County by county guide
Antrim
First match: versus Donegal
Manager: Liam Bradley (first year). Titles: Ulster 10 (1951), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Ulster first round to Cavan, Tommy Murphy Cup winners. NFL position: 1st Division Four and finalists.
Good year to date. Winning the Tommy Murphy last year was at least some recognition for improvements made.
Greater consistency helped them pick up promotion, even if final was a disappointment – and achievement of combining the highest-scoring league record with the meanest defence is impressive. Donegal a step-up but gap has narrowed and they’ll be competitive.
Kerry
First Match: versus winners of Cork v Waterford
Manager: Jack O’Connor (first year). Titles: Munster 72 (2007), All-Ireland 35 (2007). Last year: Lost All-Ireland final to Tyrone. NFL position: 1st Division One.
Jack’s back. Kerry have a score (at least) to settle with Tyrone. and their panel until a few days ago looked strong. Why hesitate on the way to the bookies? Well, even given the emergence of Tommy Walsh, the loss of Kieran Donaghy is a huge blow.
Still, Kerry have enough to keep going till the business end of the summer, when Donaghy should be back. Get down to the bookies anyway.
Leitrim
First Match: versus Roscomon
Manager: Mickey Moran and John Morrison (1st season). Titles: Connacht 2 (1994). Last year: Lost Connacht semi-final to Galway. NFL position: 3rd Division Four.
Hmmm. Interesting. The firm of Moran and Morrison have been called in to do their thing and their effectiveness will be hard to gauge until the sun starts shining. Virtually every able- bodied young fella in Leitrim was looked at during the NFL.
With Moran and Morrisson anything is possible. Look out for big Tomás Beirne to make some sort of impact either in midfield or at full forward.
Galway
First match: versus Donegal
Manager: Liam Sammon (second year). Titles: Connacht 40 (2008), 9 (2001). Last year: Connacht champions, beaten All-Ireland quarter-final by Kerry. NFL position: 3rd Division One.
Maybe good guys don’t always finish last and teams that try to play attractive football don’t always finish empty handed.
The fruits of Galway’s solid underage plantings are in good hands in Liam Sammon, a man whose ideas are wedded to the county’s tradition. NFL was a disappointment in the end, but Galway play a game high summer cries out for.
Fermanagh
First match: versus Down
Manager: Malachy O’Rourke (second year). Titles: Ulster 0, All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Ulster final replay to Armagh, lost All-Ireland qualifier round three to Kildare. NFL position: 7th Division Two and relegated.
Teams with Fermanagh’s resources find it hard enough to challenge each year without losing important players.
For tomorrow, Barry Owens’ rehab after long-term injury hasn’t gone as quickly as hoped, but Peter Sherry is fit and ready.
At full strength they can trouble any team. Below their best, they struggle.
Donegal
First Match: Antrim
Manager: JJ Doherty (first year). Titles: Ulster 5 (1992), All-Ireland 1 (1992). Last year: Lost Ulster quarter-final to Derry, lost All-Ireland qualifier round two to Monaghan. NFL position: 7th Division One and relegated.
It’s like an airport at Christmas with so many players returning home for the season.
Between the recovering injured, repentant disciplinary exiles and Karl Lacey, the county will be able to put their best foot forward.
The old volatility is still there though, but the draw has been kind and there’s every chance of reaching the Ulster final.
Cavan
First match: versus winners of Fermanagh v Down
Manager: Tom Carr (first year). Titles: Ulster 39 (1997), All-Ireland 5 (1952). Last year: Lost Ulster quarter-final to Donegal, lost All-Ireland qualifier round one to Kildare. NFL position: 5th Division Three.
Disappointing attempt to rejoin Division Two compounded by Dermot McCabe’s retirement leaves Cavan with plenty of ground to make up.
Firmer ground will suit the forwards, where Seán Johnston will have the support of Michael Lyng, Ger Pierson and Jason O’Reilly. Won’t be afraid of either Down, who they beat in the league, or Fermanagh.
Cork
First match: versus Waterford
Manager: Conor Counihan (second season). Titles: Munster 33 (2008), All-Ireland 6 (1990). Last year: Munster champions; All-Ireland semi-final, beaten by Kerry. NFL position: 2nd Division 2. Won final.
