Football rankings: how does your county rate?
June 19, 2013
Through the valley of the shadow of...
1. DUBLIN (no change)
The is no change at the top of the rankings after Jim Gavin's side finished off the job and claimed a first FL Division 1 title in 20 years against Tyrone. Their championship opener against what up to then a highly rated Westmeath side was both impressive and frightening for future opposition. The scoring spread is better than ever and the fresh legs in defence have given them new drive. More difficult test lie ahead but Dublin have their eye firmly fixed on September football.
2. DONEGAL (up 1)
The control that the All-Ireland champions exercised over Tyrone in Ballybofey put to bed any notion that they might struggle to defend their crown. With Karl Lacey back and Michael Murphy yet to hit top form, Donegal have plenty of room for improvement. What is going to be interesting is seeing how Donegal deal with teams that alter their style specifically to deal with Jim McGuinness' tactics.
3. MAYO (up 1)
Mayo were on the tough looking side of the Connacht championship but have cut both Galway and Roscommon apart in their games so far. They are being talked about in husked tones as real contenders this year. In the past that type of talk has always come back to bite them, but James Horan's 2013 side look equipped to deal with that pressure. The bookies have them at 50/1 on to win their provincial title.
4. TYRONE (down 2)
After an excellent league run, Tyrone's new look side were brought back to earth with a bang by Donegal. There is no shame in that but Mickey Harte's charges had been preparing for that game since the start of the year and were still way off the pace. Stephen O'Neill will have better days but the loss of Niall Morgan to injury is a serious blow, perhaps not so much for free taking but more for his excellent distribution. It would be a major surprise if they are not still involved come the business end of the championship.
5. CORK (up 1)
Cork's style is evolving from the incessant running game and the manner in which they have disposed of Limerick and Clare so far bodes well ahead of the Munster decider against Kerry on July 7th. Brian Hurley is a real find and regardless on the provincial final, you feel that Conor Counihan is setting up his team with a possible meeting with Donegal in mind. That would make for fascinating viewing.
6. KERRY (up 1)
No team loves championship football as much as the Kingdom and after avoiding league relegation, Eamonn Fitzmaurice's side have been rejuvenated. Tougher tests than Tipperary and Waterford lie ahead and the Munster final will tell a tale. Kerry might not be the side they were three or four years ago but they still have the ability to beat any other team on their day.
7. KILDARE (down 2)
Despite having won their Leinster quarter-final against Offaly, Kildare drop down the rankings due to a subdued performance against the Faithful. There is a train of thought that all the focus within the Short Grass County is on a Leinster semi-final against Dublin and we will see a different Kildare side on that day.
8. DOWN (no change)
Injuries saw Down relegated and when three players departed the panel after the league, you worried for their championship hopes. A terrible first half display against Derry re-enforced that view but Down played brilliant football in the second half of that Ulster quarter-final and should have plenty of self belief as a result. Nobody fancies them against Donegal but, just like Kerry, Down are a championship team and four years of Division 1 football has made them a force to be reckoned with.
9. MONAGHAN (up 4)
The Division 3 champions make a jump up our ranking thanks in part to the terrible form of some of the teams that were previously ahead of them. The doggedly won in Casement Park and face a rejuvenated Cavan with a place in the Ulster final up for grabs. You get the feeling that Malachy O'Rourke's side are backing themselves to progress from that semi-final and that belief could be half the battle.
10. DERRY (down 1)
Winning the Division 2 title counted for nothing when Down's second half comeback knocked Derry out of the Ulster championship. That was a huge setback for Brian McIver's side. It will be interesting to see if the apathy Derry have shown for the Qualifiers in recent years has been replaced by a new focus in the weeks ahead. If it has, then the Oakleafers can still leave their mark on the championship.
11. MEATH (up 3)
League promotion followed by a win in fortress Aughrim means that the Royals are heading in the right direction under Mick O'Dowd. They are a fine attacking force and the pace of Eamon Wallace is a real addition to their arsenal, but worries remain about the key positions of centre back and midfield. A third Leinster final appearance in four years is a real possibility but Wexford are their bogey team in recent years.
12. WESTMEATH (down 2)
A comprehensive win over Carlow in Mullingar set Pat Flanagan's recently promoted side up for a tilt against Dublin. There were high hopes but in the end the Maroon and Whites were beaten out the gate and the progress of the spring was all but forgotten. Westmeath are a better side than that performance showed. They came close to knocking Kerry out in the Qualifiers last year so expect a spirited response from the midlanders in the weeks ahead.
13. WEXFORD (up 5)
Relegation to Division 3 isn't usually followed by a win against the odds in the championship but that's exactly what Aidan O'Brien's charges pulled off when they went to Drogheda and defeated Louth. The Wee County had defeated Laois by 10-points in Portlaoise but were undone by Wexford's slick attacking play. The Model County will have no fear of the Meath defence in the Leinster semi-final.
