Separating your Varadkars from your Merkels and why Rebels have a whiff of Trump

1 TIPPERARY

They have taken some heat for their no-show in the League final but the only ones blushing should be those who rushed to hail Michael Ryan’s side as the new invincibles.

They are something well shy of that, but they remain the best balanced team in the land with a defence to die for and an attack that can sting. Fickle as sport can be, one poor performance cannot alter that reality.

ODDS: 13/8 If they were a politician: Angela Merkel – Prone to the odd slip, but no questions that they are the ones in charge.

2 GALWAY

While it is their Allianz League success which has allowed them to shoot up the rankings, last summer’s form also served as a powerful indicator that they are the most likely contenders.

When the rest could not lay a paw on Tipperary, they looked the more likely winners for 60 minutes of last year’s semi-final.

But then that is Galway’s core issue; there is no team better in the land at throwing shapes. However, their failure to get out of the League’s second tier this spring reminded, one of these days they’ve got to close the deal.

ODDS: 10/3 If they were a politician: Simon Coveney – Ear-marked for power for an age, but when the heat comes on, they just don’t post the numbers.

3 WATERFORD

For all the talk of their youth, it is hard to ignore the feeling that this is the year when they have to make it happen.

The word on the street is that this could be Derek McGrath’s final season in charge which is adding to their urgency, but they have the organisation and the talent to make that surge for the line. ODDS: 7/1 If they were a politician: Leo Varadkar – Bright and different, they possess that youthful vigour that can sweep them to victory.

4 KILKENNY

We should be wearing a necklace of garlic and be armed with a wooden stake as we write this, but the harsh reality is Brian Cody’s Kilkenny are not even a top-three team now.

In fact they should not even be this high given the holes that need plugging in the full-back line and their chronic over dependence on TJ Reid and Richie Hogan.

But the Cats possess depths of belief like no other.

ODDS: 4/1 If they were a politician: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish president) – Democracy is grand, but when you have power then you do whatever is necessary to keep it.

5 CLARE

The opening months of Gerry O’Connor’s and Donal Moloney’s tenure have underwhelmed, but circumstances have to be taken into account – injuries, Tony Kelly’s club commitments and teething difficulties weaning their team off the system.

But a kind draw and a team rich with All-Ireland winning experience could see them be this summer’s surprise packet.

ODDS: 10/1 If they were a politician: Micheal Martin – A return to power is a possibility but will only transpire with help from others.

6 CORK

No one truly knows what to expect so it may be best to expect nothing at all.

There are a lot of good things happening under the surface and some of that underage talent is coming through, but they have a porous full-back line and a forward one which is notoriously inconsistent.

Winning Munster would do but they will end up settling for a quarter-final spot in July, which really is not good enough for a county of their size and hurling tradition.

ODDS: 20/1 If they were a politician: Donald Trump – Few doubt that they possess the power, but even fewer believe they have the smarts to deliver on it.

7 WEXFORD

There is no disputing the fire which Davy Fitzgerald has lit down in Wexford, marrying the talent he inherited with the organisation he gifted.

How high they fly will all hang on that Leinster semi-final clash with Kilkenny, but he has them believing again and, after years of labouring in the shadows dreaming of past glories, that’s a good place to start. ODDS: 28/1 If they were a politician: Emmanuel Macron (new French president) - An old fading power in fresh young hands.

8 DUBLIN

The wonder given the comings and, in the main, goings of the last couple of years under Ger Cunningham is that they proved so competitive this spring.

Relegation confirmed, though, that their bright future is now behind them.

ODDS: 33/1 If they were a politician: Arlene Foster – It cost a fortune to light the fire but cash for ash has all gone up in smoke.

9 LIMERICK

It has been a disastrous start for John Kiely with their League season wiped out after one game and their failure to build on a quarter-final win over Cork confirming that was a shot in the dark rather than light at the end of the tunnel.

ODDS: 20/1 If they were a politician: Jeremy Corbyn – A once proud entity but now utterly unelectable.

10 OFFALY

That they were deemed by Westmeath to be the best possible draw on offer is a damning indictment of how far they have fallen.

ODDS: 500/1 If they were a politician: Eamon Ryan – Green with envy because they tasted power once but know they never will again.

11 LAOIS

Topping the preliminary group is as high as they can fly and the crash landing will not be pretty.

ODDS: 750/1 If they were a politician: Lucinda Creighton – Tried to start a party a couple of years back but no-one showed up.

12 WESTMEATH

Getting this far has made their year and a decent draw gives them a fighting chance of a semifinal place in Leinster, which is what team boss Michael Ryan deserves.

ODDS: 1,000/1 If they were a politician: Mick Wallace – Earthy and passionate but when real matters are decided, a voice lost in the wind.