With the championship well and truly in full swing, and the first big upset of the summer, we have updated our Gaelic Football Power Rankings and which teams are best placed for a charge at Sam Maguire.
These rankings were last updated on 5 March 2024.
1. Dublin (unchanged)
Dessie Farrell’s All-Ireland champions are still the best team in the country despite losing out to Derry in that fascinating Division One league final on penalties. They’ll win Leinster at a canter once again and with the players that have returned to the starting team, like Stephen Cluxton, Paul Mannion and James McCarthy, Dublin are going to be the team to beat.
2. Derry (unchanged)
Will one defeat completely change how the country view Derry? This time last week they were genuine All-Ireland contenders and just because they lost to Donegal, it shouldn’t dramatically change our perspective of them. Perhaps the lengthy break will do Mickey Harte’s men the world of good and they’ll comeback with real determination.
3. Kerry (unchanged)
As long as Kerry have the Clifford brothers fighting fit, they’ll always be in with a shout. Their clash with Cork last weekend wasn’t as straight forward as some of the more recent outings between the pair, but Kerry will be too strong for Clare in the Munster final. Whether or not they’ll be good enough to topple Dublin, remember they were close last year even when David Clifford was off form, remains to be seen but they are one of the big hitters.
4. Donegal (up two places)
One swallow doesn’t make a summer and all that, but the dramatic change Jim McGuinness has made to Donegal’s fortunes in 12 months is unbelievable. There’s no doubt about it, McGuinness is one of the best managers in the business, and perhaps ever, and as long as he’s at the helm then Donegal are capable of achieving incredible results and beating anyone.
SEE ALSO: Kerry Legend Identifies Crucial Advantage All-Ireland Rivals Have Over The Kingdom
5. Armagh (down one)
Armagh’s main focus will be on capturing the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time in 16 years but on their day, they can mix it with anyone. Kieran McGeeney’s men have been playing some great stuff throughout the league, barring the Division Two final against Donegal, and have a forward line that is probably only bested by Dublin, so that’ll certainly give them a real fighting chance going forward.
6. Tyrone (up two)
Tyrone have conceded 8 goals in their last two outings, although they probably won’t read too much into their round seven league encounter with Dublin. With Mattie Donnelly back to full fitness and back to his best, Tyrone have a real leader on and off the field. They have blooded through some new players that have real quality while they also await the return of Peter Harte and Conn Kilpatrick.
7. Mayo (down two)
Has Mayo’s time as a top force passed? They seem to have fallen back into the chasing pack although they’re still a team that won’t fear anyone and could cause a few upsets down the line. Their downfall in terms of All-Ireland glory has been the lack of a marquee forward up front and while Ryan O’Donohue is top class, he probably doesn’t carry enough of a scoring threat to make it in that category.
SEE ALSO: Peter Canavan Points Out The Big Change Mickey Harte Has Made To Derry This Season
8. Galway (down one)
Shane Walsh, Damian Comer and Sean Kelly are all back for Galway and all three are huge additions to Padraic Joyce’s men. They haven’t really pushed on since reaching the All-Ireland decider in 2022 but they certainly have enough talent in their group to take out a big hitter on any given day and a Connacht title would perhaps push them up the rankings. Their middling 2024 continued with a flat performance against Sligo at Saturday?
9. Cavan (up one)
How good are Cavan? In terms of the national picture, they won’t win the All-Ireland, but Raymond Galligan’s men could go on a run in the All-Ireland series, and no one will relish heading to Breffni Park during the group stages. They’ve rattled off six goals in their last two championship games and are a big, strong, physical outfit that can score from anywhere.
10. Monaghan (previously unranked)
Monaghan will have been disappointed with not only their relegation but they fact that they fell at the first hurdle in Ulster as well. Their injury list has really hampered their progress this season, having reached the last four of the All-Ireland series in 2023, and with Darren Hughes sidelined for the foreseeable future, it’ll be a surprise if Monaghan make it that far again.
