Rankings at the end of 2011

1. Dublin
Worthy All-Ireland champions. Beaten twice all year, first by Westmeath back on the 9th of January in the O'Byrne Cup and then by Cork in the League final. Still in the development stage of their new gameplan, I expect them to raise the bar again in 2012.

2. Donegal
Only the Dubs are able to match Donegal's haul of three trophies in 2011. They came so close to beating the champions elect in the All-Ireland semi-final, and with some further tweaks to their system and another winter to work on strength and conditioning, Donegal look to be Dublin's number one threat.

3. Kildare
Not for the first time, the dream of ending one of football's longest famines looked possible, but a tough quarter-final draw and some harsh refereeing decisions had Kildare out of the championship before their time. As has been the case before, they will bounce back.

4. Kerry
Surprised us all by rolling back the years in the All-Ireland final but finally had to concede that their younger opponents were that small bit better. The final aside, a 35 minute cameo in the Munster Final, and a breathtaking performance from Cooper in the All-Ireland semi-final is not totally convincing. Kerry's position in the top tier of teams is now under real threat.

5. Cork
So Cork had their injuries in 2011 but reigning All-Ireland champions should still be expected to overcome these kind of setbacks. There was some worrying calls on the line, and a real lack of depth in the forwards shown up as the Rebels followed a good League campaign up with a very uninspiring championship.

6. Meath
A league that is best forgotten, and a championship that won't be too fondly remembered either, but Meath still retain their position in the top ten in light of some encouraging signs in the Qualifiers. They were unlucky to encounter a very good Kildare side twice, and went down valiantly in both games. A side to be reckoned with as Banty enters phase two of his stewardship.

7. Tyrone
Tyrone are not the force of old but for the fifth consecutive year, they reached the Quarter-Finals. Therefore a place in top eight must be found for them. Their dominance in Ulster is probably at an end with the arrival of Donegal but with many of the heroes of 2003, 2005 & 2008 staying on for another year, they certainly won't lose their competitiveness.

8. Mayo
I have chosen Mayo as the team to round out the top eight in light of a campaign that saw them draw with the minnows of London, and later dethrone the All-Ireland champions, with a Connacht title somewhere in between. To be fair to the green and red, they played a very systematic game once they reached Croke Park, and unlike the three sides directly above them, they look to be on an upward curve.

9. Roscommon
Very unlucky to come out as losers in a very closely fought Connacht Final. It does not look as if there is much between Roscommon and their neighbours, and with some better luck in the Round 4 qualifiers draw, may have made a Quarter-Final.

10. Wexford
A very weird anomoly in a rule concerning League tables meant Wexford missed out on promotion to Division 2 but more than made up for it by defeating Offaly, Westmeath & Carlow en route to a Leinster Final. And but for a goalkeeping mistake and two weeks later, an umpiring mistake, may have made the Quarter-Finals.

11. Down
12. Derry
13. Laois
14. Armagh
15. Limerick
16. Longford
17. Wicklow
18. Galway
19. Antrim
20. Westmeath
21. Carlow
22. Monaghan
23. Louth
24. Offaly
25. Tipperary
26. Leitrim
27. Clare
28. Cavan
29. Waterford
30. Sligo
31. London
32. Fermanagh

Meath for sam 2012.

Wicklow at 17 says it all about the validity of this rating system although it's strange to see Galway at 18, low to mid-20's for both is realistic..

Boxtyeater wrote:Wicklow at 17 says it all about the validity of this rating system although it's strange to see
Galway at 18, low to mid-20's for both is realistic..

I found it hard to keep any kind of order past the top 16. You're basically looking at Division 3 and Division 4 League games, many of which contradict one another, and then two/three championship matches.

I'm quite satisfied that my top ten is pretty accurate. And probably down as far as sixteen is a decent reflection of the current standings.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:
10. Wexford
A very weird anomoly in a rule concerning League tables meant Wexford missed out on promotion to Division 2 but more than made up for it by defeating Offaly, Westmeath & Carlow en route to a Leinster Final. And but for a goalkeeping mistake and two weeks later, an umpiring mistake, may have made the Quarter-Finals.

Placing them at 10th after failing to get out of division 3, and scoring victories over 3 sides that you correctly ranked in the 20s, is a bit generous to the Yellow Bellies.

