-finals a few years ago with about 12 of those players that  featured then still around and Tyrone reached the last 4 last year.

Should Mayo overcome Meath and I believe haven't lost to them in MacHale Park since the 60s are then more than capable of beating Louth,Cork and even Galway.

Don't think we played mayo in mchale park that much since 60s and don't think we played championship against them ever in it. Sure same was said of brefni v Cavan. Went and won there. Meath while not been over confident are very very happy with the draw. Thats all I'll say

Having rechecked the stat it's no win for Meath on Mayo soil since 1962 instead of just McHale Park.


Six matches, two in Castlebar,2 in Ballina and 1 played in Crossmolina and 1 in Charlestown

[Armagh18]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Tyrone are a different team from early league. Sitting lovely at the minute and you wouldn't be surprised if they won the All Ireland if someone else takes out Kerry.

[Blowitupref]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really?
 Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Wouldn't judge any team on what happened in the league when it's now June and knock out championship football

[Grace Murphy]

True mucker. Derry always liked the league but never had the stones for SAM! Who is next up to manage them - Eugene McKenna?

[Manning18]

Dazzler is who Shane Walsh thinks he is. Two ridiculous scores with his weaker right

When he's pointing 55 yard frees from the ground with his bad foot come back to us!

Superb display by McCurry though. Saw him earlier in the year and thought he was on the wane big time. Good to see the class is still there

Walsh is having a great campaign, casual viewers might not be appreciating it given who Galway have played so far

The point is the big day. McCurry essentially dragged Tyrone over the line and has done it on the crucial big days many times reliably.

I would like Galway to win Sam if we dont btw, they will need Walsh to deliver what hes capable of.

What about the big day? Did Shane Walsh not kick 9 points in the All Ireland final with the old rules?

McCurry has done it plenty of times for Tyrone but he never got a kick v Kerry last year - that's complete cherry picking. Walsh is a class act don't want to hear about big days

Then the next year he kicked 2, 1 of which was a free.

Right, so he has one All Ireland final performance thats widely regarded as one of the best we've seen in a final, albeit in defeat, and another poor one (also injury related)

The idea that he doesn't do it on big days is laughable at this point. Galways biggest win in years was dethroning Dublin in 24, he was sensational that day. He has man of the match awards falling off his mantlepiece and came second in player of the year voting to an imperious Clifford in 2022

[imtommygunn]

Walsh is a fantastic player. Not sure why this conversation... I still think that he could be better as harsh as that may sound. Two footed, speed , balance, ability to change direction and lose defenders. He has it all.

[Iarmhí Abú]

Galway are in a good place.  The majority of their key players are fit, for once.  They're relatively fresh having had less matches and the Westmeath match will help to bring them on.  The victory was more comfortable than the final score suggested but Joyce can use the last five minutes as a stick to keep them focused.

They are a physically mature team with a lot of big game players.  They won the majority of the collisions with our lads and this was critical.  Westmeath hadn't encountered anything like that level of intensity this season.  I was impressed by their patience in possession and the manner in which the forwards probed and sought openings.  A favourable quarter final could open the road for them.

There were learnings for a lot of Westmeath players in that game.  It's important to experience that level of competition while ensuring that some of the mistakes are not repeated in future games.  I was pleased with the manner in which we stayed in the fight.  Galway were stronger around the middle and took over completely when both our starting midfielders were gone at the start of the second half.  It looked ominous towards the end but it was obvious we still believed.  Galway were hot favourites with the bookies, pulling away in their home stadium with time ebbing away.  The lads somehow found a way to get back into it it.  The final surge yielded a goal and a pair of two point scores to sow doubt among the Galway fans.  Comer stepped up to halt the mayhem but the Westmeath reaction to the situation they faced with five minutes remaining speaks volumes for McHugh's impact.

The miles on the clock were evident.  We've now racked up eight hours of championship football to get to this point. A number of players were digging very deep to keep going.  Whittaker is working on one leg.  Ray Connellan is facing a spell on the treatment table.  Tadhg Baker is indefatigable, but seems to be carrying a knock.  Heslin shows the absence of overall conditioning.  There is only a week before Monaghan, it will be interesting to see the lineup next week.

Monaghan have had a varied journey to this point.  They now sense an opportunity to turn the previous narrative for 2026 on its head.  They are a superb team when they get to a state of flow.  Home advantage could be important.  This will be our sixth match outside Mullingar so the fans will be asked to mobilise for another road trip.  A big support will be required. 

We need to tidy up our kick outs and crank up the intensity once again.  If we can pull out another big performance we will hopefully contend.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how we respond to the challenge.  A quarter final would be an incredible achievement to crown our best ever campaign. Hopefully the adventure will continue after this weekend.

