Amazingly, amid a mood of almost zero hype, the GAA championship throws in this weekend with the Leinster hurling round-robin starting and Roscommon playing New York in the Big Apple.
With that in mind, we present a new summer tradition: the GAA accumulator of the weekend. Here are our best bets.
- U21 final: Mayo to beat Cork
- Clare v Waterford: under 2.5 goals
- Kerry to beat Carlow
- Offaly to beat Westmeath
- New York +21
Here's why-
- Mayo: A sentimental bet, sure, but there's so much good will around Mayo following their semifinal win, it's hard to back against them. I know betting on Mayo to win silverware seems pretty dumb, but this is a well-coached team with heart.
- Clare v Waterford: Amazingly, Clare are slight underdogs here, even though they haven't lost in the League. Both teams were involved in goalfests in the league semifinals, but I see those matches as outliers. Expect Waterford to dictate the terms and a bit of caginess, with the rematch looming in five weeks,
- Roscommon v New York: Look, this is a shot in the dark. The best reasons to back NY are that Roscommon are playing in Gotham and New York have Johnny Glynn. Also 21 points is a tall order for any team not Dublin.
- Kerry and Offaly in hurling: Easy wins in the hurling to pad out the accumulator.
Two quid gets you 30 back. Easy money.