Billy Joe Padden believes the question marks surrounding rival counties will result in Dublin winning a fourth consecutive All-Ireland football title.
Galway, Donegal and Kerry are considered to be Jim Gavin’s side’s biggest threats to their hopes of lifting silverware in September.
But Padden doubts whether the trio can improve their weaknesses sufficiently to provide Dublin with a stern enough challenge.
“I think you have to put Galway into that category as well. We’ll see where they are after next weekend,” Padden said.
“There’s growth there still for Donegal with all these young players and it’s the same for Galway and Kerry. And it will just depend on how they develop and how quickly they develop.
“As it stands, I think Dublin are eight or nine points better than any team and any other of those pretenders at the minute. And they will be able to raise their game whenever it’s needed against either of those teams.
“Galway have to be able to show that they can get the scores when it’s required in Croke Park and they weren’t able to do that in the league final.
“I don’t have that worry about Donegal. I just feel that they’ll be able to get the scores. Jamie Brennan has added some pace in that forward line and it’s given the other players so much freedom.
“The worry for Donegal is how they will cope in their full-back line. They were a bit shaky at times yesterday. Obviously they’ve changed their tact a little bit – they’re leaving more space back there than they would have under [Rory] Gallagher or Jim McGuinness.
“And then with Kerry, you wonder if they have that athleticism in their half back-line that you need just to live with Dublin. There are still huge question marks over the others whereas Dublin are the finished article and we know that.”
James Hopper
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