MORE OF THE SAM

SIXTEEN teams will line up for the All-Ireland SFC, but only seven count.

- By GARRY DOYLE

And it is far from a Magnificent Seven, with each of the main contenders for Sam possessing flaws, Donegal the team with the fewest faults.

With the provincial Championships up and running and the League already feeling distant, we rank the contenders and discard the rest - Roscommon, Clare, Down, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Monaghan, Cork, Cavan and Derry as pretenders.

1: Donegal: Jimmy's winning matches

No team looks as balanced and programmed as Jimmy McGuinness’ Donegal, a side who appear to be operated by remote control by their manager, knowing when to attack, when to sit deep, when to press around the circumference of the arc.

While Monaghan hit 0-12 from two-pointers on Sunday, it also has to be pointed out they missed eight other attempts for two-point scores, Donegal assessing when to press high and when to drop back.

The reigning Ulster champions looked good, Finbarr Roarty coming of age, Peadar Mogan scoring four points from play, Ciaran Thompson getting 0-5, Oisin Langan 0-4.

Then there is Michael Murphy, McGuinness’ on-field lieutenant, who got 0-3 but who also made a contribution to five other attacks that ended in scores.

2: Galway - They need to turn Choke Park into Croke Park