Football rankings: How does your county rate?
July 30, 2012
Down's Benny Coulter and Donal O'Hare.
1. DONEGAL (no change)
A greater emphasis on attack has seen Jim McGuinness' men create history by winning back-to-back Ulster SFC titles. Their display against Down was hugely impressive on the back of wins over Cavan, Derry and Tyrone. They look like the team to beat at this point but Sunday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Kerry will tell a tale.
2. DUBLIN (no change)
The draw for the remainder of the championship has been kind to the holders with Pat Gilroy's men scheduled to face Laois in Saturday's quarter-final. No disrespect to the O'Moore County but, on paper at least, that is a game that Dublin should win at their ease. They are on the opposite side of the semi-final draw to Cork, Kerry and Donegal so a return to the Sam Maguire Cup showpiece is very much on the cards. The return to form of Bernard Brogan in the Leinster decider win over Meath bodes well for the games ahead.
3. CORK (no change)
Conor Counihan's men already have a first Munster SFC title in three years and the NFL Division 1 silverware in their trophy cabinet and it appears as though anyone with ambitions of winning the All-Ireland will have to beat the Rebel County. A rejuvenated Kildare side stand between the Rebels and a semi-final date with either Donegal or neighbours Kerry.
4. KERRY (up 1)
Kerry's stock continues to rise following their ten point win over Tyrone in Killarney and Saturday's comfortable stroll against Clare. The Munster semi-final defeat at the hands of Cork has been consigned to history and Jack O'Connor's men return to the familiar surroundings of Croke Park for a last eight encounter with Ulster champions Donegal on Sunday. It has all the makings of an intriguing battle and it will be interesting to see if the Kingdom can put a halt to Donegal's gallop.
5. MAYO (down 1)
James Horan's charges have a Connacht title in the bag and know that stern tests lie ahead. If they can improve on the showing against Sligo and build on their NFL Division 1 final appearance against Cork, then they are a threat to any team. Down stand between them and a place in the last four and the Connacht champions will have to up the ante if they are to safely negotiate the Mourne County hurdle.
6. KILDARE (up 1)
There was some serious soul searching done inside the Kildare dressingroom following the manner of their loss to Meath. Since then, Kieran McGeeney has maintained his impressive record of never finishing on the losing side in a qualifier game with wins over Cavan, Limerick and Sligo. They are back in the quarter-final stages of the All-Ireland championship but Cork represents a major step up in class and the Lilywhites will have their work cut out to make the last four.
7. DOWN (up 2)
Finished third in the NFL Division 1 table, the Mourne County recorded championship wins over Fermanagh and Monaghan but were second fiddle to Donegal for much of the Ulster final. There is no shame in that and James McCartan's team put that disappointment behind them to get back on track at Tipperary's expense on Saturday. They will fancy their chances of knocking Mayo out of the running this coming weekend.
8. LAOIS (up 2)
Came in for plenty of criticism following their Leinster SFC defeat to Longford but qualifier wins over Carlow, Monaghan and Leitrim steadied the ship somewhat before Saturday's morale boosting three-point defeat of Meath. The final scoreline of 1-15 to 1-12 didn't accurately reflect Laois' dominance over the Royals but they will have to raise their game even further this Saturday if they are to pose any headaches for Dublin.
9. TYRONE (no change)
A narrow Ulster semi-final defeat to Donegal was not a disaster for Mickey Harte's troops but the manner of their capitulation in Killarney certainly was. Never has the Red Hands thrown in the towel in such a manner and even allowing for a lengthy injury list, it was a very 'unlike Tyrone' performance.
10. MEATH (down 4)
The Leinster semi-final victory over Kildare is a distant memory and, following the Royals tame exit from the qualifiers against Laois on Saturday, appears to have been a flash in the pan. Relegation to Division 3 and a round 4 qualifier exit falls a long way short of the high expectations within the Royal County. Inevitably, the attention has now turned to Seamus McEnaney's future as the first 'outside' manager of Meath.
11. TIPPERARY (no change)
Put up a brave fight against Kerry in the Munster SFC quarter-final and their confidence was restored following their qualifier wins over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim. They went down fighting against Down in Mullingar on Saturday and Peter Creedon has worked miracles in just three months. With the minors again enjoying a good run, the future looks bright for Premier County football.
12. SLIGO (up 1)
The Yeats County delivered one of the performances of the year when defeating Galway by 2-14 to 0-15 in the Connacht semi-final and were so close to claiming the Connacht title against Mayo. Against that backdrop, it's difficult to fathom their no-show against Kildare on Saturday. All Kevin Walsh's men could muster in front of the posts was a paltry four points.
13. LIMERICK (down 1)
Maurice Horan's charges didn't do themselves justice in the first half of their Munster SFC semi-final defeat by Clare but the qualifier win over Longford gave a better indication of their standing. They should have seen off Kildare's challenge in the round 3 game and need to show more consistency.
14. ANTRIM (no change)
Finished three points behind Monaghan in their Ulster SFC quarter-final clash but got their season back on track with a hard-fought 2-11 to 2-9 qualifier win away to London before a sensational win over Galway. Their defensive set-up didn't work in Thurles and Liam Bradley's men know they need to offer more up front if they wish to progress further in the years ahead.
15. LEITRIM (no change)
Survived a scare against London in the Connacht SFC with a narrow one-point victory before being outclassed by Mayo. The Barney Breen/George Dugdale managed side claimed a first ever qualifier win against Wicklow and had Laois worried in their round 3 encounter. A really promising year for Leitrim.
