
All-Ireland Football Championship top 10 rankings after a dramatic weekend
What a chaotic weekend of action. Armagh and Derry put a dent in the All-Ireland aspirations of Dublin and Galway respectively, while Mayo quelled the rising tide around Tyrone.
While Derry and Mayo's performance had backlash written all over them and they have to back it up now, there's substance to what Armagh are doing, as Kerry wait in the long grass and Monaghan continue to impress.
We rate the current top 10 and take a look at where they stand after a hectic weekend of drama.
1. ARMAGH: Jumped from fourth favourites to second favourites with the bookies after their five point win over Dublin in Croke Park at the weekend. The three two pointers Rian O'Neill scored showed his value to Armagh in the big games.
The main differences with Armagh and everyone else are their squad depth and that they don't rely on one marquee forward for scores.
They beat Dublin without All Star Aidan Forker, Aaron McKay, Oisin O'Neill and Ciaran Mackin, and not a word about it. Their kickout press is the best in the land too.
All-Ireland Odds: 10/3
2. KERRY: There's a reason the bookies have them as All-Ireland favourites. They're cruising through their group and will arrive fresh for a quarter-final - if not battle hardened.
Held Cork at arm's length comfortably at the weekend, but untimely injuries to Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor, Paul Geaney and Barry 'Dan' O'Sullivan will test them and mean they're not number one here.
Real sense of the unknown about them, with the new rules, David Clifford, their kicking game and Croke Park a potentially lethal cocktail.
All-Ireland Odds: 9/4
3. DONEGAL: Third favourites with the bookies and just about third here. It's been a bad week or so for Donegal. They needed to bare their teeth in Cavan after the Tyrone defeat and did.
However, if Tyrone defeat Cavan in the final round, Donegal can't top the group, which would be a big blow to their All-Ireland hopes with the tough road they've been on from the Ulster preliminary round. Also, Mayo needing a result against them to stay alive, makes that one very tricky.
All Star Oisin Gallen's struggle for form and an overreliance on Michael Murphy remain concerns.
All-Ireland Odds: 6/1
4. GALWAY: Their fourth rating here is assuming top men like Paul Conroy, Shane Walsh, Liam Silke and Dylan McHugh can find their form. Unlikely though to win an All-Ireland without Damien Comer.
Horsed out of it by Derry at the weekend, which is unusual for this particular Galway side. But for fortunate goals from Robert Finnerty and Matthew Tierney they'd have lost at Celtic Park, although they did have the bodies in there to make their own luck.
Galway also missed a raft of two point efforts as they chased the game, but they found a way to come from eight points behind and draw, so not out of it yet.
The fact Armagh are already group winners should help them in the final group game against Armagh. Treacherous road ahead though if they're to make it back to the All-Ireland final.
All-Ireland Odds: 15/2
5. TYRONE: Looked like they'd arrived as a force after beating Donegal, but flopped against Mayo. That will have hit their previously growing confidence hard. Captain Brian Kennedy was missed as Mayo dominated aerially in the first half.
One major plus that has them so high here is, they'll top the group if they beat Cavan and Mayo don't beat Donegal, thus avoiding the preliminary round and playing top two rated Armagh or Kerry in an All-Ireland quarter-final.
How their smaller inside forward line fares at Croke Park - if they get there - will be fascinating.
All-Ireland Odds: 7/1
6. DUBLIN: Two Championship defeats in three games for Dublin and back to back Championship losses at Croke Park. They didn't sustain their bounce back against Galway. Need captain Con O'Callaghan fit.
Also need to stop hitting two pointers, or get better at them, although one widespread trend this year is teams chasing games missing two pointers. Look shaky at midfield and at the back. Paddy Small and Cormac Costello are they key to unlocking their season.
Need a draw against Derry to ensure they get out of the group. Already missed out on automatic qualification for the quarter-finals so the path ahead is not an easy one.
7. MONAGHAN: Got a great All-Ireland draw and have taken full advantage of it to date. Beat Down in the final game and they'll top the group and go straight into an All-Ireland quarter-final. They've only lost two games out of 11 this year.
The acid test for Monaghan is always Croke Park, but they've put themselves in a great position. Conor McCarthy is in All Star form again, while Jack McCarron's two point shooting is some weapon.
All-Ireland Odds: 17/1
8. DERRY: Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers got the help they needed at the weekend. Niall Loughlin and Niall Toner bust a gut in a ferocious display, while Lachlan Murray showed his worth again and Dan Higgins caught some big ball.
Can they back it up against Dublin? Need a win to ensure qualification out of the group. Draw and they'll survive if already qualified Armagh beat Galway, so they can't rely on help from others.
They'll hope this is the start of a process of rediscovering their form from 2023 and the first half of 2024. If it is, they'll be higher than eight soon enough, although defensive depth in the absence of Conor McCluskey and Gareth McKinless remains an issue.
All-Ireland Odds: 25/1
9. MAYO: Their ferocious backlash win in Tyrone was similar to Derry's draw with Galway, but have either side enough about them to sustain that form and go on a run? And how would Mayo fare against a real big gun at Croke Park in a knockout game?
Mayo are still on the back foot due to their head to head defeat by Cavan - and if Tyrone beat Cavan in the final round, they'll need a draw against Donegal to even make a preliminary quarter-final.
10. MEATH: Slip in at number 10 here. One of the most improved sides around and dangerous opposition with their two point shooters.
They've bounced back well from the heartbreak of their Leinster Final defeat by Louth to defeat Cork and draw with Roscommon.
They're already qualified for the last 12 and all but secured a home preliminary quarter final at Navan, with a shot to nothing against Kerry in the final round to top the group.
They have two top drawer forwards in Matthew Costello and Jordan Morris.
All-Ireland Odds: 66/1

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