All-Ireland Series Sam Maguire 2026

[seafoid]

https://x.com/NewstalkFM/status/2081726099898187910

[Armagh18]

A few observations from yesterday.

David McBrien is a much smarter footballer than I would have thought previously. He's integral to Mayo's counter attack.

Jack Carney had, one handpass aside, a perfect game. They should video that and send it to schools "how to play midfield".

ROD is phenomenal. To be that talented and hardworking at once is the rarest of things.

Young Beirne's free about 20 mins in was one of the key moments in the match. It was a statement of "we are not going down without a fight".

Perhaps the best thing in the entire match was the referee allowing a forward press. I've argued for years that defenders basically get out of jail for free. Any contact at all and it's adjudged a foul. Hence most teams don't bother forward pressing; you just never seem to get the rewards it deserves. McNally yesterday was wonderful.

Excellent point on the ref, was just about to post that. Really made the game by letting it go and allowing contact, who knew?

[square_ball]

The high press could have worked in the old rules too.

It wouldn't have worked. Any high press totally negated by the fact you could pass to the goalkeeper.

[DaleCooper]

Armagh beat Donegal en route was my meaning..but yeah so many games and upsets hard to keep track of the CHAOS and MAYHEM. Obscene amounts of it..as Tommy might say!

Will be fun now ranking the top teams.

[Hereiam]

Another vindication for the new rules. Hope coaches take note of the advantages of a high press

I don't agree.
The high press could have worked in the old rules too.
Only new rules that have had a positive impact, imo, are the solo-and-go and the dissent rule.
Up until this game, and maybe Mayo's SF too, most teams still played around the 2point arc - as opposed to the sideways across the 45 type play. The new rules were meant to bring in more kicking into the FF line, not much of that happens. There are more high balls into the midfield 8, but up until this game, it has been a case of the team with the tallest men win that midfield kickout battle. The Mayo intensity in the tackle was what won them possession and bucked the trend in that area, maybe that's the blueprint going forward, but it's also not new. Tyrone did it v Kerry in 03 for example, under the old rules.

2 pointers devalue goals.
I still don't agree with this fawning over of the new rules just because we got an excellent game of football. That match would have been just as good under the old rules.

The question I would ask is this. If there were no new rules, as we call them, would we still have the emergence of teams like Louth, Roscommon, Mayo, Westmeath and the slight dropping off of teams like Dublin, Donegal, Galway? I think we would.

None of that takes away from this fantastic game of football and fantastic result.

With Kerry up by 7 after 15 minutes the game would have been over under the old rules, the 2 pointers are what made this game what it was.

[Cunny Funt]

I still hope goes to Australia.  Too good an opportunity for him to miss from a personal point of view.

I hope he's not swayed by the emotion of yesterdays win and homecoming etc.

He signed a 2 year Category B Rookie contract this past November. He gets a base salary of €68k for his 2 year contract. If he plays any Senior football matches his contract bumps up to €100k.

If it doesn't work out for him he'll back aged 20 with decent money made and great life experience.

[ArmaghTastic]

Down beat Donegal
Donegal beat Kerry
Armagh beat Donegal and win Ulster[18 year wait]
Tyrone beat Mayo
Rossies beat Mayo and win Connaught[7 year wait]
Monaghan beat Rossies
Louth beat Dublin
Louth nip armagh
Westmeath beat Louth to win Leinster[end 22 year wait]

Mayo beat Kerry to end a 75 year wait.


Madcap championship and a fitting end to an historic season.

Wicklow beat Down
Next curse to fix is Kildare (1928)
Then Waterford (1959)

I'm sure there are plenty of counties who have never even won one that need a curse broken just as much as those two counties.
Out of interest what is the longest drought from a county that won it before.? Hurling or football.

[befair]

Mayo set the pattern right from the throw-ins in both halves. Last year Gavin white steamed on the loose ball both times, and Kerry had all the energy. This year Mayo were ready

[Armagh18]

Armagh beat Donegal en route was my meaning..but yeah so many games and upsets hard to keep track of the CHAOS and MAYHEM. Obscene amounts of it..as Tommy might say!

Will be fun now ranking the top teams.

We didn't unfortunately, Down did us the favour then went on the beer for the week and let us slap them in the Ulster semi .

Mad year for results and honestly couldn't begin to rank teams now. Kerry will be there or thereabouts next year obviously, would expect Armagh and Donegal to have more of say, be interesting to see what Mayo do, the talent is obviously there but so difficult to go back to back and the way they'll rightly celebrate they'll only be sobering up come the league, thats a worry for another day though. Do Galway have a kick in them, piles of talent there but have had a lot of tough days and their big men are getting on in years, Dubs will feel theres an all Ireland in them and Tyrone are on the rise- both should have beaten Kerry

Monaghan, Roscommon and Meath would all see themselves as capable of beating Mayo on their day as well, that's the beauty of an underdog win it gives everyone that bit more belief.

