Kildare (63 years: 1935-1988)

KILDARE were one of the heavyweights in the early days of the GAA, winning titles in 1905, 1919, 1927 and 1928. They lost the decider in 1935 and didn’t reach another final until 1998, under the tutelage of all-round legend Mick O’Dwyer. They’d some top players back then – their current manager Glen Ryan, Anthony Rainbow and others and were tipped to get the better of Galway in the final. It’s fair to say that things didn’t turn out as planned with Pádraic Joyce, Ja Fallon and Michael Donnellan producing brilliant performances and deservedly bringing Sam back to the West. Two-and-a-half decades on, Kildare are still waiting for that fifth title.

Laois (47 years – 1889-1936)

LAOIS haven’t dined at the top table in a long, long time. Way back when, however, they had some top teams and contested the second ever All-Ireland Championship final back in 1889. They also won the first ever national football league competition (in 1926) and reached another ill-fated All-Ireland final in 1936. Since then, they haven’t had much to shout about apart from a spell in the mid-noughties, winning a Leinster title in 2003 under that man Mick O’Dwyer.

Meath (44 years – 1895-1939)

MEATH have won a more than respectable seven All-Ireland titles. They brought Sam back to the Royal County in 1949 at the third attempt after losing finals in 1895 and 1939. Things were certainly different in the late 19th century – at that time the competition was played between the championship winners from each county, and the Pierce O’Mahony’s club lost to Arravale Rovers of Tipperary on the scoreline of 0-4 to 0-3). They had to wait until 1939 for their next appearance and they lost out to Kerry by 2-5 to 2-3.

Louth (38 years: 1912-1950)

LIKE Laois, Louth haven’t tasted much success in recent decades, albeit they were a Martin Sludden decision away from the Leinster title in 2010 and have done well under current manager Mickey Harte. They’ve won three All-Irelands, however, in 1910, 1912 and 1957. They’d a brilliant rivalry with Meath back in the ’40s and ’50s’, playing Meath 13 times in the space of nine years.

Mayo (38 years: 1951-89)

MAYO have reached seven All-Ireland finals in the last decade, losing all of them. It’s still been a memorable (if nothing else) period for their fans, albeit at this stage even the most optimistic Mayo supporters seem to be getting sick of the whole thing. At least they’ve won a few All-Irelands (in 1936, 1950 and 1951) and there was a period in the sixties, seventies and eighties where they had to watch on as Dublin and Kerry, and earlier Down and Galway, did the business in the race for Sam. They reached the 1989 final but lost to Cork by three points.

Derry (35 years: 1958-1993)

THE Oakleafers are accustomed to biding their time. They’ve reached two All-Ireland finals in their history and there was a 35-year gap between the pair. In 1958 they secured an unexpected win over Kerry in the semi-final but fell short against Dublin in the final. Managed by the inspirational Eamonn Coleman, they embarked on a memorable run and were full value for their win over Cork in the 1993 final. Arguably they were good enough to win multiple All-Irelands but Ulster football was particularly strong in the early nineties. Can they finally win that second Sam this year? Time will obviously tell.

Cork (34 years: 1911-1945)

CORK have been fairly consistent down the decades and have seven All-Ireland finals to their name, albeit they’ve lived in the shadow of their neighbours Kerry. They won a few All-Irelands in the early days of the association, but there was a period of three decades where they didn’t reach a final. They claimed their third title in 1945 and added to their collection in 1973, 1989, 1990 and 2010. Obviously they’ve won more than a few national titles in the hurling as well.

Armagh (25 years: 1977-2002)

IT’S fair to say that Armagh fans have had to learn the meaning of patience. There was a 24-year gap between their first two All-Ireland appearances (1953-77) and then they had to wait a further quarter of a century to that famous day in 2002 when, captained by Kieran McGeeney, they reached the promised land with a one-point victory over Kerry. The bedlam after the final whistle, when thousands upon thousands of Orchard County supporters swamped onto the pitch, reflected the magnitude of the occasion.