Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney.James Lawlor/INPHO AnalysisReport Card How will eliminated teams reflect on 2025 Sam Maguire exit? Monaghan, Dublin, Galway and Armagh all departed at the quarter-final stage over the weekend. 6.01am, 1 Jul 2025 Share options One year on from their Sam Maguire success, Armagh exit the championship at the quarter-final stage. A strong first-half showing against Kerry produced a one-point lead at the break. But a blistering 15-minute period in which Kerry scored 14 unanswered points saw Armagh lose their crown in emphatic fashion. That brings an end to a trophyless season for Kieran McGeeney’s side. They reached the Ulster final for the third year in a row, but it was also a third consecutive loss as Armagh continue their search for a first provincial crown since 2008. The positives for Armagh this year are that they won their round-robin group for the third year on the bounce. Victories over Derry and Dublin ultimately propelled them straight into the All-Ireland quarter-final, although they did lose their last game against Galway after leading by eight points at half-time. All-Star Rian O’Neill’s return to the squad after stepping away for a spell was another huge boost. Losing impact sub Stefan Campbell to injury before the Kerry game was certainly a blow although it is hard to gauge how much he could have altered the outcome, such was the extent of Kerry’s second-half dominance. The manner of that implosion will be the most disappointing aspect of Armagh’s exit. Galway's John Maher after their defeat to Meath.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Advertisement Neither of last year’s All-Ireland finalists will be involved in the 2025 semi-finals. Galway looked to have overturned Meath on Sunday after hitting 2-3 in five minutes to take a two-point lead into the final 10 minutes. But a second Meath goal moments later was the final momentum-swinger, as Galway limped out of the championship. Pádraic Joyce is now six years at the helm and although he says he won’t make any “rash decisions” about his future, his plans for 2026 will be a burning question in the coming months. He may feel he has further to travel with the team having achieved a Connacht four-in-a-row as well as two All-Ireland final appearances. Galway’s recent schedule of games could have been a factor in their error-strewn display against Meath. They travelled to Breffni Park to face Armagh before another big trip to Newry for their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Down the following week. Galway have also struggled to produce complete performances at times. They let an eight-point lead slip against Mayo in the Connacht final and were 10 points clear at half-time against Down before squeezing over the line by two. Paul Conroy was Footballer of the Year last year but his role changed as the championship progressed. Speaking after Conroy came on as a sub in their win over Armagh, Joyce said, “Paul is pushing 36 years of age, he can’t keep Galway going his own the whole time. He needs a bit of help.” Damien Comer had another injury-ravaged season in 2025. His absence allowed newcomer Matthew Thompson flourish but Comer’s absence was keenly felt against Meath, and his introduction off the bench couldn’t save their season. Dessie Farrell during Dublin's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO For the second year in a row, Dublin have failed to progress beyond the All-Ireland quarter-final stage. And for the first time in 15 years, Dublin also sign off without a Leinster title to their name. Change has been coming for Dublin in recent years and that trend continued in 2025. James McCarthy and Brian Fenton both retired while Michael Fitzsimons, Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey all stepped away. John Small initially left the panel too but his return brought some respite before a shock Leinster semi-final defeat to Meath. Dublin recovered from that setback with victory over Galway in the round-robin series thanks to a Tom Lahiff buzzer-beater in Salthill, but a five-point defeat to Armagh left them needing a win over Derry in order to progress from the ‘Group of Death.’ They eventually shook off Cork in the preliminary quarter-final but wilted in the final quarter at the weekend against Tyrone. They trailed by just one point with five minutes remaining, but lost by seven. Cormac Costello took Tyrone for six points but it was Malachy O’Rourke’s who profited from the two-pointers, hitting five in all while Dublin failed to raise an orange flag. They’ve struggled to incorporate that scoring feature into their game this year. This has been a difficult season overall for Dublin and as they look to 2026, they must also begin the search for a new manager following the departure of two-time All-Ireland-winning boss Dessie Farrell. Disappointed Monaghan players after their loss to Donegal.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO A Division 2 title coupled with topping their round-robin series group makes 2025 a prosperous season for Monaghan. Gabriel Bannigan brought continuity as the new manager having previously served as selector under Vinny Corey. An additional boost was the return of Rory Beggan, missed last year’s league campaign to pursue an opportunity to break through to the NFL. The Scotstown goalkeeper was a natural fit with the new two-pointer rule, and kicked 26 in total this year. He finished as Monaghan’s overall top scorer with 0-59 while captain Micheál Bannigan came in just behind on 4-46. Monaghan won five of their seven league games before defeating Roscommon in the final. They outscored their Connacht opponents by 1-6 to 0-1 in an impressive final quarter and mark a swift return to Division 1. They rallied from seven points down in their Ulster quarter-final against Donegal to trail by just two as the clock approached the 70-minute mark. There was some controversy at full-time as Monaghan felt they had the ball in play from a sideline but referee David Coldrick called the game to an end. The second meeting between the sides also ended in a Donegal victory, but this time it was Monaghan who held the advantage at half-time after a Micheál Bannigan goal helped them into a seven-point lead. Monaghan, however, will be disappointed by how they were overpowered by the Ulster champions in the second half of the All-Ireland quarter-final. They could only manage five more points while Donegal soared with 1-15 to march on to the semi-finals. 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