16. WESTMEATH (no change)
Gained revenge for their Leinster SFC exit at the hands of Louth when knocking the Wee County out in the first round of the qualifiers. However, their display against 13-man Louth in Mullingar did not inspire confidence but Westmeath's year was all about their display against Kerry in Cusack Park. They had the Kingdom beaten at one point until paralysis set in. They future is bright in the Lake County.
17. WEXFORD (no change)
For the second year running it was a case of close but no cigar for the Model County against Dublin. A NFL Division 3 final appearance and a replayed championship win over Longford will stand Jason Ryan's men in goodstead but so much of that promise went out the window with the qualifier loss to Tipperary.
18. LONGFORD (no change)
A NFL Division 3 title and three Leinster championship appearances is a significant return for Glenn Ryan's team and their potential was shown in the 0-17 to 2-8 qualifier first round win over Derry. Losing to Limerick was a setback but it is all new territory for the midlanders and the experience gained will serve them well.
19. MONAGHAN (no change)
Relegated from Division 2, Monaghan were on fire during the first half of their Ulster SFC semi-final against Down but failed to maintain that high level of performance in the second half. Manager Eamonn McEnaney walked after the disappointing display against Laois and after two successive league relegations, the fall in the county's standing is amazing.
20. ROSCOMMON (no change)
The Rossies staged a remarkable second half comeback to send a fancied Armagh side packing from the All-Ireland qualifiers on a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-9. That result went some way towards making up for the 0-10 to 3-15 Connacht SFC quarter-final defeat by Galway. Their subsequent display against Tyrone was disappointing, especially in light of Tyrone's exit at the hands of Kerry.
21. GALWAY (no change)
Galway looked impressive in Division 2 of the Allianz FL but the Conancht semi-final loss to Sligo was compounded by the qualifier exit in Belfast. In the first year of the qualifiers, Galway won the All-Ireland via that route in 2001. Now it seems the Tribesmen can't rise themselves for the backdoor.
22. ARMAGH (no change)
Concern has been expressed about the state of Orchard County football following their surprise qualifier defeat to Roscommon which resulted in Paddy O'Rourke's departure as manager. Where they go from here will depend on who replaces him with some of the 2002 All-Ireland winning team being mention as possible candidates.
23. DERRY (no change)
Captain Paddy Bradley went public with criticism of how football is being run within Derry last week following their 2-8 to 0-17 defeat by Longford on the opening weekend of the qualifiers. They finished third from bottom in the Division 2 table and speculation surrounds the future of John Brennan as manager.
24. CLARE (no change)
As expected, the gulf in class between the top teams and the so-called weaker counties was exposed in the Gaelic Grounds but Clare can be proud of reaching a first provincial decider in 12 years after finishing third in the NFL Division 4 table.
25. CAVAN (no change)
Terry Hyland has assembled a youthful team that appears to be heading in the right direction. A flurry of second half goals saw them overcome Fermanagh in round 1 of the qualifiers following their Ulster SFC defeat by Donegal, but the display against Kildare was worrying. They endured an indifferent NFL Division 3 campaign and finished one place above the relegation zone.
26. WICKLOW (no change)
The Garden County played well against Meath in the Leinster championship but put in two poor qualifier performances against Waterford and Leitrim. Promotion to Division 3 of the NFL for next year is a welcome development.
27. LOUTH (no change)
Consolidated their position in Division 2 of the NFL which, in itself, was a major achievement by Peter Fitzpatrick and his players. A late injury-time goal saw them scrape over Westmeath in their Leinster SFC opener but they were on the receiving end of a lesson by All-Ireland champions Dublin in the quarter-final. A combination of injuries and emigration played a part in their qualifier exit to Westmeath and they are now on the lookout for a new manager following Fitzpatrick's resignation.
28. FERMANAGH (no change)
Promotion to Division 3 of the NFL was the main positive from Peter Canavan's first year as manager of the Ernesiders after disappointing championship displays against Down and Cavan. There was also good news with the Tyrone legend committing to a second year at the helm.
29. CARLOW (no change)
Finished with only three wins to their credit in Division 4 of the NFL, two of which came against London and Kilkenny, yet, inspired by Brendan Murphy, forced Meath to a replay in the Leinster SFC. They were well beaten the second day but will take encouragement from the draw as they plot their future minus the services of manager Luke Dempsey.
30. LONDON (no change)
Narrowly missed out on a first Connacht SFC win since 1977 when being caught on the line by Leitrim, 1-8 to 0-12. Antrim knocked the Exiles out of the qualifier race when finishing with two points to spare but they have every reason to be confident about the future although captain Sean McVeigh - who is due to return home to Antrim - will be a massive loss.
31. OFFALY (no change)
The rebuilding job facing Tom Coffey became apparent when they slumped to a 0-6 to 0-19 Leinster SFC defeat to Kildare and made a tame exit from the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers to Tipperary. The Faithful County managed just one win in Division 3 of the NFL.
32. WATERFORD (no change)
Limerick ended their participation in the Munster SFC when inflicting a 2-12 to 0-7 defeat on John Owens' men. Their qualifier encounter against Wicklow went to extra-time but defeat was to be their lot. Their NFL Division 4 league record reads three wins, one draw and four defeats.
33. NEW YORK (no change)
A first Connacht SFC victory seems as far away as ever after a 24-point trouncing by Sligo at Gaelic Park.
34. KILKENNY (no change)
Finished with a score difference of -241 in Division 4 of the NFL. Tweet