[square_ball]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Yeah really. If you're still using league form as a barometer 3 months later then I am not sure what to say to that and you must be new to this sport. We also couldn't have been that 'woeful' in the league game as Meath were hanging on in the end.

I thought you might have learned a lesson from last season when you were constantly bigging Meath up when in reality they only won one big game last year and got pumped by 20 points in an All Ireland Semi Final.

[statto]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Yeah really. If you're still using league form as a barometer 3 months later then I am not sure what to say to that and you must be new to this sport. We also couldn't have been that 'woeful' in the league game as Meath were hanging on in the end.

I thought you might have learned a lesson from last season when you were constantly bigging Meath up when in reality they only won one big game last year and got pumped by 20 points in an All Ireland Semi Final.

Dublin and Galway were both big wins for Meath, getting the Dublin monkey off their back and Galway winning a knock put game in Croke Park would have been big moments for this young team.

If Meath played Tyrone I would have it very much as a 50/50 game.  Tyrone are a hard team to stop when tails up, however, Meath have a better two point threat across the board, but would need to improve defensively. 

[Dunneroyal]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really?
 Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Wouldn't judge any team on what happened in the league when it's now June and knock out championship football

Have they improved that much ?  I mean they were awful in croke park. Meath hardly broke a sweat beating them. I'll admit I haven't seen much of them at all since. Only that they were worried they might not make the top 16 with down etc. so what has been their improvement?

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Yeah really. If you're still using league form as a barometer 3 months later then I am not sure what to say to that and you must be new to this sport. We also couldn't have been that 'woeful' in the league game as Meath were hanging on in the end.

I thought you might have learned a lesson from last season when you were constantly bigging Meath up when in reality they only won one big game last year and got pumped by 20 points in an All Ireland Semi Final.

Hanging on ? We emptied the bench as game was well and truly over. Not just using league. I'd rate Tyrone as the worst team currently in quarters. And I feel everyone who wins this weekend would want to draw them

[Armagh18]

Have a feeling Dunne Royal will end up with serious egg on his face if Tyrone meet Meath.

No matter how shite Tyrone seem you can never ever write them off. Came within a kick of a ball of beating us at home and have beaten good Roscommon and Mayo teams since.

[Dunneroyal]

I can't see Westmeath/Tyrone/Dublin/Mayo/Monaghan getting further than a QF. Certainly not AI contenders anyway in my view.

If Tyrone drew Monaghan/Westmeath/Dublin/ Meath I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get through to the semi final and it wouldn't be a massive surprise either to see them beat Donegal or Armagh given we'll have the weeks rest. I don't think we have a chance v Kerry at any stage we may play them.

Really? 
Actually of all the quarter final possibilities from a Meath point of view I'd take Tyrone above all the other possibilities. Apart from Kildare worst team we played in league. I mean woeful. And at one stage during early rounds was looking like ye were heading to TC . So on that basis I can't see how you could be happy to meet Meath should we get over mayo. Now on other hand Meath would be very happy to play Tyrone. As I think it would be a guaranteed semi final spot

Yeah really. If you're still using league form as a barometer 3 months later then I am not sure what to say to that and you must be new to this sport. We also couldn't have been that 'woeful' in the league game as Meath were hanging on in the end.

I thought you might have learned a lesson from last season when you were constantly bigging Meath up when in reality they only won one big game last year and got pumped by 20 points in an All Ireland Semi Final.

Dublin and Galway were both big wins for Meath, getting the Dublin monkey off their back and Galway winning a knock put game in Croke Park would have been big moments for this young team.

If Meath played Tyrone I would have it very much as a 50/50 game.  Tyrone are a hard team to stop when tails up, however, Meath have a better two point threat across the board, but would need to improve defensively. 

I think the old tails up thing doesn't work anymore. They almost got relegated to div 3 with drawing Kildare game.
That been said we have had our own problems. Kinsella is a huge loss. Meaths best player of the year by some distance and two point magnet he's gone our other potential match winners in kinlough also out for year and duke still carrying an injury. So need others to step up Flynn looked like been back to his best on Saturday was hugely important O'Connor also needs to get his 2 point grove going. Morris needs to build up his confidence again which is very low but he showed glimpses of it on sat. Conlon is unmarkable and no matter who marks him they in for a torrid time. 7 from play all 1 pointers in two games running , on the defensive side we have covered some of it with Menton returning to his old role at 6. Keoghan also turning the clock back. But 2 guys pushing 40 is not a long term solution to defensive worries but they will do for this year . The one thing that fills every Meath player with hope from Saturday was the introduction of smith and his coolness in scoring the insurance point. Why ? This guy is been talked about as the best player Meath have produced ina long time. He probably will get more time v mayo. And may start next game should we win.