Where are the Challengers to Kerry

[his holiness nb]

Beating Cavan in Breffini Park is a lot better of an achievement than beating a Louth team with half their best players off the panel in Croke Park.

Thats true.

Yet according to everyone Dublin are Potential All Ireland candidates.

This was before they beat Louth. The Louth game hasnt made much difference to peoples views on how Dublin will do.

Anyone who cannot see a rejuvinated Armagh team with Ronan Clarke they key man being back has to be blind.

In fairness, I havent said they wont challenge for the AI, I just havent made my mind up on them yet, not until I see them in a serious challenge.
Remember they finished behind a lot of teams in the league who are not being tipped to challenge.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Beating Cavan in Breffini Park is a lot better of an achievement than beating a Louth team with half their best players off the panel in Croke Park.

Thats true.

Yet according to everyone Dublin are Potential All Ireland candidates.

This was before they beat Louth. The Louth game hasnt made much difference to peoples views on how Dublin will do.

Anyone who cannot see a rejuvinated Armagh team with Ronan Clarke they key man being back has to be blind.

In fairness, I havent said they wont challenge for the AI, I just havent made my mind up on them yet, not until I see them in a serious challenge.
Remember they finished behind a lot of teams in the league who are not being tipped to challenge.

They have their weakness, The Full Back line excluding Andy Mallon was in a bit of touble against Johnston and McCabe,That Full Forward line of McDonnell, Clarke and possibly before too long McConville will take some stopping.
i wouldnt go too much on league form,Armagh are notoriously sluggish in the league normaly minus their Cross contingent.
i expect them to be around come crunch time in August and September.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

i wouldnt go too much on league form,Armagh are notoriously sluggish in the league normaly minus their Cross contingent.

We made league play offs in 02, 03 and won the league in 05 so that's not entirely true over the past few years though I see where your coming from.

i expect them to be around come crunch time in August and September.

Would be delighted with that but I think a quarter final is a realistic expectation, hopefully by winning Ulster. Once your there, anything could happen I suppose but its hard to see us winning it.

[Mike Sheehy]

Would be delighted with that but I think a quarter final is a realistic expectation, hopefully by winning Ulster. Once your there, anything could happen I suppose but its hard to see us winning it.

I'm very impressed with the standard of cute hoorism emanating from Ulster these days.

[open her out]

Armagh will be tough to beat, i fancy them to take another ulster this year. Were probably shy 2 players to really push for Sam i think Francos legs are gone an MOR offers very little creativity. IMO Brian Mallon would be a better option at 12.

Will Oisin be used more as an impact sub this year rather than a regular starter?

[marty88]

Everyone forgot about Doire already?

[thehulk!!]

cant see armagh challenging anyone- remember who they were playing remember what dic=vision they are ion and just look at the panel- in september they will be long forgot about in my opinion, clarke and mcdonell are decent they are no world beaters, mcgrane is a legend in armagh and nowhere else- there is just a severe lack of quality about armagh

[wherefromreferee?]

cant see armagh challenging anyone- remember who they were playing remember what dic=vision they are ion and just look at the panel- in september they will be long forgot about in my opinion, clarke and mcdonell are decent they are no world beaters, mcgrane is a legend in armagh and nowhere else- there is just a severe lack of quality about armagh

....and a severe lack of quality about your posts!

[billy the kid]

Cork, Down, Meath, Tyrone and Mayo are nowhere near the level required to beat Kerry or to come close to winning an All Ireland!

I never said they were, just that they are in the group who come next. While none of them might be capable of beating Kerry on a good day I think they would all be capable of beating Dublin the acknowledged next best team in the country.

You say this as if its a fact of life but Outside Dublin supporters, Acknowledged by who?
Dont cite that grumpy wee Troll Tommy Lyons as a media expert tipping them either as he is just a complete (add appropriate word that I wont print because of rule 2 of GAAboard)

Dublin are a very good team and i would say they will make the AI Q-Fs but at that stage there will be alot of teams of similar ability and anything could happen.

I dont dispute that Kerry are the Number 1 team and and cant see anybody out playing them in football but tactics, catching kerry below par, kerry complacency, pressure to perform on kerry and how they cope without a key player in Paul Galvin offers very real hope that Kerry wont Achieve this 3 in a row.

[D4S]

A lot of talk about Armagh here...are people forgetting they have a very stiff challenge of Down on Sunday week (Armagh 8/13 Down 7/4).  Ulster is so competitive, realistically there are probably 7 teams who can win it every year if they can hit a bit of form! I know Tyrone&Armagh have won the last 9 but im sure looking back through the results it was never easy!  My point is that If Armagh were to beat Down after say ANOTHER ULSTER REPLAY it's a long long road to Sam! I take my hat off to Tyrone in 2005! 

Current Betting for Ulster
Derry 11/10
Armagh 7/4
Down 9/2
Fermanagh 15/2

There is no doubt Fermanagh will seriously put it up to Derry, and Down will also do likewise to Armagh, and both could win.  Yet neither of these are realistic challengers to go all the way and win the all ireland.  But if Derry and Armagh are beaten in their respective ulster semifinals their chances of winning Sam are hugely affected!

Think I made my point eventually

[open her out]

Down will provide a tough match for Armagh but i cant see them winning if its anyway close with 5 or 10 minutes left it's only going to go one way.... I hope, were just going to have to wait an see.

[D4S]

Id say it'll be a crackin game C'mon Down !!!

[his holiness nb]

You say this as if its a fact of life but Outside Dublin supporters, Acknowledged by who?
Dont cite that grumpy wee Troll Tommy Lyons as a media expert tipping them

In fairness ye cant blame the media on that. Sure there was a poll after the championship last year on this very site to see who was the second best team in the country and Dublin won that poll comforably.

I'm not saying its true, just that many people outside of Dublin supporters beleive this.

[billy the kid]

IM not saying they def arent the 2nd best team I just think its open for discussion as there are quite a few teams around the same level in the chasing pack Dublin, Galway, Armagh, Cork, Westmeath and even Donegal and Mayo.

Any of these teams could beat each other on any given day as very little separates them from each other but i do think Kerry are a step above all these teams in 1st.

[his holiness nb]

IM not saying they def arent the 2nd best team I just think its open for discussion as there are quite a few teams around the same level in the chasing pack Dublin, Galway, Armagh, Cork, Westmeath and even Donegal and Mayo.

Any of these teams could beat each other on any given day as very little separates them from each other but i do think Kerry are a step above all these teams in 1st.

100% agree, would deffo add Meath and Derry to that list too.