The results of the All-Ireland football quarter-finals so far show that Dublin, Kerry and Tyrone are pulling ahead of the rest.
Mayo may join the in the top bracket, depending on their replay against Connacht champions Roscommon on Monday, but that remains to be seen.
Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke, who saw his side strangled by the Dubs in Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final, admits that there’s a gap opening up between the best and the rest - even between teams in Division 1.
And he acknowledges that the introduction of the Super 8 format, two round robin groups of four teams instead of the current quarter-finals, from next year will make it even tougher for teams like his to make the breakthrough and reach the final four.
"You can’t argue with that after today," he said after Monaghan went under to a 1-19 to 0-12 defeat in a game that was already over at the break.
"We knew coming up we’d have to pay a lot better. Expectation has gone up in the county because we’d been here before. We knew it was a tall order, but felt we could put it up to them.
"Armagh got well beaten by Tyrone just before us, and certainly there are a couple of counties getting that bit stronger and have pulled ahead this year."
Having won two Ulster titles in recent years, Monaghan’s biggest ambition was winning a quarter-final and making it to the last four. The Super 8s, which will be introduced next year and run for a minimum three-year experimental period, will make that even more difficult.
"I could be proved wrong but I think it [Super 8s] will [make it harder]."
"If I'm speaking honestly, I think it will," conceded O’Rourke. "Especially for the smaller counties with less resources, if we play a really tough game one week and we have to go out again the following week, you're probably going to have fellas carrying injuries, you might have suspensions and things like that there.
"Whereas the stronger counties don't rely on a few individuals as much. They have stronger panels. I could be proved wrong but I think it will (make it harder).
"You can never say that. You can never write anyone off. But I just think the actual format, and maybe I'll be proved wrong, if you've a home game in Clones and things like that, that could change it, just if you're asking me my honest opinion, I think it will make it tougher."
O’Rourke has a mandate to remain on as Monaghan manager for at least another season, though he may review his future following Saturday’s beating.
"Coming off a defeat like that, it's hard to take. It's so disappointing," he said. "It's not a time to reflect on things like that. It's whatever is best for the players, whatever is best for the county board, and obviously I have to look at things myself.
"It's not the best time to be asked the question because it's just so disappointing. We expected a lot more of ourselves, and that's the most disappointing thing."
