How will eliminated teams reflect on 2025 Sam Maguire exit?
Group 1: Mayo (1 win, 2 losses)
Heading into the final round, all four teams were all locked together on two points each, as Mayo headed for Hyde Park to take on Donegal.
A draw would have sufficed but Ciarán Moore's score at the hooter signalled defeat for Mayo to keep them on two points alongside Cavan, who lost to Tyrone. Cavan had Mayo on the head-to-head, meaning the Green and Red bow out.
Similar to last year, Mayo are the victims of fine margins. A direct route to the quarter-finals was within their grasp in 2024, but conceding a late equaliser to Dublin sent them down the preliminary road where they lost to Derry after extra-time and penalties.
In 2025, it's the shock defeat to Cavan in the All-Ireland series opener that will rankle most with Mayo as another campaign ends in misery. The scoreline read 1-17 to 1-14 in favour of Cavan but the gap was at eight points heading into stoppage time. Manager Kevin McStay stepped down due to 'personal health issues' in the wake of that defeat with Stephen Rochford stepping up in a testing time for the county.
A league final defeat to Kerry followed by a losing a second consecutive Connacht final to Galway are other disappointments for Mayo to ponder, losing by six points and two points respectively.
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Group 3: Clare (3 losses)
The Clare team before their All-Ireland series clash with Louth. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Since its inception in 2023, Clare have competed in all three editions of the All-Ireland group series on account of reaching the Munster final. But each season has also ended in elimination on zero points, as they have suffered nine consecutive losses. They rallied from eight points down at half-time against Louth but were still three points short despite Eoin Cleary and Mark McInerney combining for 1-8.
Along with this performance, the closest Clare came to a wining an All-Ireland series tie was a two-point defeat in last year's opener against Cork. Clare ran Kerry to seven points in last year's Munster final but failed to build on that spirited display this summer, losing out to the Kingdom by 4-20 to 0-21 last month.
This year's league ended in disappointment for Clare too. They won five of their seven league games but missed out on promotion from Division 3 due to inferior scoring difference against Kildare and Offaly.
Looking to 2026, the Munster championship could become even more challenging for the Banner as the provincial council prepares to vote on seeding Cork and Kerry for next year's competition.
'I think would be a terrible move for football in the province,' Clare manager Peter Keane said after the Louth defeat. 'If you block it out altogether it's no good for anyone.'
Group 4: Derry (1 draw, 2 losses)
Derry lost out in the 'Group of Death.' They looked to be on course for survival at half-time against Dublin on Saturday as the sides were level while Galway trailed Armagh by eight points.
But despite Shane McGuigan's impressive tally of 0-10 — including three two-point frees — Derry bow out. It marks the end of a disappointing first season under Paddy Tally in which they failed to win a game in either league or championship. They earned two draws, both of which were against Galway in the league and All-Ireland series. Derry rallied from nine points down for a draw in the first game and let an eight-point lead slip in the second.
Division 1 champions last year, and back-to-back Ulster winners in 2022 and 2023, Derry have regressed. However, Tally was only appointed as manager last November, leaving little time to prepare adequately. The squad has also been hampered by injuries with Lachlan Murray, Niall Loughlin, Ciaran McFaul and Odhran Lynch among those on the treatment table. They also lost Chrissy McKaigue to retirement last year.
'We were so far off it and that's just the fact that the lads hadn't got a proper pre-season done and were basically straight into competition,' Tally said after the Dublin game, before adding that they used their after the Ulster championship to improve their conditioning.
'You can see now when they're starting to come into decent shape.'
Group 2: Roscommon (1 draw, 2 losses)
Roscommon's Ciaráin Murtagh. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Roscommon's season came down to a half block from Daniel O'Mahony on Diarmuid Murtagh's late two-point effort. Daire Cregg was also denied a goal earlier in the second half as Cork goalkeeper Micheál Aodh Martin saved at a crucial stage. A draw would have been enough for a Roscommon team who lost year's All-Ireland quarter-final to eventual champions Armagh. Instead they fell to Cork, who also dumped Roscommon out of the 2023 championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage.
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Experienced forward Ciaráin Murtagh returned to the Roscommon squad for 2025 just days after the addition of Mark Doran who was a candidate for the Derry job. Promotion to Division 1 followed but their season slowly unraveled. They lost the league final to Monaghan after a poor third quarter, resulting in a 10-point loss.
Since their league win over Cork in March, Roscommon only won once in eight matches, that was in their Connacht tie against London. That was followed by a sluggish nine-point defeat against Galway in the Connacht semi-final. They made an encouraging start against Kerry in the All-Ireland series opener, but conceded 2-3 in six second-half minutes to lose out by 10 points. A thrilling draw against Meath offered a spark but the Cork defeat quenched the flame.
After three years in charge, Burke has declined to comment on his future as Roscommon manager but did point to the development of players like Daire Cregg and Conor Carroll under his watch. Enda Smith also won an All-Star during his tenure in 2023.
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