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GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship continues this weekend with quarter-final action and we have predictions, betting tips and more!

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A place in the All-Ireland semi-finals is up for grabs this weekend & our GAA ambassador Diarmuid Connolly is here to provide predictions, tips & more with Leon Blanche.

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DERRY VS CLARE

Derry and Clare head to the capital next weekend for the All-Ireland quarter-final and Dublin legend Diarmuid Connolly fancies Derry to avoid a potential banana skin against Clare.

He said: “This could potentially be a banana skin for Derry here. Clare are full value for being in the last eight in this competition for the first time in a long time. They beat Meath in the first round of the qualifiers and then beat Roscommon, who were a good side.”

“This Clare team are a balanced side and I think they will give Derry all they want. But Derry are superior. They met in the league and the Ulster men beat the Banner by nine points. I don’t think that will change a whole pile here. I honestly think Derry will beat Clare by six points or more.

“They are putting up good scores, but they are very mean at the back too. Gareth McKinless marshals that number 6 position so well and he is the one who drives them forward when they turn the ball over.”

“I went for Benny Heron the last day to be the first goalscorer and he got two goals in the Ulster semi-final so I’m sticking with him again here.”

DUBLIN VS CORK

He said: “Dublin are a short 1/33 to win this match so I expect them to win comfortably. Cork were beaten easily in the Munster semi-final by Kerry and they only scored 11 points that day. That scoring is not going to be good enough against the Dubs in Croke Park, we all know that.

“The struggled to beat Louth and only won by 4 points in the end and then came up against Limerick where they won by 5 points, but they just haven’t been great in any of their games. They have got into the lead but let teams back in and if Dublin get a lead on them, then it’s all-over early doors as they will wipe them out.

“Dublin put up a huge score of 5-17 against Kildare in the Leinster final and to score 5 goals in any match is brilliant. The big thing for me is Fenton and Lahiff in midfield, they are solidified now with James McCarthy dropping to the right half back position. Con O’Callaghan and Cormac Costello on the inside are on fire at the moment so for first goalscorer it’s between them two.

“I think the Dubs can beat them by 12 points or more with the huge scores they have been getting. Cork have been struggling, at the back at least.”

GALWAY VS ARMAGH

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Connolly has backed Armagh’s strong resurgence of form to win them a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Kieran McGeeney’s side hit three goals when knocking out Ulster rivals Donegal to tee up a Croke Park quarter-final on Sunday week and they have been made odds-on favourites to overcome Connacht champions Galway.

“Armagh are absolutely flying,” Connolly told BoyleSports. “They beat the All-Ireland champions and they ended up hammering Donegal, but the game was really over by half-time.

“This Armagh team have put in a savage amount of work, they all look like they’re bursting out of their jerseys and hopping off the ground. Aidan Forker was immense and Rian O’Neill ran the show.

“The way O’Neill controls the game is very good. He knows when to go, he knows when to slow it down a small bit. That range of kick passing he has is great. I was up at the Tyrone game later in the league and he hit a ball from about 60 yards over the top and it was on a sixpence.

“And similarly, from the throw-in against Donegal, one long kick pass in and there’s a goal. He knows how to play football, 100%!”

“Galway have Shane Walsh and Damian Comer back fully fit and Paul Conroy has been their go to forward, but Armagh have enough to edge it.”

KERRY VS MAYO

Connolly has said Mayo’s plan to nullify David Clifford could end their bid for a first All-Ireland title since 1951.

Mayo needed two late goals from Oisin Mullin and Jordan Flynn to seal a place in the quarter-finals at the expense of Kildare, but they must now overcome favourites Kerry to keep alive hopes of ending their lengthy Sam Maguire drought.

But Connolly believes any attempts to keep David Clifford quiet may backfire on James Horan’s men, who were well beaten by the Kingdom in the National League final earlier this season.

“Padraig O’Hora got the run around in the National League final against David Clifford,” Connolly told BoyleSports. “I don’t think they’re going to leave Clifford one-on-one with anyone this time. Mayo may have to drop a couple of men back and try to hit this Kerry team on the counter-attack.

“David Clifford is Kerry’s captain, their talisman, even though he hasn’t come up against any major defender yet. However, you also have five forwards around him who can do just as much damage and if Mayo do put two or three men on him, there will be two or three free men somewhere else. That’s my big worry for Mayo and that’s where the Kerry team could get joy.

“Kerry blew Limerick out of the water in the Munster Final, while Mayo struggled to get past both Monaghan and Kildare. This will be a little bit of a test for Kerry as they haven’t had a game in Munster, but many people want a Kerry v Dublin semi-final and I expect we’ll get it.”

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More about the author:
Diarmuid Connolly is a six time GAA All-Ireland Football winner with Dublin. During his illustrious career he also won two All-Star awards. He retired from inter-county football in October 2020.

The 6′ 1″ forward still plays for club team, St Vincent’s, with whom he won five Dublin Senior Football Championship titles.

Connolly also won ten Leinster Senior Football Championships with St. Vincent’s as well as four National Football League titles.

He also joined the Dublin hurling panel as a dual player where he won an U21 Leinster medal.

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