Paul Rouse: All-Ireland winner? Nothing is inevitable. It is hard to say even what is likely. We are all guessing

In Tullamore last Saturday, there were Kerry forwards who appeared to adopt a non-combatant approach to tackling. It’s rarely convincing to hear a defeat ascribed to the fact that the winners 'wanted it more'

WRIT LARGE: Armagh footballer Oisín O'Neill. He is part of an impressively deep Armagh squad. But the favourites for the All-Ireland have still lost twice already. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Who will win the All-Ireland senior football championship? There is clearly no overwhelming favourite. That every team left in the competition has lost at least once underlines the sense that this is the most open All-Ireland in recent memory.

Indeed, when it comes to picking the winner, it is a much more straightforward challenge to list out all the reasons why a team will not win the All-Ireland this year.