Pat Spillane reckons Derry have moved ahead of his beloved Kerry in the Sam Maguire pecking order.

And he believes Mickey Harte's fingerprints were all over last Sunday week's dramatic Allianz Football League final victory over All-Ireland champions Dublin.

"I now rate Derry at number two behind Dublin," the Kingdom legend wrote in the Sunday World.

"Mickey Harte’s influence cannot be overstated. They played with belief, confidence and on their terms, which enabled them to go after the Dubs.

"The highlights included quick transition play, intense tackling, scrambled defence, excellent spread of scorers, dominance at midfield, successful long kick-out strategy and another demonstration of the scoring threat of their defenders.

"Half of the 16 goals they scored in the League came from players who were wearing jerseys numbered two to seven. Perhaps the most startling stat from the game was the 61 per cent possession Derry had in the second half. I don’t ever recall Dublin having so little ball in the second half of a national final in the last decade."

He added: "Derry are now real All-Ireland contenders, but here’s a reality check for them: they didn’t win the game in either normal or extra-time. They were at full strength, whereas Dublin were without eight of the starting 2023 All-Ireland final team."

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