It’s do-or-die time in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Kerry vs Armagh
- Venue: Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
- Date & Time: Saturday, June 20, 16:00
- TV: GAA+
– View our Gaelic Games markets
A blockbuster tie to get round three of the All-Ireland Series underway on Saturday and thus leads to the fact that one of these sides will be out of the championship with defeat. A repeat of the 2025 quarter final where Kerry excelled in a fifteen-minute scoring spree where they rattled off 0-14 without reply.
Kerry arrive here off the back of a solid seventy-minute display against Kildare with a 3-22 to 0-17 victory while on the other hand Armagh were seconds away from a quarter-final until Sam Mulroy lofted a high ball in on top of Ethan Rafferty which squirmed through his hands and into the net.
Kerry
Last weekend it was more the Kerry of old as they ignited their All-Ireland title defence with a routine victory. They were helped with a strong wind early, but they were quick out of the blocks and raced into a six-point lead. Scores came from all over the field but without doubt Jack O’Connor will be pleased by the return of players from injury and a vital seventy minutes in their legs.
David Clifford, Diarmuid O’Connor and Gavin White all found the net for the Kingdom, and they looked back to the form that yielded Sam Maguire success last year.
Armagh
The ebbs and flows of the championship were etched on the faces of Armagh fans on Sunday lunchtime. From jubilation to despair in seconds and now a trip to Killarney was something they never expected. The mistakes late on from Armagh proved costly as Aidan Forker went for a shot that maybe on another day he would have held possession.
Handling errors following that proved costly as Louth raced up field and grabbed the winner. Armagh will take heart that Donegal have gone to Killarney this year and have come away with a victory. Ross Mc Quillan (0-04) and Jarly Og Burns (0-03) were immense for Armagh, but they will need much more from the likes of Conor Turbitt (0-02) and Oisin Conaty (1-01) who were kept relatively quiet on the afternoon.
Prediction
Home advantage looks to be key for Kerry, and they look like they are moving into a groove that might take some stopping this year. It will be the game of the weekend, and David Clifford will be one of the main stars for Kerry if they are to get back to Croke Park. He scored (0-07) when the sides met at the quarter final stage last year and similar this weekend will see the same result.
Verdict: Kerry 2-21 Armagh 1-19
Best Bets: Kerry Winning Margin 4-6 (4/1)
First Goalscorer: David Clifford
Mayo vs Meath
- Venue: Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar
- Date & Time: Saturday, June 20, 18:15
- TV: GAA+
Thirty years on from the famous All-Ireland Final replay, Mayo and Meath will renew rivalries once again. Mayo were on the end of a one-point defeat to Tyrone in Omagh while Meath went to Celtic Park and came out with an impressive four-point win over Derry. Both sides will look on this as a major opportunity to get to Croke Park, and it could become somewhat of a shootout.
Mayo
Following on from what was a big win in Clones for Mayo against Monaghan they came into the clash against Tyrone full of confidence and the first half proved to be point for point all the way to the break. They were level for the fifth time on twenty minutes and went in at half time eight points apiece. Kobe McDonald was again instrumental in some of the scores Mayo got along with three of his own.
The big talking point from the game was towards the end, Sam Callinan racing through on goal and opts for the point rather than firing it low and hard towards the goal. Playing the percentages was costly as Niall Morgan kicked the two pointer to seal victory for Tyrone. They will need to be as good if not better this weekend to see off a plucky Meath side.
Meath
A banana skin tie for Meath as they went to Derry on Saturday evening, but they impressed in a four-point victory and will go to Castlebar in top form. Donal Keoghan (1-02) rolled back the years with a man of the match performance while Bryan Menton (0-03) and James Conlon (0-07) also shone.
Jordan Morris (0-02) and Eoghan Frayne (0-01) were kept quiet for most of the game and if they can get their hands on ball this weekend then they will look to put Meath into a quarter final. Meath have lacked consistency this year, but they are hitting stride now at the right time and will undoubtedly be a tough nut to crack for Mayo.
Prediction
This game looks like it could be a shootout and could see it going right to the wire. Both sides have forwards with scoring power, and both benches could have an effect on the game also. Mayo were exposed for goal opportunities against Monaghan and while they closed the door on that a little at the weekend, Meath like to play the running game and could put them under pressure.
Verdict
Mayo 1-19 Meath 2-17
Best Bets: Meath Winning Margin 1-3 (4/1)
First Goalscorer: Jordan Morris
