Gaelic Football Power Rankings With 12 Counties Left In The Hunt For Sam Maguire

The more we see of this year's championship the more confusing the picture gets in the race for the Sam Maguire.

After an epic final round of group matches, we said goodbye to Roscommon, Clare, Derry and Mayo. With just over eight seconds to go in Hyde Park, Mayo were set to progress to the preliminary quarter-finals but a Ciaran Moore point dashed their hopes of progression.

With Armagh, Monaghan, Meath and Tyrone safely progressing to the All-Ireland quarter-finals they have the chance to put their feet up and watch the remaining eight teams battle it out to make the last eight.

Following this morning's draw live on RTÉ Radio 1 the preliminary quarter-finals will see Kerry host Cavan, Galway travel to Down, Donegal welcome Louth and Dublin face Cork.

It's important to remember that these power rankings aren't just totally reliant on the weekend's results, but are hinged on current form, potential, and how high their ceiling could rise in the race for Sam Maguire.

The only team who had nothing to lose in round 3 and for large portions of their game against Galway they performed well. Having led by eight points at half-time, Kieran McGeeney may be slightly concerned by the way they relinquished control of the game against a Galway side fighting for their lives. However, resting Rory Grugan and leaving Oisín Conaty on the bench for nearly the entire contest suggests that Armagh could have found a higher gear if they needed to.

Donegal made sure of their progression to the preliminary quarter-finals with a dramatic late win over Mayo, a draw would have also done for them on the day. The return of goalkeeper Shaun Patton proved crucial along with excellent performances from Ciaran Moore and the omnipresent Michael Murphy. The loss of form of Oisín Gallen and Patrick McBrearty will surely be a big concern for Jim McGuinness as he sets his sights on Louth and beyond.

Dublin went to Newry knowing a defeat meant their championship would be over and were extremely impressive in the opening period against Derry. The return of Con O'Callaghan transforms their attack along with more minutes in defence for Cian Murphy and a first appearance of the year for Eoin Murchan. Despite concerns over their midfield, three points from play from Killian McGinnis and another solid performance from Peader Ó Cofaigh Byrne laid the foundations for their all-star attack to flourish.

Managed to squeak over the line against an understrength Armagh to keep their championship hopes alive but the absence of Damien Comer from the squad is a concern especially when the full-forward had made his return against Derry in round 2. The performances of Peter Cooke and Shane Walsh will give Padraic Joyce and their fans hope as they face a trip to Newry to reach the last eight.

Minus Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor and Paul Geaney, Kerry suffered a limp nine point defeat to Meath in Tullamore and the signs are worrying for Jack O'Connor's men. They will face Cavan at home this weekend and you would expect them to progress but with Armagh looking like their most likely quarter-final opponents they will need to get those three men back or they'll be facing another long winter in Kerry.

Tyrone got the job done against Cavan in Enniskillen and because of their victory over Donegal in round one they secured an automatic spot in the quarter-finals. Malachy O'Rourke's side welcomed Conor Meyler back as he got some minutes off the bench. Another nine points from Darren McCurry keeps up his excellent form and despite a poor home performance against Mayo, they continue to fly slightly under the radar and will fancy themselves to reach the last four.

Monaghan played out one of the games of the championship in an attacking affair with Ulster rivals Down on Sunday afternoon. Slightly fortunate to see Jack McCarron's goal stand as he appeared to foul the ball but pushed on after that and only for some heroic Down defending could have won by more. Their ability to kick two-pointers in the guise of Jack McCarron, Conor McCarthy and Rory Beggan means that if Monaghan do get hot from outside the arc they could take out any of the big boys in a quarter-final.

If you told Meath people they'd beat both Dublin and Kerry relatively comfortably in 2025 they'd have been over the moon. Finishing top of their group and reaching an All-Ireland quarter-final with the possibility of more to come, Robbie Brennan has transformed this Meath team. Despite missing full forward James Conlon the Royals led by captain Eoghan Frayne blew Kerry away in Tullamore and now await this weekend's results to see who they will face in Croke Park.

Down were excellent for large portions of their clash with Monaghan but some simple errors at bad times ultimately cost them. Allowing Pat Havern to be isolated close to his own goal before he overcarried the ball and a handling error which led to Micheal Bannigan's goal proved to be enough for Monaghan to overpower Conor Laverty's men. A home tie with Galway will be tough but with a large crowd behind them, they look the most likely to cause an upset in the preliminary quarter-finals.

Louth looked to be back to something resembling their best as they led Clare by eight points after goals from Sam Mulroy and Ciarán Downey but a sloppy second half coupled with a late injury to goalkeeper Niall McDonnell means Louth will be really up against it as they face Donegal this weekend. A trip to Ballybofey is always a daunting task but if they are also minus their starting goalkeeper it would be hard to see Ger Brennan's side toppling Donegal up there.

Cork led for the final forty-five minutes against Roscommon and an excellent block from Daniel O'Mahoney ensured they held on to that two-point lead and progressed to the preliminary quarter-finals. Ian Maguire and Mark Cronin's scores made sure they never trailed after the 23rd minute and secured the two points in Portlaoise. An away tie with Dublin will probably prove a step too far for John Cleary's side but it was important for Cork to respond after such a poor second half against Kerry in round 2.

Cavan suffered another heavy defeat at the hands of Tyrone and now they face a trip down south to play a wounded Kerry. Cavan did what they had to do in beating Mayo away from home but can count themselves slightly fortunate to progress having finished with a score difference of -29. Nine points from Paddy Lynch will give Cavan supporters some heart but it is very hard to see them pulling off another shock in this year's championship.