ALL THE USUAL disclaimers apply to this sort of thing.
There’s not much between all the teams left in the All-Ireland senior football title race, but some have to be ranked above others.
And so ahead of a huge weekend of Gaelic football action, we present to you our power rankings.
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8. Cork
The only side in this group that either didn’t play their football in division 1 or win promotion to it in 2023, there must be a slight surprise internally that everything has turned around so well for Cork.
Given how tactically savvy Roscommon are, beating them in front of a raucous Pairc Ui Chaoimh crowd was a serious coup for John Cleary. The appetite of their forward ranks and their willingness to not allow Roscommon have the ball with a level of comfort shows they are on the same page.
That can be powerful gear. But they are still a work in progress.
7. Monaghan
The cockroaches of Gaelic football continue their survival act. Having lost twice and drawn one game, they are hanging in. We place Armagh just slightly above them here; the majority of the thinking is based on the bodies of work to date.
They have perfected the art of late runs in games and how best to blend in substitutes.
The lack of urgency when they were favourites to beat Donegal in final group game looks starkly at odds with the effort they made to finally surge past Kildare, to nab that late goal winner against Tyrone, to kick that final point from Karl O’Connell that earned a draw against Derry.
6. Armagh
Rian O’Neill’s return this weekend just pushes them above Monaghan, though they have a poor recent record against their neighbours.
If you want to split hairs, they played four games in Ulster and lost none of them, the Ulster final being decided by penalties.
They showed excellent escapology talents in wriggling out of the Westmeath chains and their win over Galway hinted at a growing composure, but a critical change of philosophy when they decided on a mid-season switch to a more offensive style with pressing the opposition kickout.
Their only defeat came when they lost O’Neill to a red card. They owe it to themselves not to throw away this opportunity.
5. Tyrone
Not perfect against Donegal, but they certainly produced a performance more in keeping with Tyrone’s standards.
The sight of Kerry jersies will have them leaping out of their skin and all the old reliable qualities of Tyrone when cast as the underdog should be in plentiful supply this Saturday.
Unleashing Ruairí Canavan and giving him a start against Donegal gives us a glimpse of something slightly raw but inflammatory and a defender’s nightmare. His brother Darragh has become an ornament on the game this season, while their full-back line, goalkeeper and midfield is excellent.
They are a better ‘team’ than Kerry. But Kerry have the human cheat code, David Clifford.
4. Derry
Six games in the championship, one draw.
That run of form comes after seven games in the National league, with six wins and one draw. Albeit in Division 2.
Should they beat Cork, and the indications are that they are just too locked-in and familiar with their processes and organisation to lose this, then they will slip into their second All-Ireland semi-final in a row with little fuss.
What would it take to break into the top three? Some more help for Shane McGuigan, although the spread of scorers has been handsome in selected games this year.
Dark horses for it all? Maybe.
3. Mayo
Their powers of recovery are only as impressive as how ruthless Kevin McStay has been in a mid-season reshuffle.
What underpins their game though is that house style of Mayo; quick, direct, going straight down the barrel of the gun. On a dry day it can be irresistible, but on a wet one, they can get caught, such as they were against Roscommon.
Digging themselves out of Salthill puts them right back in the mix among the top challengers. They have stumbled and made life difficult for themselves.
But Croke Park is in sight. The different animal metamorphosis is in train.
2. Kerry
Reigning champions and all that goes with it, Kerry have had a path to this point with a helpful and well-timed dip in performance against Mayo.
They since got through a good tough battle against Cork before blitzing Louth with a magnificent performance.
The form of the Clifford brothers is critical of course, but many are looking at that Kerry midfield and find that the drool is flowing down their chops. With Joe O’Connor and Stefan Okunbor injured, and David Moran retired, they are casting around and filling a few spots around the middle to make up the loss.
But still; David Clifford.
1. Dublin
A league season in Division 2 where they experienced a defeat to Derry in Celtic Park, Dublin have emerged at this point the least-marked outfit in the competition.
Are they as good as they once were? No. Unquestionably, no. But then again, no teams appear just as strong as they might have been three or four years back.
While Jim Gavin’s side was able to thread in new players every year such as a John Small, Brian Howard and Sean Bugler, the trend with Dessie Farrell has been to go back to veterans to squeeze one more year out of them.
