NIALL Gartland looks back on the greatest Gaelic Football teams of all time.

1 Dublin (2011-20)

FOR a while there, it looked Dublin were practically invincible. Not only did they win a historic five in-a-row between 2015 and 2019, but they didn’t skip a beat when Jim Gavin stepped aside, winning again in 2020. They aren’t faring so well at the minute, but it’s hard to make an argument against them being the greatest side of all-time. Their story began in 2011 when Stephen Cluxton kicked a memorable winning free against Kerry in the All-Ireland final, and they well and truly established themselves as a legendary side during the Gavin years. At one stage, they went 45 games unbeaten, and while neutrals argued (and probably fairly so) that they harboured certain advantages over the rest of us in terms of finance, there’s no doubt that they also had players who would’ve starred in any generation like Diarmuid Connolly, Jack McCaffrey, Brian Fenton and more.

2 Kerry (1978-86)

SEVEN All-Ireland titles in nine years is some haul, and while there’s plenty of misty-eyed nostalgia about Mick O’Dwyer’s legendary crop of players during the ‘Golden Years’, it’s certainly justified. Their titanic battles with Dublin and Offaly have gone down in history, and they came agonisingly close to completing the 1982 only to be undone by a famous goal from Seamus Darby. It’s to their credit that they came back and won another three All-Irelands in the trot. They had some unbelievably skilled footballers, from Jack O’Shea in midfield, Pat Spillane in the half-forward line and Mikey Sheehy up front

3 Wexford (1915-18)

WEXFORD became the first team in Gaelic Football to win the four in-a-row when they came out in top in the delayed 1918 final in February 1919 against Tipperary. It’s hard to compare different generations, and this was long before the living memory of anyone currently involved in GAA, but it would be unfair to gloss over such a momentous achievement. It could’ve been even better only they lost narrowly in finals to Kerry in 1913 and 1914, but they made amends and dominated the Kingdom in the latter years of their rivalry.

4 Galway (1964-66)

WIDELY regarded as one of the classiest teams of all-time, the Galway footballers won three All-Irelands in-a-row during the sixties. They capped it off with a particularly resounding victory over Meath in the 1966 final, with forward Mattie McDonagh, the only Galway footballer to have won four Celtic Crosses, scoring a goal which was named as one of the top 20 GAA moments of all time in an RTE series in 2005. They also had some incredible defenders as well, including Enda Colleran. who was named in the Team of the Millennium.

5 Tyrone (2003-10)

KERRY fans won’t like this one, but we’ve gone for Mickey Harte’s trailblazing Red Hands as the fifth greatest team of all time. They weren’t quite as consistent as the Kerry team from the same era, but their head-to-head record speaks for itself, defeating the Kingdom in mammoth championship battles in 2003, 2005 and 2008. They received plenty of stick from the southern media after their inaugural All-Ireland win, but even Pat Spillane had to doff his cap after their super performances on All-Ireland final day in 2005 and 2008. Their achievements are all the more remarkable given Tyrone had never won an All-Ireland before they came along.

6 Kerry (2001-10)

TEAM of that particular decade? Statistically, they were, winning five All-Ireland titles between 2001 and 2010. They shipped some humiliating beatings between 2001 and 2003, but Jack O’Connor introduced some real heavyweight players like Aidan O’Mahony and Paul Galvin to complement natural talents like Colm Cooper up front, and from there on they were a truly formidable outfit. While they came out second best against Tyrone on a few occasions, they won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, which was a fine achievement indeed.

7 Kerry (1929-32)

ÉAMONN Fitzmaurice knows his stuff and he described this particular Kerry team as the finest ever to emerge from the county. They won four All-Ireland titles on the bounce between 1929 and 1932, and they’re fondly remembered in the Kingdom for being a uniting force after the neighbour-versus-neighbour damage induced by the Civil War. Of course, they also had plenty of cracking players in their ranks like John Joe Sheehy and Dan O’Keefe.

8 Dublin (1974-79)

‘HEFFO’S army’ won three All-Ireland titles during the seventies and it could’ve been more if they weren’t bettered on a few occasions by Mick O’Dwyer’s Kerry. They won their first of those titles in 1974 with victory over Galway, and completed the two in-a-row in 1976 and 1977. Heavy defeats to the Kingdom in 1978 and 1979 have probably reduced their standing in the overall scheme of things, but their tussles with the green and cold brought entertainment to the nation during the dawn of colour television with Michael O’Hehir an ever-present on commentary.

9 Down (1960-8)

A MUCH-RESPECTED team, Down became the first team from the six counties to win the All-Ireland when they won a breakthrough title in 1960. They got the better of Kerry in 1960, and again defeated a brilliant Kerry team in the 1961 semi-final. They retained their title with victory over Offaly in front of a record attendance of more than 90,000 people at Croke Park. They had to wait another seven years for their third title, but they proved themselves as one of the greatest teams of all-time with their tactical nous, attacking football, and their ability to get the best out of themselves on the big day.

10 Cavan (1947-52)

THIS was a tricky one. We had to decide between many great teams for the tenth spot – Meath under Sean Boylan, even the Mayo team of the last ten years, Cork teams – and we’re possibly showing our bias in electing for Cavan. They were undoubtedly a sensational team, however, bringing the Sam Maguire back to the Breffni county in 1947, 1948 and 1952. Their win over Kerry in the Polo Grounds in 1948 was entered folklore, and they had many great players in their ranks including John Joe O’Reilly, who sadly died in 1952 at only 34 years of age.

KINGDOM KINGS…Action from the 1986 All-Ireland final with Kerry great Pat Spillane on the attack with North Tyrone players Paddy Ball and John Lynch closely monitoring him.