CAPITAL GAINS AS DUBS STAY ON TOP
Gavin’s champs top of the pile but others have hopes for 2018
(1) (1) DUBLIN
THE danger is that such is their sustained excellence, their achievements may not be fully appreciated.
Not so long ago, back-to-back Championships in football’s demanding new age were deemed to be the most difficult of peaks to scale, and yet this team heads into the new year seeking to chase down a fourth title in a row.
Never mind the mutterings about Dublin’s ‘advantages’, because this is a remarkable team led by a rare managerial talent.
Jim Gavin’s fingerprints were all over last year’s success, keeping his team fresh with the promotion of Con O’Callaghan, the relocation of James McCarthy to midfield and the development of one-time fringe players such as Michael Fitzsimons and Paul Mannion into All-Stars.
This is a group permanently on their toes, always meeting higher standards — including a new alltime 36-game unbeaten record — and have now reached a height occupied by few others in the history of the game. P14 W10 D3 L1 WIN RATE: 71% STAR MAN: James McCarthy
(2) (2) MAYO
Mayo’s refusal to yield in the face of serial disappointments provides enduring appeal.
In the face of extraordinary competition this was their most astonishing journey yet.
Dead and all but buried after losing to Galway and scraping into extra-time against Derry, they somehow ended up back in the final having survived another period of extra-time and two replays.
When they got there, they were equal stake-holders in perhaps the greatest All-Ireland final ever played. They ended up with nothing to show for it but that shouldn’t prevent them being celebrated as a remarkable side. P17 W10 D2 L5 WIN RATE: 59% MAIN MAN: Andy Moran
(3) (3) KERRY
For a county that has traditionally cast a suspicious eye on spring success, too much may have been read into their unexpected Allianz League win.
They sleep-walked into an AllIreland semi-final where Mayo exposed long-running flaws in defence and midfield.
The decision to extend Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s reign prepares the ground for a serious rebuild. P13 W7 D3 L3 WIN RATE: 54% MAIN MAN: Paul Geaney
(4) (4) TYRONE
The theory that Tyrone’s athleticism made them the best placed team to take down Dublin proved to be a whopper of lie.
Back-to-back Ulster titles meant they rescued something from the summer, but even that achievement is diminished by hard evidence that standards are on the slide up north.
Tyrone must change tack in 2018, but questions remain as to whether they have the attacking talent to deliver. P12 W7 D1 L4 WIN RATE: 58% MAIN MAN: Colm Cavanagh
(5) (8) GALWAY
There is an obvious paradox at play here — they climb the rankings despite relinquishing the Connacht title.
However, in beating Mayo for the second time inside 12 months and in securing promotion to the top fight as Division 2 winners, we declare them to be the best of the modest rest. P12 W8 D1 L3 WIN RATE: 67% MAIN MAN: Damien Comer
(6) (11) ROSCOMMON
Not a bad finish for a county deemed to be in crisis in midspring after a six-game losing streak, before fortune and form turned.
They were gifted a soft route to the Connacht final and won the Nestor Cup for the first time in seven years. Impressively, they followed that up in forcing a draw against Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
The replay turned ugly but there is enough talent in Kevin McStay’s squad to suggest there is something substantial to build on. P11 W3 D1 L7 WIN RATE: 27% MAIN MAN: Enda Smith
(7) (7) MONAGHAN
The feeling is that they are at something of a standstill, but that should not necessarily be construed as a criticism as, given their size, it could be argued that they are defying the laws of gravity.
Their consistency was such at the start of 2017 that at one stage in the final round of League games, they looked set to qualify for the decider. However, they got caught on the line by Dublin and it was downhill from then on.
The most dispiriting performance came in their Ulster Championship defeat to Down, but perhaps more worrying for manager Malachy O’Rourke is the reality that their defensive game-plan is looking increasingly dated. P14 W8 D2 L4 WIN RATE: 57% MAIN MAN: Conor McManus
(8) (16) KILDARE
Strong candidate for the most improved team of 2017. In his second term, Cian O’Neill provided the team with a cutting edge that was not evident 12 months ago.
They met a couple of key targets — winning promotion to Division 1 and summoning a competitive effort against Dublin in the Leinster final — but their failure to see off Armagh in the qualifiers was a real disappointment.