Armagh's hammering of Down would see them ranked ahead of their neighbours in my book.

And as for Meath. You could drop them 10 places, and still be accused of bias

Still though, the guts of the top 10 was fair enough. Donegal aren't the second best team in Ireland (a full strength Cork are), nor are they the 3rd (Kerry are), but they and Kildare are both in the top 5 on merit.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:
I'm quite satisfied that my top ten is pretty accurate. And probably down as far as sixteen is a decent reflection of the current standings.

I'd go with most of the top ten but exclude Roscommon in a direct swop with, lets say Laois, who had an equal league campaign but at a higher level, and playing in a more competetive championship.
There are a couple of ranking issues that need scrutiny. Clearly, in the case of Donegal, you are placing their standing on a ratio of games won and that gives the results as stated. But to say they are 2nd only to Dublin belies the truth of the system. Their game plan is containment which mitigates against scoring ability. Some day, someone will snatch 2 goals against them, leaving them with a mountain to climb and their ability to quickly enact Plan B (of which I'm dubious) is exposed....In the top 5 on the years results at a push.

You will need to make a stronger case to justify Meath's ranking but I suppose "even the savage loves his own shore"...

I'll go with:
Dublin.
Kerry.
Kildare.
Cork.
Donegal.
Tyrone.
Mayo.
Meath.
Wexford.
Laois.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:
10. Wexford
A very weird anomoly in a rule concerning League tables meant Wexford missed out on promotion to Division 2 but more than made up for it by defeating Offaly, Westmeath & Carlow en route to a Leinster Final. And but for a goalkeeping mistake and two weeks later, an umpiring mistake, may have made the Quarter-Finals.

Placing them at 10th after failing to get out of division 3, and scoring victories over 3 sides that you correctly ranked in the 20s, is a bit generous to the Yellow Bellies.

Armagh's hammering of Down would see them ranked ahead of their neighbours in my book.

And as for Meath. You could drop them 10 places, and still be accused of bias

Still though, the guts of the top 10 was fair enough. Donegal aren't the second best team in Ireland (a full strength Cork are), nor are they the 3rd (Kerry are), but they and Kildare are both in the top 5 on merit.

As I said to myself when compiling these rankings: How would Donegal cope if they lost their three best forwards? Answer: Significantly better than Cork. Cork and Kerry's grip on the Football Championship loosened considerably this year, and although we are sure to see more of them, Kildare and Donegal are the coming teams.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:
Cork and Kerry's grip on the Football Championship loosened considerably this year, and although we are sure to see more of them, Kildare and Donegal are the coming teams.

Christmas is also coming my Royal friend...

Donegal's "qualities" are there for all to see, without meaning to be dis-respectful of their achievements...You could equate their emergence in a parallel somewhere between Antrim in the 40's and Dublin in '74, mystifying, until better teams replicate it....Future Sam winners...No.

Kildare: Athletic, eager and honest, but bereft of the some things that stands out great teams....Individual brilliance, ingenuity, the unexpected. In other words, a player or two of real skill, cunning and self belief. The likes of Brogan or Gooch..Ability to deliver the killing shot..No.. again..

The championship is over and yet again it has been adorned by that exceptional few that make the difference. Much as I derided Dublin, mostly tongue in cheek, you can't beat class, as exemplified all year by the Brogans, forget the rest, water-carriers, or in the case of Kerry, Cooper.

The also-rans, however they set up, don't have these luxuries. They're merely filling bog-holes with saucepans...

I think that rankings will be very fluid for a while. I said a couple of years ago that we were heading into a period similar to the 90s when, after the demise of the great Kerry side and the Meath/Cork power struggle, 8 different sides won all-irelands between 1990-1998. During that same period, 17 counties won provincial titles.

Between them, Tyrone & Kerry won all 7 all-ireland played between 2003-2009, but now that they have both begun to fall away, we've seen Cork & Dublin win their first titles in a long time. I think that this will continue, with no side/sides enjoying such dominance for the next few years.

As for those who are likely to pick up a title, Dublin and Cork look to have the strongest panels, and both have had recent U21 success. Beyond that, take your pick - it is wide open, and we could have an unexpected winner or two before we reach the middle of the decade. Maybe even Mayo!