Weekend Gaelic football predictions and GAA betting tips: Sligo can keep in touch in Connacht decider

Best bets

Sligo +14
4pts 8-11 Boylesports 

Galway under 24.5 points
4pts 5-6 Paddy Power

Sean O'Shea to score nine points or more v Clare
2pts 7-4 Boylesports 

Weekend Gaelic football predictions

Galway v Sligo

1.45pm Sunday - RTÉ2

A 48th Connacht title would appear a foregone conclusion for Galway, given they are 1-40 with most firms to get the job done in 70 minutes against Sligo, but it may not be quite as straightforward as the betting suggests. 

It's hard to make a case for Galway suffering a shock loss but a single-figure margin rather than a double-digit one looks a more likely outcome. 

The draw has been very kind to Sligo and you won't get many easier passages to a provincial decider than beating London and New York. Even still, the Yeats County have won those games by 14 and 16 points respectively and, prior to that, were crowned Division 4 league champions with quite a polished win over Wicklow in the final. 

That was obviously at a much lower level than Galway have been operating at, but there is no way the Tribesmen will be fully wound up for a Connacht final with the All-Ireland series just around the corner. This is a case of getting the job done and moving on. 

This could be lower scoring than people think. Galway have a mean defence and conceded the fewest scores of all the teams in Division 1 of the league - 3-72. Their biggest concession was 1-11 against Mayo. 

Sligo haven't been coughing up much either. They kept five clean sheets in the league, albeit in the lowest division, and haven't conceded a goal against London or New York either. 

This could be cagey and, while Galway are likely to cruise to glory at the business end, they will be made to work for their scores. 

The two bets which appeal most on the coupon are Sligo with a 14-point handicap start and for Galway to score 24 points or fewer and both could oblige with a degree of comfort. 

Clare v Kerry

4pm Sunday - RTÉ2

Sean O'Shea scored seven points in Kerry's 20-point victory over Tipperary and he looks terrific value at 7-4 with Boylesports to score nine or more in the Munster final against Clare. 

The Banner boys have had to work hard to book their ticket to the provincial final, edging  Cork by a point and then digging deep to finally dispose of Limerick by three points last time. 

Colm Collins has done a remarkable job with Clare but it is hard to envisage them putting up any sort of resistance to All-Ireland champions Kerry, who might not have to accelerate out of second gear to secure a wide-margin win. 

O'Shea scored 0-10 in Kerry's provincial win over Cork last year and he is arguably the best free-taker in the business. He will punish Clare over and over again for any fouls inside the halfway line. 

Clare allowed Stephen Sherlock to score 0-10 in their minimum margin victory over Cork earlier in the Munster championship. Seven of those were from free and another from a 45 so expect O'Shea to get plenty of chances to rack up a big total. Odds of 7-4 for him to score nine or more look generous, especially with the prospect of him getting a goal. 

Kerry will be keen to find the back of the net having failed to do so in the win over Tipperary, but there is no real value in the goal markets.

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