Who’s it gonna be? Our All-Ireland final predictions

The GL team give their predictions for this Sunday’s All-Ireland final showdown between Kerry and Mayo…

Niall Gartland

For me, the GAA is all about the emotion, the camaraderie, the spectacle. I’m not something who looks at games through a microscopic lens, is what I’m trying to say.

So I won’t pretend to know precisely what Mayo need to do if they’re to end their infamous All-Ireland final hoodoo. In one respect, it’s not that complicated – put a strait-jacket around the Cliffords and Dylan Geaney and you’re bound to win. It’s a virtually impossible task, though.

My fear is that Kerry’s name is on the cup and that it could lead to a disappointingly one-sided encounter.

They were blessed to come through battle royales with Dublin and Tyrone, but the facts are the facts and they’re one game away from retaining the title.

If there’s a big performance in them, Mayo are goosed. And let’s be honest, they’ll be happy enough to see Mayo standing in their way of Sam.

The Connacht side have certainly turned a corner since their provincial semi-final horror show against Roscommon. They’ve improved considerably in such a short space of time, but I’d ask questions about the quality of their opposition. Cork are a fair distance away from the top table in my honest opinion, while Louth were perhaps over-awed in their first appearance in an All-Ireland semi-final in donkeys. An early injury to Craig Lennon was a bit of a disaster for the Wee County as well.

Perhaps it’s a free hit in a way. The pressure was massive when Mayo last took to the All-Ireland stage, fluffing their lines against Tyrone in 2021.

This time around it’s a newer Mayo team with fewer mental scars. Hopefully they give it everything because we really need a good final to wrap up the season. Still, it’s Kerry’s to lose.

Verdict: Kerry

Michael McMullan

The two most entertaining teams have reached Sunday’s final. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.

Kerry have scored 25 goals in league and championship, seven more than Mayo. Mayo’s tally of 52 two-pointers is six more than the Kingdom.

Kerry are going for title number 40 with Mayo aiming to bury 75 years worth of ghosts.

People might say Mayo can take a leaf out of Dublin’s defending – their narrow spine that pushed out as the play was spread. The Dubs did an excellent job of closing the number 13 corner David Clifford favours to shoot from. I can’t see Mayo investing everything in that.

The biggest takeaway of last year’s final was how Kerry battered Donegal in the middle third in terms of winning possession. This is where Mayo need to fight fire with fire.

They also have the advantage of having Paddy Tally in their ranks, someone who knows the Kingdom mentality. More importantly, he’ll know how Jack O’Connor ticks.

I just see Kerry as having the ace cards across the middle giving them enough to keep their inside line supplied. Kerry’s preparations will be about starving McDonald, O’Donoghue and Beirne of ball.

That said, I’d love to see Mayo ending their famine. That’s nothing against Kerry. I just think it would be excellent for the game.

Verdict: Kerry

Shaun Casey
Like any neutral watching on this Sunday, I’d love to see Mayo finally get over the line in an All-Ireland final, but I can’t let my heart overrule my head.

When it comes to the bit, I just can’t see it. I certainly give them a chance of rattling a few Kingdom cages, but they’ll need Kerry to have an off day and everything would need to go right for Andy Moran’s men. They definitely have the firepower to put the reigning champions on the backfoot and ask them plenty of questions, but it’s the other areas of the field that concern me.

Jack O’Connor has filled his midfield with absolute monsters and no team has been able to deal with their sheer size and physicality to date.

Then you have their attacking prowess and it just seems impossible to stop their forward line. If you tie up one of their stars, another one will come to the fore.

Tyrone marked David Clifford relatively well and he finished with 1-8. Dublin done wonderfully on the current Footballer of the Year and he still grabbed 1-5.

I think Mayo will have to go after Paudie Clifford as well as his younger brother, instead of letting him roam free like last year’s final, but that’s easier said than done. All in all, I do think Mayo have a puncher’s chance, but they’ll need everything to go their way. Ultimately though, I think Kerry could run away with it in the end.

Verdict: Kerry