Sixteen became 12 last weekend as the first four counties - namely Cavan, Westmeath, Clare and Meath - dropped out of the race for Sam Maguire and a further four teams will lose their place in the championship after this week's preliminary quarter-finals.
The top four of the updated power rankings are fairly clear cut with four teams having already booked their spot in the All-Ireland quarter-finals and four more will join them once this weekend's round of fixtures are tied up.
You can read our previous power rankings here. We published our last power rankings last week.
1. Dublin (unchanged)
It may only have been by the skin of their teeth, but Dublin survived Mayo’s best punches in last week’s round three clash and finished on a high to top the group. Their equalising score just summed up the class they have to call on in Cluxton, McCaffrey, Kilkenny and man of the match Costello and even on a day when they didn’t play that overly well, Dessie Farrell’s side still kicked 0-17 and remain unbeaten in the Championship.
2. Kerry (unchanged)
It looks very much like a two-horse race in the All-Ireland series at this stage and Kerry are the closest challenger to Dublin’s crown. Jack O’Connor’s side have shown flashes of what they are capable of and trounced Louth last weekend to come through the group unscathed, but they’ve yet to meet a Division One side in the Championship. Question marks remain over their defence and midfield, and it’ll be a few weeks yet before they are answered.
3. Donegal (unchanged)
Jim McGuinness and his side got back on track following their round two defeat to Cork and absolutely hammered a helpless Clare team in their last outing to finish at the top of the pile. The big prize for Donegal is avoiding an All-Ireland quarter-final against either Kerry or Dublin so they’ll be confident of reaching the last four in the race for the Sam Maguire, no matter who they get in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
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4. Armagh (up 2)
A draw with Galway was enough for Armagh to seal their place in the last eight of the All-Ireland series, and they done so without reaching their best. Kieran McGeeney’s side certainly didn’t hit the heights they did against Derry a couple of weeks ago, but once again the impact off the bench from the likes of Oisin O’Neill, Stefan Campbell and Aidan Nugent changed the game in their favour. No one will want to meet Armagh in Croke Park.
16 June 2024; Rian O’Neill of Armagh is tackled by John Maher of Galway during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 3 match between Armagh and Galway at Markievicz Park in Sligo. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
5. Galway (down 1)
Of course they’re still missing their best player in Damien Comer, but Galway should have advanced to the last eight. They were five points up, with the breeze at their back, heading into the final quarter and should have saw the game out but they allowed Armagh to storm back into contention. Galway will reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals if they beat Monaghan this weekend, but the scenic route could do more harm than good.
6. Mayo (up 1)
There may be arguments for Mayo to slot in higher up the list, but they still didn’t beat the Dubs and have collapsed when in winning positions in their more recent tests, Dublin last weekend and Galway in the Connacht final. How they do against in Croke Park (if they reach that stage) will ultimately define their season but Mayo could still have a big say in this competition before the summer is out.
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7. Tyrone (up 2)
Tyrone remain an unknown quantity and nobody will be too confident when faced with the Red Hands. They finished second in their group having saw off Cork last weekend and they have some serious talent in their ranks. Tyrone should be too strong for Roscommon this weekend and the bigger tests will come further down the line when they reach Croke Park and the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
8. Cork (down 1)
Cork have threatened to break into the top tier for a while now and this season seemed like it was their time to do just that, especially with their eye-catching group stage victory over Donegal. They didn’t back it up however as they lost to Tyrone and the black card to Chris Óg Jones played a major part in their downfall. They’ll be confident of overcome Louth this weekend and would fancy a crack against anyone when on song.
15 June 2024; Cork manager John Cleary during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 3 match between Cork and Tyrone at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
9. Derry (down 1)
Finally, Mickey Harte got a Championship win with his adopted county Derry and no matter how unconvincing it was, a win is a win. It took a late Emmet Bradley goal to ensure Derry’s passage to the knockout stages and looking through their team list, they still have some serious talent to call upon. The big test is coming down the track as they travel to Mayo this weekend and they’ll need to up their game to cause a real upset.
10. Louth (unchanged)
How Ger Brennan’s men deal with the hangover from last week’s drumming dished out by Kerry will determine how much longer they remain in the All-Ireland series. The Wee County have made serious strides over the past number of seasons and showed in the Leinster final that they can compete at the top table. They take on Cork this weekend and they’re target will be an All-Ireland quarter-final appearance.
11. Roscommon (unchanged)
Roscommon’s main hope of getting out of the group was beating Cavan in the final round and that’s pretty much how things panned out. They now face a difficult trip north and they take on Tyrone where only a win will see them remain in the competition.
12. Monaghan (up 2)
Monaghan sat at the top table for so long but they’re just hanging on in there now by their fingertips. You can never write the Farney men off as they’ve come back from the brink time and time before, but heading to Galway this weekend looks a step too far for them.
16 June 2024; Barry McBennett of Monaghan celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 3 match between Monaghan and Meath at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
