Why Galway Top Our Gaelic Football Power Rankings Based On 5 Key Metrics | Balls.ie

Then there were four.

The All-Ireland senior football semi-finals are scheduled for the weekend July 13/14, with Kerry taking on Armagh on the Saturday before Galway play Donegal on the Sunday.

The big story of the quarter finals was the Tribesmen’s elimination of Dublin which, for all intents and purposes, blows the championship wide open.

Galway may have beaten the favourites but they remain second favourites, according to the bookmakers at least.

Here are power rankings of the four teams still standing, based off the metrics of their manager, pedigree, bench boost, their momentum and the form of their key players.

4 Armagh

Manager: 7/10 – Kieran McGeeney has been described as an unlucky general in the past, particularly after a string of penalty shoot-out defeats. He will be eager to change that narrative.

Pedigree: 6/10 –  This will be their first semi-final since 2005 so Armagh fall down on this category. They lost that 2005 semi-final to Tyrone but defeated Donegal in 2003 and Dublin in 2002, on the way to their one and only All-Ireland win.

Bench boost: 10/10 – Their subs are consistently making big impacts, with Stefan Campbell, Aidan Nugent and the likes of Ross McQuillan and Oisin O’Neill ensuring that they finish games strongly. Their strength in depth is huge, with Connaire Mackin and Jason Duffy also having lots of experience.

Momentum: 9/10 – They have re-grouped spectacularly after their Ulster final loss via a penalty shoot-out and after wins over Westmeath, Derry, Roscommon and a draw with Galway that felt like a win, they have huge momentum on their side.

Form of key players: 8/10 – Rian O’Neill had an unusually quiet day against Roscommon but has been in flying form up to then. Conor Turbitt is having the season of his life and is in All-Star contention.

Overall score: 40/50.

3 Donegal

Manager: 9/10 – Jim McGuinness is seen as a messiah in Donegal and he has further enhanced that reputation this year. A quote from Peadar Mogan sums his impact up well.

“It’s the belief he instills. He has a brilliant way of coming across.”

Pedigree: 8/10 –  Donegal have won their last two semi-finals, in 2014 against Dublin and in 2012 against Cork. Both Paddy McBearty and Ryan McHugh featured in the 2014 win, with McHugh making the difference scoring 2-2.

Bench boost: 7/10 – Aaron and Odhran Doherty have arguably been their most influential subs though the re-introduction of both Ciaran Thompson and Daire O Baoill in the Ulster final indicates they mightn’t have the deepest of benches.

Oisin Gallen couldn’t miss v Louth. Sportsfile.

Momentum: 8/10 – The ultimately inconsequential loss to Cork is the only blot on their copybook to date.

Form of key players: 9/10 – Oisin Gallen is their key scorer and he was on fire against Louth as was key defender Peadar Mogan, who is now a real contender for Footballer of the Year.

Overall score: 41/50

2 Kerry

Manager: 10/10 – Jack O’Connor has been there, done that. He has won seven All-Ireland semi-finals, and is yet to lose one.

Pedigree: 10/10 – Kerry’s pedigree is undoubted and now that arch-rivals Dublin are gone, they will certainly fancy their chances of going all the way.

Bench boost: 8/10 – The influence of Killian Spillane and Cillian Burke off the bench was a huge positive for Kerry at the weekend.

Bench boost. Killian Spillane. Sportsfile.

Momentum: 7/10 – Tomás Ó Sé said Jack O’Connor would be ‘delighted’ with Sunday’s win over Derry and while it may be a good way to go into an All-Ireland semi-final, with few people talking about their last display, it wasn’t all that impressive.

Kerry struggled to break down Derry’s structured defence for a long time and failed to get their key men into the game.

Form of key players: 7/10 – Neither David Clifford or Sean O’Shea are firing on all cylinders so far, which has to be a big concern for the Kingdom.

Overall score: 42/50

1 Galway

Manager: 8/10 – Padraic Joyce has a good record as Galway manager, winning the last three Connacht titles.

He has won the only All-Ireland semi-final they have played in during his tenure, against Derry in ’22. He also has a strong record against Ulster teams, which will stand to them against Donegal.

Pedigree: 8/10 – The experience of beating Derry in the 2022 semi-final is a huge plus for Galway heading into the Donegal clash. They were well beaten in the 2018 sem-final by Dublin but that was a very different team, with Shane Walsh, Sean Kelly, Comer, Kieran Molloy and Johnny Heaney the only survivors.

Winning big games like those last three Connacht finals will also stand to them on this front.

Bench boost: 8/10 – Their bench has varied throughout the year due to injury concerns. But Cein Darcy, Daniel O’Flaherty and Tomo Culhane are now big options from the bench while Johnny Heaney brings experience.

Experience off the bench. Johnny Heaney kicked a key point against Dublin. Sportsfile.

Momentum: 10/10 – Beating Dublin has given Galway people huge confidence, belief and momentum. It was their biggest win under Joyce and their second half display is up there with legendary displays of the past such as the 1998 and 2001 finals, when Joyce himself was playing.

Form of key players: 9/10 – Cillian McDaid’s return to form and fitness is a huge boost. Damien Comer may not have been 100% fit against Dublin but he got through the full game none-the-less, which was a big plus. With apparent ankle and hamstring issues, Shane Walsh’s fitness is a massive concern, but his form is not. He showed glimpses of his very best last Saturday.

Overall score: 43/50

So there you have it, Galway are going to win the All-Ireland.