With the race for Sam Maguire now firmly underway, Shaun Casey looks at those counties who have a real chance of going all the way to the final and claiming the top prize…

Kerry

THERE’S not much to separate the top sides at the moment and realistically, we won’t really know where Kerry are at until possibly the All-Ireland semi-final. But lay out the starting 15 that Jack O’Connor has at his disposal and they probably have the best team in the country. Impact from the bench could be a factor that goes against the Kingdom, but with David Clifford looking back to his best, Kerry are in a great position to claim their first All-Ireland title in three years.

Donegal

THE Ulster champs suffered their first defeat at Ballybofey under Jim McGuinness’ watch, but they’ll still have a huge say on the final destination of Sam Maguire. Michael Murphy came back for one reason and one reason only and that was to get his hands on another Celtic Cross. Their recent defeat to Tyrone means they probably won’t top the group and will have to reach Croke Park the hard way but that won’t phase a Donegal team that are hell-bent on winning Sam.

Galway

IT’S been a tough few years for Galway. Two All-Ireland final appearances and no medals. Perhaps it’ll be third time lucky for Pádraic Joyce’s men if they can make it back this year and they look like a team that can go all the way. How they react to their opening round defeat to Dublin will be interesting and Galway have to face both Derry and Armagh now, but they should get out of the group and will be a massive challenge for anyone.

Armagh

NOBODY can question the bouncebackability of the defending champions and with Rian O’Neill now back in the mix, there’s nothing to stop Armagh going all the way again. They were perhaps the surprise package last season, going all the way in the end, but they have a target on their backs now and that’ll make things incredibly difficult for Kieran McGeeney’s men.

Dublin

THEY haven’t gone away you know. Plenty of pundits were writing Dublin off after their Leinster semi-final defeat to Meath but Dessie Farrell’s side will still have a big say in the race for Sam before the season is out. That win over Galway seems to have propelled them back into the spotlight and a second triumph on the trot over Armagh would more or less guarantee top spot. Dublin still have some of the best players of a generation like Ciarán Kilkenny and Con O’Callaghan so they are certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Tyrone

MALACHY O’Rourke’s charges should perhaps be further up the list but there’s very little between all the top six. In beating Donegal, Tyrone have shown they can mix it with the big boys and have some outrageous footballers like Peter Harte, Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry. This season may be slightly too early for the Red Hand County in terms of All-Ireland success, but Tyrone will get their hands on Sam once again sooner rather than later.

Monaghan

THIS is where the list maybe breaks up a wee bit. Monaghan probably aren’t in a position to win the All-Ireland, but they could certainly stop one of the big teams from doing so. The Division Two league champions will have absolutely no fear of anyone they cross, but it’s a matter of beating a number of big teams on the way to Sam that could halt Gabriel Bannigan and his side.

Louth

LEINSTER champions for the first time in 68 years, the Wee County will want to make it to the knockout stages of the All-Ireland series. That first round loss to Monaghan has instantly put them on the backfoot ahead of games against Down and Clare. Ger Brennan’s team would relish playing some of those bigger teams in the knockout stages of the competition but getting there will be the priority first and foremost.

Derry

DERRY still have good players but just haven’t been able to show their quality regularly enough of late. They’re still missing key men like Odhrán Lynch, Conor McCluskey and Gareth McKinless but in Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers, Paul Cassidy and Shane McGuigan, they still have some of the best players in the country. Their games against Galway and Dublin will tell the tale but they’ll be eager to make it out of the group.

Mayo

ARE Mayo genuine All-Ireland contenders? Probably not. That loss to Cavan could have really knocked the stuffing out of them and with games against Tyrone and Donegal coming up, it’s a real possibility that they may not even make it out of the group. They showed in the Connacht final that they can reach a certain level, although it wasn’t enough to win that day, but they don’t look like troubling the bigger sides this year. Kevin McStay stepping aside only adds to the uncertainty.