All-Ireland SFC Power Rankings After Dramatic Opening Round

The opening weekends of the All-Ireland series did little to clear up the wider picture in Gaelic football, but it did reiterate how competitive this championship has become.

There does appear to be a clear top three emerging. Reigning 2025 All-Ireland champions Kerry remain number one despite defeat in Killarney, with Armagh and Donegal right on their heels after impressive wins. Galway sit slightly adrift in fourth as the best of the rest, looking solid without quite reaching the level of the top three just yet.

After that though? Absolute madness.

From Roscommon in fifth all the way down to Dublin in 14th, almost every team looks capable of beating one another on a given day.

One thing Round 1 made abundantly clear is that almost nobody outside that leading trio can feel comfortable about where they stand.

A defeat normally sends you tumbling from top spot, but context matters. Kerry’s first-half display against Donegal was very solid considering the injury list Jack O’Connor is dealing with. Once Micheál Burns was sent off, the game became almost impossible to judge fairly. Donegal are probably the worst possible team in the country to face with 14 men because of their patience and control. Kerry stay number one for now, but they badly need bodies back.

The Ulster champions just keep finding answers. They weren’t spectacular against Derry, but they were controlled, clinical and physically imposing again. Tiernan Kelly’s goal was outrageous, Oisín Conaty looks like one of the best forwards in the country and they never really looked panicked despite Derry creating chances. Their conditioning and squad depth remain massive weapons.

Winning in Killarney is the biggest statement made by any team so far in the All-Ireland series. Jim McGuinness’ side looked excellent once the game settled and their second-half control with a man advantage was ruthless. Michael Langan, Michael Murphy and Oisín Gallen were all superb. The concern? Kerry's kicks to their inside line still caused them problems in the first half despite being depleted.

A comfortable win over Kildare without really needing to explode through the gears. Shane Walsh looked sharp again, Damien Comer continues to build fitness and Galway’s attacking structure already looks much more fluid than it did earlier in the year. The bigger tests are coming, but Pádraic Joyce’s side are only one win away from an All-Ireland quarter final.

They lost to Tyrone, but they don’t fall too far. Roscommon were coming off an emotional Connacht title and still had enough chances to win the game. Darragh Heneghan remains electric while Diarmuid Murtagh continues to churn out scores. The bigger concern is how easily Tyrone got at them defensively when the game opened up.

A huge win over Meath and another sign that Cork’s upward curve is real. They look physically stronger, tactically smarter and far more composed than this time last year. Stephen Sherlock and Chris Óg Jones caused huge problems while the defence dealt very well with Meath’s running game after half-time. A second-half red card for Colm O'Callaghan could have derailed them but they only got stronger in a great home win.

Monaghan just don't quit but they also don't have any luck. Trailing against the great entertainers Mayo, you just knew Monaghan wouldn't die off easily. An amazing second-half comeback left Gabriel Bannigan's men scratching their heads as to how they didn't get a win in Clones. Minus Stephen O'Hanlon and Gary Mohan, Monaghan fought like dogs and cruelly lose the towering Bobby McCaul as he looked set to wreak more havoc.

Desperately in need of a bit more luck in round 2B.

Nobody in the country is on riding a wave like Westmeath are. Three consecutive extra-time championship games and in their most recent game they produced a late comeback against Cavan. Brandon Kelly, Matthew Whittaker and Senan Baker are developing into top players before our eyes while Mark McHugh has them believing they can beat anyone.

The frustration with Derry is that there are still obvious signs of quality there. They created enough chances to seriously trouble Armagh but their conversion rate killed them again. Lachlan Murray continues to impress and they remain dangerous, but there are still too many faults at key moments that top teams are exploiting. They need to find a way of getting more scores on the board, 1-13 is just not enough to win championship matches anymore.

A disappointing defeat to Cork, particularly after their early Leinster championship defeat to Westmeath. Meath still have serious pace and attacking quality, but defensively they looked vulnerable when Cork moved the ball quickly. They are still dangerous, but momentum has stalled slightly and Robbie Brennan has a job on his hands to keep them in the championship. Badly need to shore up their defence.

Potentially too low already after that win in Roscommon. Tyrone hadn’t played in six weeks, were missing the Canavans and still went down to Dr Hyde Park and won. Eoin McElholm was excellent, Mattie Donnelly rolled back the years and Malachy O’Rourke suddenly looks to have them building belief again. Backing up that away win will be a big challenge for what has normally been an inconsistent Tyrone group.

Well you couldn't call Mayo boring but they are incredibly wide open. Debut man Jack Livingstone was excellent in goal but the fact Monaghan had ten shots at goal will surely scare Andy Moran. Brilliant going forward for large spells but so kind to the opposition forwards.

On another day Monaghan could have had five or six goals and if Mayo don't tighten up the centre of their defence they'll find themselves in some more high scoring thrillers. Despite all that they are one win from a quarter-final and a lot of their younger players are showing really well.

Another frustrating day for Dublin in Croke Park. A strong first-half performance saw them lead by six against Louth but the opening 10 minutes of the second half saw that 6 point lead evaporate rapidly. People had thought once Dublin got Con O'Callaghan back on the field it would all click but despite Con's presence they were unable to see off Louth. Conceding four goals also very worrying.

For long stretches against Westmeath, they looked a very quality side. Paddy Lynch, Darragh Lovett and Conor Casey all made huge impacts and they showed real attacking quality. But collapsing from six points up in extra time is the kind of result that can seriously damage confidence. How they bounce back will be key.

Still bottom despite improvement. Kildare competed reasonably well against Galway in spells but the gap in class was obvious once Galway increased the tempo. There are encouraging signs under Brian Flanagan, but they are still well off the top counties right now.