Get on Galway at 8-1 to end 43-year wait for top league honours

Best bets

Galway to win Division 1
2pts 8-1 bet365 

Kerry to be relegated from Division 1
1pt 40-1 BoyleSports

Cork to win Division 2
1pt 9-2 bet365, Coral 

Down to win Division 3
5pts 11-10 general

Leitrim to win Division 4
2pts 7-1 BoyleSports 

League outright previews 

Aston Villa were the top dogs of English football the last time Galway won a Division 1 league title. It was way back in 1981, but everything looks in place for the Tribesmen to end a 43-year drought in 2024 and it is well worth snapping up the 8-1 available about it happening. 

Only two teams have beaten Galway in the league since 2021 and both hail from Connacht. Roscommon beat them in the final round of Division 2 group games in 2022 and repeated the feat in the final, while the Rossies were the only side to beat Galway in the group stages of Division 1 last year too. A single point separated the sides in round two and then Mayo beat them in the top-tier decider, but they beat Kerry, Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh to get there and they are one of the few counties in the division with some stability as it is Padraic Joyce's fourth year in charge. 

Dublin's most recent All-Ireland title will surely take the edge off them this spring so the 9-4 makes no appeal whatsoever, while it is hard to envisage Jack O'Connor playing the Clifford brothers in each of Kerry's league outings given the amount they played in 2023 for both club and county, so 11-4 is not attractive either.

It is hard to know how manager Mickey Harte will go down in Derry, while his old county Tyrone could struggle this year too. Roscommon and Monaghan would be more than happy just to fight off relegation. Mayo won the league last year and it didn't exactly help their championship challenge as they suffered a 12-point hammering to Dublin at the quarter-final stage, and it will be interesting to see whether Kevin McStay is as interested in spring silverware in his second year in charge. 

That leaves us with Galway, who will be ravenous than most given how long they have gone without league silverware.

There is a theory that Galway's prolonged league campaign last year also impacted their championship chances, but it's hard to accept that. There has also been talk of a long injury list, but the have a large panel who are the right age and capable of competing for top honours. 

If Damien Comer and Shane Walsh are able to start the majority of matches, along with Rob Finnerty, Galway will have one of the most dangerous attacking units in the division. Hopefully Matthew Tierney will be back in the fold sooner rather than later too.  

Liam Silke and Sean Kelly will be losses in the opening few rounds, but they should cope in their absence and they should claim maximum points from their opener at home to Mayo, which will tee them up nicely for the remainder of the campaign.

Cillian O Curraoin caught the eye in the FBD League, scoring six points against Leitrim. He looks classy and ready to be thrown in at the deep end. Liam Ó Conghaile is another potential star for Galway. They have more going for them than most other sides in Division 1 and 8-1 makes plenty of appeal. 

This might sound ridiculous, but 40-1 about Kerry being relegated is way too big. The Kingdom have been in Division 1 for 21 years, but without the Clifford brothers they are not vastly superior to any of the teams in the division. The league won't be a priority for O'Connor and it wouldn't be a surprise if they were beaten at home by Derry in round one. 

Armagh and Donegal dominate the Division 2 market, but Cork look the value  at 9-2. 

John Cleary concocted championship wins over Mayo and Roscommon during his first year in charge. They lost out narrowly to Kerry and weren't disgraced against Derry in the quarter-final either. The Rebels are rising again. 

Cork being without Sean Powter, Brian Hurley, Kevin O'Donovan and Steven Sherlock for the early rounds of the league makes life tough, and an away trip to Donegal in round one is not ideal, but they have the necessary tools to go deep in Division 2 and look overpriced. 

Down are another side on a surge and should be odds-on to win Division 3. They missed out on promotion last year on score difference before suffering a Tailteann Cup final defeat to Meath, so 2023 was a year of near-misses for the Mourne men, but they can kick off 2024 in style by lifting league silverware.

Finally, the acquisition of Mickey Graham as Andy Moran's right-hand man in Leitrim is a masterstroke. A minimum-margin loss to Sligo in the final round of group matches cost them promotion last year. They are nearly there, and Graham might just be the man to get them over the line. 

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