A new face in the top three? As the race for the title of the All-Ireland football champions begins to gain pace, the time is just right to take a progress check on the main contenders. In recent years when referring to the main contender's people spoke of the 'Big 3' - Tyrone, Armagh and Kerry. At the start of the year I believed no other team outside of this group could break the stronghold. Approaching mid summer I have to make a change to this train of thought. In my opinion, Dublin must be included in the top three teams in the country, with Tyrone having to drop down a few places. Indeed Tyrone have been so depleted by injury that they would be doing well to make the top five. Kerry in my opinion are still the team to beat. They are blessed with an array of talent and in Jack O'Connor, they have a shrewd and very well organised manager. One problem that Kerry will have will be the same as last year - the lack of competitive matches during the summer. In recent years this has been a major hindrance to the Kingdom. In 2005 it was only after 7 or 8 tough competitive championship matches under their belt that Tyrone hit peak form. These matches gave Mickey Harte the opportunity to see many of the squad members perform under pressure. It gave him time to juggle his pack and come up with the best selection. More importantly these tough games gave the players the reassurance that we could hang in there when things weren't going our way. We encountered many crisis situations and felt mentally stronger after being able to deal with them. Kerry on the other hand were never really tested last year until the final itself. The Kerry management will try to overcome this problem by arranging challenge matches and by increasing the intensity at training. The truth is that nothing replaces the cut and thrust of a tough championship match. Nothing replaces the solidarity and sense of elation experienced in coming out of a big game as winners. The one possible advantage of playing fewer games is that Kerry should be fresher. Fewer games will reduce the likelihood of injury or suspension. O'Connor has quality players to work with and much will depend on his team selection and tactical approach. Many of these Kerry players will not be content until they quieten their critics over their failures to beat the northern counties in the championship. Despite their success in '04 a lot of their own supporters will label them as failures unless they redress this imbalance. This factor will only serve to motivate Dara O Se and his men as they seek to set the record straight. At this moment I'm not convinced that Armagh or Tyrone are capable of stopping them. In World cup year if I was to compare Kerry to any team it would have to be Brazil. Like Brazil they are attractive to watch and have won countless titles. Like Brazil they are vulnerable at the back but still maintain the philosophy of total football. Armagh are still up there to be reckoned with. Despite the many criticisms that have been fired their way the Orchard County will still prove a tough nut to crack come the end of the summer. For a number of players and possibly their manager, this will be their final fling. There is no doubt that in terms of winning All-Irelands, this Armagh team has underachieved. Their record in Ulster during recent years has indeed been remarkable - six Ulster final appearances in the last eight years speaks for itself. The big question for Armagh is whether or not they can live with the pace of the top teams. Kernan has addressed this to a certain extent with the introduction of Paul Duffy putting in some outstanding performances. The one thing that Armagh have in abundance is strength both mental and physical. No team will out muscle Armagh they have a strong spine to the team in Bellew, McKeever and the two old pros, McGeeney and McGrane. Up front we have not seen the best of Armagh yet but on their day Clarke, McConville and particularly McDonnell will be a major threat to any defence. Already this year we have again witnessed the mental resolve that exists within them. Fermanagh and Monaghan could have beaten them but didn't. In replays there is no team better than Armagh. They have the ability to T-CUP (Clive Woodward's term for Thinking Clearly Under Pressure). Time and time again they have done this to remain in the championship and it is a trait that will be crucial before the summer is over. Their soccer counterparts would have to be Germany. Like Germany, Armagh are the ultimate professionals. They are well coached, much focused and play well together as a team. Their style of play is not very fancy but they are incredibly hard to beat. Joe Kernan would have to be the Franz Beckanbaeur of Armagh. Third in my list of favourites is Dublin, I place Dublin ahead of Tyrone from the perspective that they are an improving team whereas Tyrone, ravaged by injury are playing with a badly depleted squad. The team so far this year in no way resembles the side that finished the All-Ireland final last year. No other team in the country could afford to loose five or six top players and be expected to win. Tyrone are no different. What is expected is that the players who are available take the opportunity and prepare and perform to the best of their ability. Whether the hunger exists in the current squad and whether the panel is simply good enough, we'll soon find out. Dublin, however are developing into a potent force. In 2005 they scored 1-14 in both games against Tyrone and proved that they could compete with the best. Last year, a Leinster title was considered a major achievement for this Dublin squad. This year their sights are set on a bigger prize. In my opinion their forwards are as good as any other county but question marks exist over their defence and midfield. The Dublin midfield lacks consistency. On his day Ciaran Whelan is a match winner but he has a tendency to fade in and out of games. With a choice of three3 - Whelan, McGee and Ryan - Caffery has the option to rotate even if it means using a sub to give Whelan a break for 15 minutes. In an attempt to shake things up at the back Brian Cullen has been located at the No 6. Cullen is a talented player. I thought he played the half forward role to great effect both in terms of work rate and creating/taking chances. His loss will hurt the forward line but will surely bolster the Dubs at the back. I believe they have benefited from their big games in Croker last year - particularly the two Tyrone games - and are in with a great chance of lifting their first Sam Maguire in 11 years. Back to the World Cup, to prevent me falling in love with the Dubs altogether I'll have to compare them to England. Like England they attract a large following and receive twice as much media attention as any other county. Their over the top goal scoring celebrations can be quite similar at times but like England their performances do not always live up to pre match expectations. Now who was it won the World Cup? Tweet

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