IT’S ALMOST SIX weeks since the championship began and following this weekend’s action we’ve seen the majority of the sides in action at least once.
Here are the six sides that have impressed the most in the opening rounds.
1. Donegal
The transition to life under Rory Gallagher has been seamless and Donegal look to have retained the hunger that they had under Jim McGuinness.
If anything, Donegal seem to have got better under Gallagher. When they go forward to attack they always seem destined to score, and they now have a powerful bench to supplement the side when games are in the melting pot.
They didn’t have this luxury previously. After a sticky opening round win over Tyrone in Ballybofey, Donegal blew Armagh out of the water at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday.
The McHugh brothers have been brilliant, Mark’s addition to the squad has added another very flexible option to the side, and Frank McGlynn has been superb driving forward from wing-back.
Odhrán MacNiallais has also emerged as a real leader in the side from centre-forward. A fourth Ulster title in five years seems inevitable.
2. Westmeath
Following their relegation from Division Two of the league and manager Tom Cribbin’s comments about the lack of leadership being shown by his senior players, the 2015 season looked like being a write-off for Westmeath.
Cribbin seems to have turned things around in the Lake County however. An opening round win over Louth was followed by a fine victory over Wexford in the Leinster quarter-final. It is their ability to score in flurries and effectively sucker-punch their opposition that has been most impressive.
Against Louth they were leading by a point in the 37th minute, but within four minutes they opened up a seven point gap and strolled to victory from there.
Against Wexford things were a little tighter. The Slaneysiders led by two with 10 minutes to go, but a burst of 1-9 without reply saw them ease to an emphatic victory.
Their full-forward line has contributed 4-23 in just two games, with Shane Dempsey and John Heslin particularly impressive.
3. Kildare
It could have been all so different had Tommy Moolick not rescued a replay in the dying moments of Kildare’s first clash with Laois in O’Connor Park, but the Lilywhites have pushed on and made the most of their second opportunity.
Kildare were simply insatiable against the O’Moore men in the second half of their Leinster quarter-final and it was the first time all year that the whole side has actually clicked.
Every forward apart from Alan Smith scored from play, and Paul Cribbin and Gary White battled well against a powerful Laois midfield.
The large winning margin can be accredited to their nine-minute salvo of 2-5 without reply but after being relegated in the league they will be happy with any kind of win.
The Dubs await in a Leinster semi-final, so avoiding a drubbing should be the first thought in Jason Ryan’s mind ahead of that game.
4. Monaghan
The Farney men started the season as favourites for Ulster because of their placement on the perceived easier side of the draw, but Donegal’s performances have made them the overwhelming bookies’ favourites.
Monaghan’s one-point win over Cavan was achieved partly thanks to the guile and brilliance of Conor McManus, but also the apparent confidence they held over their opponents, believing that they would always win.
Monaghan brought on Colin Walshe and Dick Clerkin when they needed inspiration around the field during that encounter, and they duly provided it.
Cavan’s blanket defence was tough to play against, but Conor McManus exploited the lack of cover on the left hand-side of the Cavan defence to slot two points from play.
An Ulster final date with Donegal looks a probable and tantalising fixture.
5. Mayo
Plenty has been said about this Mayo side missing their opportunity in the last number of years to win an All-Ireland, but there is still genuine confidence there that they can make the breakthrough this year.
Shane Curran talked of the Kerry bench being much stronger than Mayo’s on RTÉ Radio last night, but his accusation is wide of the mark.
Kerry’s bench last night is not likely to be as strong for the Munster final as James O’Donoghue and Donnacha Walsh are certainly in their best XV.
Mayo brought on Barry Moran, Ger Cafferkey, Alan Dillon, Donal Vaughan and Mark Ronaldson against Galway to help see the game out and they take nothing away from the team when they come on. Moran, Cafferkey and Vaughan are the sort of players that any side in the country would love to have in their squad.
Aidan O’Shea will prove a handful for any full-back in the country in his new full-forward role, while also dominating midfield when required there.
Although Mayo relied on the scoring prowess of Cillian O’Connor from frees, the majority of those frees were given away inside positions where Mayo could have easily scored from play.
6. Dublin
It’s hard to ignore a 27-point win no matter what the quality of the opposition Dublin faced. Longford were incredibly poor on their trip to Croke Park but the Dubs blew them away with utter ruthlessness.
When you analyse the Dublin performance from that day and consider that Michael Darragh MacAuley, Rory O’Carroll, Alan Brogan, Cian O’Sullivan and James McCarthy didn’t start, you have to admire the talent this Dublin side possess.
From the supremely talented, but underachieving side of last year they have effectively added Dean Rock, Brian Fenton, John Small and David Byrne to the main core of the team and they look even better equipped now.
This Dublin side have at least two top level players that can cover each position on the pitch in case of injuries. The problem for Jim Gavin is which players he selects in his match-day 26, let alone starting XV.