14. CAVAN (up 7)
The big movers of our latest rankings, Cavan have overcome the loss of Gearoid McKiernan to progress to an Ulster semi-final with Armagh and Fermanagh disposed of so far. Martin Dunne's form has been crucial but the manner in which they dug deep to grab two late winning points after Fermanagh had levelled in the closing minutes says much for their mental strength. It's a long time since those two words were used in a positive way describing Cavan football. Interesting times ahead for the Breffni.
15. LOUTH (up 2)
Louth rise on the back of their 10-point win against Laois even though Aidan O'Rourke's charges are still kicking themselves after the loss to Wexford in Drogheda. The expectation seemed to get to them on that occasion but their defence also struggled to deal with the Wexford forwards. A good run in the Qualifiers is certainly a possibility.
16. LAOIS (down 5)
Nobody in Laois saw the 10-point reverse to Louth in Portlaoise coming. Since then players have left the panel and as one Laois supporter recently said to us: "Why is it always us?" Laois recovered from a similar situation to make the All-Ireland quarter-finals last year. They will need a some very handy draws for that to happen again.
17. GALWAY (down 5)
There was nothing positive to be taken from the hammering at the hands of Mayo in Salthill. We could say it is a while since we have seen a Galway side roll over so badly but unfortunately that is not the case. The Tribesmen haven't won a game in the Qualifiers since 2004. If the play like they did against Mayo in their upcoming game against Tipperary then that record will be extended.
18. LIMERICK (down 3)
After claiming the Division 4 title Limerick were expected, at the very least, to challenge in Munster. Instead they capitulated at the hands of Cork and after last year's Munster exit to Clare, that is simply not good enough for a squad with as much talent as the Treaty's.
19. ARMAGH (down 3)
The furore over Joe Brolly's slating of Paul Grimley after the loss to Cavan overshadowed how poor the Orchard County actually were in that preliminary round tie at Breffni Park. Playing without an extra back is not an option in Ulster so it was hard to understand the logic behind the Armagh game plan. Outside the Northern Province such a ploy could be more productive but that might be grasping at straws.
20. FERMANAGH (down 1)
In a game of inches Fermanagh have just fallen short twice in recent months. League promotions slipped through their fingers on the final day while Cavan hit two injury time points to knock them out of the Ulster championship last weekend.
21. LONGFORD (down 1)
Longford had hoped to put a poor league campaign behind them when they entered the championship but a loss against Wicklow in Aughrim was not what they wanted. Glenn Ryan's four years at the helm may be coming to an end.
22. ANTRIM (no change)
Antrim pushed Monaghan to the pin of their collar in Casement Park two weeks ago. It was a creditable performance and a major improvement on the form which saw them relegated to Division 4.
23. LEITRIM (up 5)
The Barney Breen/George Dugdale managed outfit experienced little difficulty in disposing of New York in their opener at Gaelic Park. Hopes are high of a Connacht final appearance.
24. OFFALY (up two)
The Faithful ran Kildare close in the Leinster quarter-final in a much improved performance compared to that they delivered against the same opposition twelve months ago. Welcoming Tyrone to O'Connor Park is a big day out for the county and there could be a kick in them yet.
25. WICKLOW (up two)
A great win over Longford at the end of May was followed up by a polished display against Meath. The game turned in a sixty second spell when Seanie Furlong's penalty miss was followed by a fortunate Meath goal.
26. LONDON (up six)
Beating Sligo has lifted London and they fancy themselves to earn a Connacht final place. They have the ability and in Paul Coggins have a fantastic manager.
27. ROSCOMMON (down 4)
Roscommon's pitiful performance against Mayo sees them fall below London who are ironically managed by a Roscommon man. Losing the Connacht semi-final was no surprise but doing so with such little fight was unforgivable.
28. CLARE (up 1)
Clare battled manfully against Cork at the weekend and Mick O'Dwyer labelled it 'a bloody good display'. The Banner had a solid league, only losing out on promotion on the last day, so there can be no doubt that O'Dwyer's influence is starting to bear fruit.
29. TIPPERARY (down 5)
Tipperary challenged in Division 4 and have run Kerry close in recent years, but they were terrible against Eamonn Fitzmaurice's charges last month. Peter Creedon said that his side will soon beat the Kingdom in championship football. He is probably correct but perhaps the week before the game was the wrong time to share that opinion with the Kerry folk.
30. SLIGO (down 5)
The Yeats men just avoided the drop to Division 4 but worse was to follow when then left themselves with too big of a mountain to climb against London in Ruislip. Kevin Walsh is probably in his last year and it will take something special to turn the summer around for the Magpies.
31. WATERFORD (down 1)
Niall Carew's men put it up to Kerry for 35 minutes of their recent Munster semi-final before being overpowered in the second half. They don't enter the Qualifiers until Round 2 and if they get a home draw, they will be hopeful of taking a scalp.
32. CARLOW (down 1)
A poor league campaign and a terrible display against Westmeath in the Leinster championship make you wonder what has happened to the side that brought Meath to a replay last year.
33. New York (no change from last year's championship)
There is commendable work going on overseas promoting Gaelic Games and while New York are slipping in competitive terms, we need to look at the bigger picture when we review their involvement in the championship. Tweet
