All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final: Best bets for Armagh vs Galway plus a £30 Sky Bet free bet offer

Sky Bet are offering £30 in free bets when you bet on the All-Ireland final. You can grab your free bets here. 

We’ve included instructions on how to claim your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch Armagh vs Galway

BBC Two & RTE2, 3.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Galway
4pts 11-10 bet365

Galway -2
2pts 11-5 BoyleSports

Galway over 1.5 goals
2pts 7-2 BoyleSports

Already advised (April 5)

Galway to win All-Ireland Championship
1pt each-way 14-1 BoyleSports 

Robert Finnerty Footballer of the Year
0.5pt 150-1 BoyleSports

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New customers can bet on Armagh vs Galway here and get £30 in free bets with Sky Bet

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final predictions

There's a novel final pairing in the All-Ireland football final as for only the second time in a dozen years neither Dublin nor Kerry have reached the final and the stage is set for a stunning showdown between two counties gasping to end droughts of more than two decades. 

Galway last lifted the Sam Maguire in 2001, while Armagh's sole success was the following year. 

The layers are finding it hard to separate the pair and bet365 go 11-10 about Galway winning in 70 minutes with Armagh 6-5, but there is no way the Tribesmen should be odds against. That's terrific value. 

The thing that keeps cropping up in these games is Padraic Joyce's record against Ulster opposition and it now stands at 15 wins and three draws from 21 games. That is pretty sensational and it could have been even more impressive as they were by far the better team against Armagh in the group stages of the All-Ireland last year, while they also threw away a league relegation play-off game against Monaghan in 2021. Those 15 wins should be 17. 

Joyce's style of play suits Ulster football and we saw that in all its glory in the All-Ireland semi-final when Galway managed the game beautifully against Donegal. 

Imagine being told at the start of that tussle that Damien Comer and Shane Walsh would basically be anonymous for the whole game, and both would be taken off. You would have given Galway no chance, but they have matured into a proper team this year, not just a bunch of individuals. 

What they also have is recent experience of an All-Ireland final. They were level with Kerry going into the closing ten minutes of the 2022 decider, but were outclassed in the dying embers of that duel. 

That experience could be absolutely crucial as there is a chance the occasion could get to Armagh. My big fear for the Orchard County is that they will be paralysed by fear. 

Much has been made of Kieran Donaghy being part of Kieran McGeeney's set-up, but maybe not enough has been made of Cian O'Neill and John Divilly's influence with Galway. They have made them extremely hard to beat. 

Sean Kelly coming back into Galway's starting line-up is a huge boost. Even if he is only 90 per cent fit, his engine and clever use of the ball will be a big asset to the Tribesmen. He gives them an extra dimension. 

Rob Finnerty has been a reliable point-builder for Galway all season, scoring 1-33, so if he can continue his fine campaign and Joyce can squeeze a bit more juice out of Walsh and Comer, Armagh could struggle to cope with that firepower. 

Cillian McDaid has proved himself to be a big-game player. He was superb in the 2022 final and bossed the second-half fightback against Dublin this year, while John Maher has been the find of the season. He helps to gel things together beautifully and is all set for another big showing. 

Rory Grugan and Rian O'Neill are the key men for Armagh. Grugan didn't score against Kerry, but he was a tremendous provider while O'Neill's long-distance shooting was out of this world. Joyce will be well aware that if you quell the influence of that duo, you go a long way towards winning the game. 

Galway can end their 23-year wait for All-Ireland silverware and, not only are they worth backing at 11-10 in the straight win market, take the 11-5 about them winning by three points or more. 

Galway will go after goals, especially in the opening period if Comer can win possession close to the posts, and odds of 7-2 about them netting twice seems like outstanding value. Galway could take this game by four or more points. 

Armagh vs Galway specials best bets

First half to be higher-scoring half
4pts 13-8 bet365 

Both teams to score a goal in each half
1pt 50-1 Paddy Power 

John Maher over 1.5 points
1pt 11-4 BoyleSports

John Maher RTE Man of the Match
1pt 16-1 BoyleSports, Paddy Power

John Maher Footballer of the Year
1pt 16-1 BoyleSports

Armagh vs Galway specials predictions

The first half has been the higher-scoring period in Galway's last two outings, yet you can get 13-8 about that happening again in the All-Ireland final. 

In Galway's gutsy win over Donegal, 62.5 per cent of the scores came before the break (20 out of 32), while it was 55 per cent (16 out of 28) in their shock success over Dublin at the quarter-final stage. 

What makes the bet even more appealing is the fact that both teams are best when defending a lead, so we could see a scenario where either side is two or three points in front with ten minutes to go in the match and they will try to hold on to what they have rather than go for the jugular. 

We saw that in the Ulster final when Armagh soared into a 0-15 to 0-11 lead in the second half but sat back and conceded the last four scores to Donegal. In that provincial decider, 63 per cent of the scores (19 out of 30) arrived in the first half. 

This is an All-Ireland final that could close up rather than open up as the minutes tick by and 13-8 about the first half being higher-scoring looks a corking bet. 

John Maher is a player to watch in the individual markets. But for Dylan McHugh's heroics in the semi-final, he might have been the choice for RTE's Man of the Match award as he seemed to be everywhere that day. 

He has been the surprise package of the championship with the way he has been moulded into this Galway team. He is the link man in a lot of their attacks and picks up a huge amount of breaking balls around the middle third. 

Armagh have a terrific record at keeping marquee forwards quiet. David Clifford was anonymous for much of the semi-final and they will likely try to suffocate Shane Walsh and Damien Comer. 

That could see Maher prosper from further out and he is worth a small wager at 16-1 to be man of the match.

If he gets that, it could be enough to see him win the Footballer of the Year award as well. He has had a superb championship campaign and the final often determines where that award goes. 

Maher has scored in the wins over Dublin and Donegal and looks a big price at 11-4 to bag two or more points in the final. 

Finally, one cheeky wager at a huge price. Paddy Power are going 50-1 about a goal being scored by both teams in each half and that looks about double the price it should be. 

Neither side have been serial goal-getters of late, but finals can sometimes take on a life of their own and it is worth remembering that Armagh and Galway have each scored ten championship goals. It might be more open than expected. 

Get £30 in free bets when you place a bet with Sky Bet

We’ve already mentioned that Sky Bet are offering £30 in free bets when you place a bet on Armagh vs Galway.

Here is how you can claim this Sky Bet £30 free betting offer when you place a qualifying bet.

• Head over to Sky Bet through this link to sign up
• Click the sign-up button and follow the process to fill in your details
• Place a single or each-way bet of at least 5p (£0.05)
• Once your qualifying bet settles, 3x £10 free bets will be automatically credited to your account
• Note that your 4x £10 free bets apply to different markets, so ensure you read full T&Cs

Sky Bet betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Sky Bet betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

The promotion from Sky Bet gives you 3x £10 free bet tokens. It’s worth taking a minute to read through the T&Cs of this offer.

• New customers only 
• Offer applies to first single & each-way bet only
• 5p (£0.05) minimum stake. Odds of 1-1 (Evs) or greater
• 3x £10 bet tokens
• Free bet stakes not included in returns
• Free bets exclude virtuals
• bets are non withdrawable
• Free bets expire after 30 days
• Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply. Visit Sky Bet for more details
• 18+. For more info visit Gambleaware.org

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