Thats 5 different winners in 6 years now with Kerry the only team to win 2 titles and no one going back to back, brilliant for the game as a whole to have a different winner.

[TyroneTam]

Yesterday highlighted the most under appreciated of the new rules, no pass back to the goal keeper. It's radically changed the defensive/safety first structure of football. I have a feeling we're gonna see a lot more teams have the balls to really push up on teams short kick outs.

This is turn will influence more long contested kick outs and increase the jeopardy and chaos that makes for the most entertaining games imo.

[Captain Scarlet]

I think it was mentioned earlier but Kerry got away with a soft free out or two under the pressure in the first 20 minutes.

Beirne was a bit excited at one stage but Murphy pulled ROD down for another. As the game wore on the Mayo lads controlled their tackling a bit more and it helped the ref a bit in terms of letting them at it fair and square.

[laoislad]

Down beat Donegal
Donegal beat Kerry
Armagh beat Donegal and win Ulster[18 year wait]
Tyrone beat Mayo
Rossies beat Mayo and win Connaught[7 year wait]
Monaghan beat Rossies
Louth beat Dublin
Louth nip armagh
Westmeath beat Louth to win Leinster[end 22 year wait]

Mayo beat Kerry to end a 75 year wait.


Madcap championship and a fitting end to an historic season.

Wicklow beat Down
Next curse to fix is Kildare (1928)
Then Waterford (1959)

I'm sure there are plenty of counties who have never even won one that need a curse broken just as much as those two counties.
Out of interest what is the longest drought from a county that won it before.? Hurling or football.

111 years since Laois won one 
What I'd give to see them win a Liam MacCarthy, won't be happening in my lifetime unfortunately.

[Captain Obvious]

Another vindication for the new rules. Hope coaches take note of the advantages of a high press

I don't agree.
The high press could have worked in the old rules too.
Only new rules that have had a positive impact, imo, are the solo-and-go and the dissent rule.
Up until this game, and maybe Mayo's SF too, most teams still played around the 2point arc - as opposed to the sideways across the 45 type play. The new rules were meant to bring in more kicking into the FF line, not much of that happens. There are more high balls into the midfield 8, but up until this game, it has been a case of the team with the tallest men win that midfield kickout battle. The Mayo intensity in the tackle was what won them possession and bucked the trend in that area, maybe that's the blueprint going forward, but it's also not new. Tyrone did it v Kerry in 03 for example, under the old rules.

2 pointers devalue goals.
I still don't agree with this fawning over of the new rules just because we got an excellent game of football. That match would have been just as good under the old rules.

The question I would ask is this. If there were no new rules, as we call them, would we still have the emergence of teams like Louth, Roscommon, Mayo, Westmeath and the slight dropping off of teams like Dublin, Donegal, Galway? I think we would.

None of that takes away from this fantastic game of football and fantastic result.

All fair points. On the bit in bold.  The FRC fronted by Jim Gavin main hope and dream was the return to the old traditional kick passing game and that hasn't happened.

Yesterday the team who kicked the least won.

Kerry kicked the ball 13 times from 42 plays forward. While Mayo 6 times from 39 plays.

Old rules and now new rules it's still mainly a through the hands game and Mayo scored 1-18 in that manner yesterday and 0-2 from foot passing scores.

[bennydorano]

2027 betting

Kerry 15/8
Donegal 5/1
Mayo 6/1
Armagh 15/2
Galway 9/1
Tyrone 9/1
Dublin 9/1

There's your ratings according to Betfair.

The team who gets the right combination of general luck, fewest injuries and kindest draw will win. Motivation is obviously huge, no way Mayo will replicate this AI run, Kerry ran on a fair bit of motivational spite & venom last year too.

[Armagh18]

2027 betting

Kerry 15/8
Donegal 5/1
Mayo 6/1
Armagh 15/2
Galway 9/1
Tyrone 9/1
Dublin 9/1

There's your ratings according to Betfair.

The team who gets the right combination of general luck, fewest injuries and kindest draw will win. Motivation is obviously huge, no way Mayo will replicate this AI run, Kerry ran on a fair bit of motivational spite & venom last year too.

Yeah absolutely, Moran spoke about Mayo having largely clean bill of health all year bar one or two, Kerry last year ironically their couple of injuries led them to stumbling into a brilliant midfield, was similar with us in 2024 losing Conor O'Neill and Mackin, McCambridge and Grimley stepped up and were fantastic. Alot Kerrys big players this year weren't just at themselves with lack of game time/fitness but they'll be back.