Still, they possess quality in Kevin Feely, Daniel Flynn, Niall Kelly and Paddy Brophy as well as having a structure to ensure that Dublin may face a challenge within their own province in the coming years. P12 W7 D0 L5 WIN RATE: 58% MAIN MAN: Kevin Feely
(9) (5) DONEGAL
Allowing for the loss of nine of the previous year’s squad, it was inevitable they would slide even if their League form had suggested otherwise.
The hammering they took from Tyrone in Ulster served as a brutal reality check, while the four-goal humiliation that followed against Galway convinced Rory Gallagher to walk after three years in charge.
(10) (12) CORK
It was hard to ignore Peadar Healy’s personal sense of relief when his tenure finished in mid-summer.
The county continues to underachieve and their failure to win promotion to Division 1 was indicative of their form, as was their scrappy win over Waterford in Munster, where they took an inevitable trimming against Kerry.
And yet, they showed in an epic qualifier clash against Mayo a glimpse of the potential which new manager Ronan McCarthy will seek to harness in 2018. P11 W4 D3 L4 WIN RATE: 36% MAIN MAN: Sean Powter
(11) (25) DOWN
A dramatic leap up the charts and one that was most unexpected when they lost to Clare back in February — their 14th consecutive defeat. At that stage, there were calls for Éamonn Burns’ head, but from there they engineered a remarkable escape from relegation, a first Championship victory over Armagh in 25 years and a stunning win over Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final. The challenge now — they have been one of the great yo-yo counties — is to find a level of consistency which has eluded them in the recent past. P11 W4 D1 L6 WIN RATE: 36% MAIN MAN: Connaire Harrison
(12) (21) ARMAGH
A leap up the charts, despite an 18-point All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone, will ensure Kieran McGeeney won’t be hoodwinked into thinking he has turned things around.
They are too good a team to be whiling away their time in Division 3 but they are still not remotely good enough to challenge in Ulster, not least because of the absence of Jamie Clarke, P13 W8 D1 L4 WIN RATE: 62% MAIN MAN: Jamie Clarke
(13) (14) CLARE
It will go under the radar, but what Colm Collins has achieved with this team continues to astound.
There was no run to the All-Ireland quarter-finals this time but retaining Division 2 status and giving both Kerry and Mayo plenty to think about is quite the measure of where they stand. P11 W4 D1 L6 WIN RATE: 36% MAIN MAN: Jamie Malone
(14) (6) TIPPERARY
Impossible to reach the bar set the previous season, but it was by no means a wipeout.
In many ways, their summer swung on a late defeat to Cork but, in securing promotion to Division 2 and in beating Cavan, Liam Kearns’ side reminded us that they haven’t gone away.
The return of Steven O’Brien this year should aid their cause. P11 W7 D0 L4 WIN RATE: 64% MAIN MAN: Conor Sweeney
(15) (9) CAVAN
Staying in the top flight was always going to be a step too far but beating Mayo and drawing with Kerry showed they were competitive at least. However, they couldn’t crack Monaghan in the summer when it mattered most.
The loss to a Tipperary team who had operated two divisions beneath them in the spring raises a familiar question as to whether their future is behind them. P10 W2 D2 L6 WIN RATE: 20% MAIN MAN: Killian Clarke
(16) (17) MEATH
A change of management appeared to signal a declaration of intent but, in reality, this is a traditional power going nowhere fast.
They lack defensive quality and structure to compete at the highest level and, tellingly, they have become mentally fragile. P11 W6 D1 L4 WIN RATE: 55% MAIN MAN: Cillian O’Sullivan
(17) (30) DERRY
They lost ground and players during the two-year- reign of Damian Barton, culminating with their relegation to Division 3 and feeble resistance to Tyrone.
But they are better than that, something that was apparent in pushing Mayo so hard in the qualifiers. P10 W3 D1 L6 WIN RATE: 30% MAIN MAN: Niall Keenan
(18) (23) LOUTH
They achieved their primary objective which was promotion to Division 2 but they invested so much in doing so, they were all but spent by summer. P11 W6 D0 L5 WIN RATE: 55% MAIN MAN: Ryan Burns
(19) (15) WESTMEATH
It might seem odd that they should drop given they secured promotion out of the bottom tier, but unlike 12 months previously when they menaced Mayo all the way to the line, this time they capitulated to Dublin before exiting meekly from the qualifiers to Armagh. P12 W8 D2 L2 WIN RATE: 66% MAIN MAN: John Heslin
(20) (10) FERMANAGH
Their implosion after back-toback seasons in which they had over-reached was dramatic and ugly, culminating in a player coup against Pete McGrath.
