All Ireland contenders...

[Blowitupref]

Mayo at 16/1 while almost guaranteed to make the 1/4 finals tells its own story.

Mayo should make the Connacht final after that it's no guarantee, lose the final & it's only round 4 maybe vs Cork or Donegal.

[moysider]

Mayo are worth a punt at 16/1. The way the draw is looking in Connacht now means that they'd be very, very unlucky not to make the last eight by August. Flaw in the system of course, but there you are. 16/1 is value.

Mayo are nowhere near all- ireland contenders. I've  a lot of friends up there and I would like to see them up there but they look like they've gone backwards this year. Last 8 I think and would require a soft draw to make the last 4.

Mayo at 16/1 while almost guaranteed to make the 1/4 finals tells its own story. Unless management implodes the team will be much better by then though. It might not be be obvious to an outsider but there were one or two changes for today s match that may indicate that some scales are falling from eyes.

Last year Mayo got the toughest 1/4 final draw going - AI champs Cork and still made semis. The problem with Mayo is that there is a problem beating 2 big teams in a row or losing when they are expected to win (Meath2009). The latter is the most worrying imo. A team that cannot win when expected to are not a team to put money on. I won good money on the win v Cork last year but wild horses would not have made me bet on the kerry match. Not that we were expected to beat Kerry of course. But ye know what I mean.

Even if Mayo were 100/1, the reality is betting a tenner on a win is still just giving a tenner away.

For me you just dont have the backs to get the job done. I think its a real weakness for you. Dublin will probably be missing 4 first choice forwards next Saturday but I doubt you'd hold our forwards in a championship game in CP.

I think you need 3-4 good underage sides to follow each other to give you the pool of players to contend for an all-ireland. Its pretty much how we did it. Unless you're kerry or killkenny where players grow on trees its the only way.

Frustratingly players grow on trees here too. But instead of being nurtured and picked they end up as windfalls. That s why Mayo football people are the way we are. We ve seen such criminal waste down the years it begs belief. I doubt any other county has as big an exclusively football population. Bigger counties like Cork and Galway are half football at best. Galway city is a big population and love the Gaeilge but is not a GAA stronghold. We re desperately underachieving in Mayo with our resources.

[Maguire01]

Who exactly have Tyrone beaten in DIVISION TWO? Bar Kildare the standard is p*ss poor! Form in Div 1 might be inconsistent but it is much stronger league.

Tyrone look better than last year but then again that wouldn't be too difficult. No team replaces the calibre of players and experience Tyrone had in one season. Not even Kerry have managed that.

Nobody who is a contender but try telling a Tyrone fan that!!

I would say Kildare are they only decent team Tyrone have beaten this year. Tyrone look to be flying but as is said it is division 2. You can only beat who is on the pitch on the day. A winning habit is a good thing but until Tyrone play one of the big 3 we will not know how much progress has been made.. I can't wait.

Monaghan made Kildare look very average. And look where we're sitting.

[Hill16 Blues]

Think you're deluded in mayo rather than underachieving! With the players you have how would you expect to do better than you did last year?

[EC Unique]

Who exactly have Tyrone beaten in DIVISION TWO? Bar Kildare the standard is p*ss poor! Form in Div 1 might be inconsistent but it is much stronger league.

Tyrone look better than last year but then again that wouldn't be too difficult. No team replaces the calibre of players and experience Tyrone had in one season. Not even Kerry have managed that.

Nobody who is a contender but try telling a Tyrone fan that!!

I would say Kildare are they only decent team Tyrone have beaten this year. Tyrone look to be flying but as is said it is division 2. You can only beat who is on the pitch on the day. A winning habit is a good thing but until Tyrone play one of the big 3 we will not know how much progress has been made.. I can't wait.

Monaghan made Kildare look very average. And look where we're sitting.

Come business end of the year Kildare will be better opposition than Monaghan.

[supersarsfields]

Who exactly have Tyrone beaten in DIVISION TWO? Bar Kildare the standard is p*ss poor! Form in Div 1 might be inconsistent but it is much stronger league.

Tyrone look better than last year but then again that wouldn't be too difficult. No team replaces the calibre of players and experience Tyrone had in one season. Not even Kerry have managed that.

Nobody who is a contender but try telling a Tyrone fan that!!

Get away outa that. There's few from Tyrone that are looking past May. We know we have had a good run in the league this year but that's the height of it. Yes things are looking up but considering the lack of experience that will be running through the team this year, I'd imagine it'll be a year or two before we'd consider ourself geniune contenders again and that's only if they keep developing as they are.

[PAULD123]

As far as getting to a quarter or semi-final goes then it is as much luck of the draw as anything. Down got a heck of a good draw in 2010 and got to a qaurter final before we met a quality side. Last year we drew Cork in the 4th round qualifier. So anyone of the top two divisions could end up in a quarter final.

The next thing is squad availability. Again in 2010 Kerry were missing 3-4 key players. A few weeks later and they may have beaten us. By the time we got to the final we had lost our captain and key midfielder. We were edged in the final. Ambrose kicks around 60% of his 45's. We didn't manage any in the final but Cork scored three. Last year Dublin were virtually injury free picking up Sam.

So in truth to get to a semi-final, with a lucky draw and a clean bill of health Any Division one team and many Division two teams could end up there. But almost certainly would end up there with no less than two of Dublin, Kerry & Cork. But one good game and a final against a team who have some important injuries/suspensions and you could very possibly see a champion from any one of about ten teams. Look of course Dublin, Kerry & Cork are the most likely to win but it could only take two performances where everything just clicks for those others to lift Sam.

[Benny Sweeney]

Roscommon, we will win Connacht this year and depending on the draw we could very easily make the semi final. Who knows after that.

[saffron sam2]

Roscommon, we will win Connacht this year and depending on the draw we could very easily make the semi final. Who knows after that.

Anyone with half a brain.

[Jinxy]

Ouch.
Don't mind him Benny.
Up Ross!

[Syferus]

*Ros

Fekin' hell, Jinxy.

[Jinxy]

Up Rossport I meant.

[yellowcard]

Kerry, Cork or Dublin will win it. Would be amazed if Tyrone win it . They are playing well at the minute but thats in Div 2 in the League. Big difference come c'ship, I wouldn't fancy them to even win Ulster.

[Fuzzman]

I suppose in the strictest definition of the word contender you would probably say Tyrone based on 2012 form where they are unbeaten in 11 games now including McKenna cup are in the top 5 or 6 contenders.

Personally at this stage of the year I'd have then at the same level as Mayo, Down, Armagh, Donegal & Kildare with Cork, Dublin and I suppose Kerry at the level above that. I'd say any of those teams could beat the others on a given day depending on lots of factors.
The Armagh lads have beaten Kerry in Tralee, Should have beaten Cork and now beaten Down all without their Cross lads. I think they're sorted out their defence big time and if they can convince Stevie McDonnell back then they could be in for a long enough summer.

They'll probably love it if we win the Div 2 title and are coming into the championship game in Neon lights with all talk of Tyrone's new young guns.
Any team going to play a first round game in Armagh need to read the signs.

[JP]

I would love nothing more then Paddy O'Rourke to lay a successful ambush of Tyrone. I doubt we'll ever see Stevie in Armagh colours again  though a couple of our young forwards are showing well particularly Rafferty, if we can get our midfield sorted out we ill have a chance!!