With the All-Ireland series getting underway this weekend, this summer's championship is set to step up a gear for the quarter-finals in Croke Park.
There is a sense that the Sam Maguire is there for the taking this year, with five or six teams having a realistic ambition of lifting the trophy. That should make for some compelling action in the weeks ahead.
Kerry are the favourites in many people's books. Jack O'Connor's side were certainly the most impressive team in the league, although they will go into their game against Mayo relatively untested after a couple of convincing victories in the Munster Championship.
Of course, they have also fallen short on the biggest stage on a couple of occasions in recent years when the pressure was on. As a result, not all are convinced that they are the best side in the country.
Darragh Ó Sé sees Dublin as All-Ireland favourites
Darragh Ó Sé believes Dublin should be seen as the team to beat despite their struggles in the league in 2022.
Writing in the Irish Times, the Kerry legend was asked to rank the eight teams still left in this year's championship. He would go on to explain his rationale for placing the Dubs top of the pile, one spot ahead of his native county.
Here he goes, I hear you say. Giving Kerry the number two spot. Cute hoors gonna cute-hoor. Well, believe what you want to believe.
My reason for ranking Kerry behind Dublin is fairly simple. This Dublin team has won All-Irelands, this Kerry team hasn’t. When you get to this end of the competition, there’s only one currency and that’s medals...
Kerry haven’t beaten anyone yet. Cork matched them for 50 minutes and Limerick offered up no resistance. We think Kerry are probably very good but we don’t know. We have nothing to go on...
[Dublin's] body language is the biggest indicator that they’re back in the right mindset. The Dubs have been all business since the end of the league.
They rattled in five goals against Kildare in the first half and they barely raised a smile after any of them. They’re back to not celebrating scores, the same as in the Jim Gavin era. That’s a level of focus and intent that should make everyone else worried.
Every team had a bite out of them during the league. So they have a chip on their shoulder to go and prove everyone wrong...
They won’t have any problem with Cork. And until either Kerry or Mayo beat them, their experience of winning All-Irelands means I find it hard to look past them.
You can read the column in full here.
Dublin certainly look to have rediscovered the intensity that they had often been lacking over the last 18 months or so, although whether that makes them a stronger team than Kerry as things stand remains to be seen.
As Ó Sé points out, it is difficult to get a read on the Munster champions until they put in a top quality performance on the biggest stage.
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