In reality, the turnover of players was just too high for a county not blessed with numbers, and it told in the end. P9 W2 D0 L7 WIN RATE: 22% MAIN MAN: Tomás Corrigan
(21) (28) CARLOW
The Leinster minnows continue to make remarkable progress — they were ranked 30th when Turlough O’Brien took over two years ago.
They missed out on promotion from the bottom tier after pushing hard, but their Championship win over Wexford and the defiance they showed against Dublin and Monaghan made them the feelgood story of the summer. P12 W7 D1 L4 WIN RATE: 58% MAIN MAN: Seán Murphy
(22) (22) SLIGO
The revelation that some players made their unhappiness known when Niall Carew was reappointed — he eventually left citing work commitments — is an indicator of their ambition. Carew did some good work here but, ultimately, when it matters most they keep coming up just short. P11 W5 D1 L5 WIN RATE: 45% MAIN MAN: Niall Murphy
(23) (19) LONGFORD
An ordinary season, yet they retained their capacity to do the extraordinary.
They flirted with relegation to the bottom tier and were humbled by Laois in Leinster, but yet again the qualifiers — hammering Louth and putting the frighteners on Donegal — brought the best out in them. P10 W3 D1 L6 WIN RATE: 30% MAIN MAN: Robbie Smyth
(24) (18) OFFALY
An underwhelming season where they ended up drifting rather than building on the modest progress achieved the previous year.
Pat Flanagan departed and Kerry native Stephen Wallace was appointed but there will be no quick fix here. P10 W3 D1 L6 WIN RATE: 30% MAIN MAN: Peter Cunningham
(25) (20) LAOIS
Relegated to the League’s bottom rung with questions over player discipline. If there is a hope, it comes in the shape of new boss John Sugrue who trained Kerry to an All-Ireland win in 2007. P11 W4 D0 L7 WIN RATE: 36% MAIN MAN: Donie Kingston (top)
(26) (24) ANTRIM
Too inconsistent for their own good, they needed to put roots down in the third tier, but slipped back down again. Their subsequent blow-out to Donegal confirmed their bottom-tier status is merited. P9 W2 D1 l6 WIN RATE: 22% MAIN MAN: CJ McGourty
(27) (26) WEXFORD
It may seem harsh for a team that won promotion out of Division 4 but that was the least that was expected and there was no evidence that they progressed.
Their defeat to Carlow and humiliation by Monaghan spelled out that ugly reality. P11 W6 D0 L5 WIN RATE: 45% MAIN MAN: Daithi Waters
(28) (27) LIMERICK
They continue to slide but there may be better days ahead judging on their summer form when pushing Clare to a single point in Munster. P9 W4 D0 L5 WIN RATE: 44% MAIN MAN: Iain Corbett (top right)
(29) (30) LEITRIM
Made a decent fist of the spring but yet again were shown to be out of their depth in Connacht. One of those counties that would benefit from a triple-tiered championship. P10 W5 D0 L5 WIN RATE: 50% MAIN MAN: Darragh Rooney
(30) (31) WATERFORD
They owe their modest jump to coming so close to pulling off one of the biggest shocks of the Championship when pushing Cork to a single point. P9 W2 D07 WIN RATE: 22% MAIN MAN: Paul Whyte
(31) (29) WICKLOW
The appointment of John Evans will spark optimism, but Johnny Magee squeezed what he could out of the players he had and they were competitive against both Louth and Laois. P9 W1 D0 L8 WIN RATE: 11% MAIN MAN: Sean Furlong
(32) (32) LONDON
Bottom of the pile but unlike the bad old days, no longer tailed off.
Competed well against both Leitrim and Carlow in the summer, which invites the view that they would be better served by fighting at their own weight all the time. P9 W1 D0 L8 WIN RATE: 11% MAIN MAN: Liam Gavaghan