Former Kerry boss disagrees with bookies on All-Ireland favourites

The draw for the All-Ireland quarter-finals has been made, with Armagh v Kerry, Tyrone v Dublin, Meath v Galway, and Monaghan v Donegal.

In what is the most open competition for years, with all teams fancying their chances to lift the Sam Maguire, we have been given four cracking fixtures on paper.

Donegal are favourites for the All-Ireland title and are currently at 10/3, with holders Armagh at 4/1 alongside Galway, while Kerry, who had to come through a preliminary quarter-final against Cavan after a heavy defeat to Meath, are at 9/2.

Former Kingdom boss, Eamonn Fitzmaurice, has given his views on the games, and disagrees with the bookies on who ‘the team to beat’ are.

Speaking about Kerry’s game with the Orchard County, he said: “I think they needed the games. Particularly how they played against Meath the previous weekend, they were better off having a game and flushing it out of their system.

“Maybe they wouldn’t have expected to come through the preliminary quarter-finals and they have a few injuries, but there are no excuses from here on in.

“Armagh are the team to beat at the moment, but that opposition is right for Kerry. Certainly the way they played the league game kind of inspired them to go to new levels in the middle of March (Kerry won by 10 points), so I’d be hoping from a Kerry perspective it will be something similar next weekend.”

He added: “Galway are the perfect example of a team coming in really battle-hardened, versus a fresh Meath team.

“Meath are not going to be afraid of them with the way that they have been playing, similar to Monaghan. They played Donegal in the Ulster Championship and there was only two points in it at the end.

“I remember Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan after that game was very disappointed how his team played in the first half, as they were down six points at the break. Again you have a team coming with energy against a team slightly fatigued so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a shock somewhere between those two games in particular.”