The shiver of concern which ran through Rebel Territory when it was announced the footballers might join in the striking fun and games is an indication of how seriously this team is taken at home.
That is, not as seriously as a hurling team, but gathering respect all the time despite several tonkings at the hands of Kerry in recent All-Ireland semi-finals. Dark horses.
Dublin
First Match: Meath
Manager: Pat Gilroy (first year). Titles: Leinster 48 (holders), All-Ireland 22 (1995). Last year: Leinster champions and lost All-Ireland quarter-final to Tyrone. NFL position: 6th Division One
Pat Gilroy kept the team in First Division and also trialled plenty of players, although questions about depth of quality remain.
The last time Kilmacud won the All-Ireland Dublin added the Sam Maguire. Unlike in ’95, there will need to be a big influence from the club.
Can the forwards find the composure and steady nerve to put away big matches?
Derry
First Match: versus Monaghan
versus winners of Carlow v Louth
Manager: Damian Cassidy (first year). Titles: Ulster 7 (1998), All- Ireland 1 (1993). Last year: Lost Ulster semi-final to Fermanagh, lost All-Ireland qualifier round one to Monaghan. NFL position: 2nd Division One and finalists.
Getting to league final was an almost accidental by-product of Damian Cassidys work on improving competition for places and tactical variation.
The team has improved with a solid defence and Fergal Doherty-inspired centrefield playing to an enhanced plan of attack in which Eoin Bradley’s role has developed. Will push hard for Ulster title.
Carlow
First match: versus Louth
Manager: Luke Dempsey (first year). Titles: Leinster 1 (1944), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Leinster first round to Meath, Tommy Murphy quarter-finalists. NFL position: 7th Division Four.
Manager Luke Dempsey was in temporary charge when the county surprised Longford in 2004. Since then the county has had one championship win.
Poor enough league during which Wicklow – with whom the feud index is high over the continuing exile of Thomas Walsh – were the only more highly-placed team defeated.
Sizeable list of defectors from panel won’t help.
Down
First match: versus Fermanagh
Manager: Ross Carr (third year). Titles: Ulster 12 (1994), All-Ireland 5 (1994). Last year: Lost Ulster semi-final to Armagh, lost All-Ireland qualifier round three to Wexford. NFL position: 1st Division Three and finalists.
The old consistency bugbear still troubles Down. League campaign was pockmarked by inexplicable defeats.
The county does have talent on stream with a number of the under-21s that so nearly won the All-Ireland already involved.
But there are long-term injuries to key players and an unsettled defence.
Clare
First Match: versus winner of Limerick v Tipperary
Manager: Frank Doherty (second season). Titles: Munster 2 (1992), AlI-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Munster quarter-final to Kerry. NFL position: 6th Division Four.
Dark days and a steady decline from the Maughan era when a bit of foresight could have built something worthwhile.
David Tubridy offers a scoring outlet up front and a lot of faith is put in a half-back line which contains Liam Markham and Graham Kelly – arguably the county’s most significant talents at the moment.
Still, the days when any team would be wary of playing Clare are long gone.
Laois
First Match: versus Carlow or Louth
Manager: Seán Dempsey (first year). Titles: Leinster 6 (2003), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost semi-final to Wexford, All-Ireland qualifier round two to Down. NFL position: 6th Division Two.
Dempsey has plenty of young talent from his under-21 team, especially John O’Loughlin and Donal Kingston and the challenge is to allow that potential to emerge.
Mediocre during the league, however, and for all the promise of Kingston, Donie Brennan and MJ Tierney, surprisingly toothless up front.
Injuries bedevil the defence.
Kildare
First Match: versus Offaly
Manager: Kieran McGeeney (second year). Titles: Leinster 12 (2000), All-Ireland 4 (1928). Last year: Lost Leinster first round to Wicklow and All-Ireland quarter-final to Cork. NFL position: 3rd Division Two.
Failed to clinch promotion due to loss of composure, but the campaign was otherwise positive – though key result was defeat by Armagh.
Last year they recovered from championship disaster to embark on a good run through the qualifiers. They are likely to emerge from their side of the draw into the final.
Armagh
First match: versus Tyrone
Manager: Peter McDonnell (second year). Titles: Ulster 14 (holders), All-Ireland 1 (2002). Last year: Ulster champions, lost All- Ireland quarter-final to Wexford. NFL position: 4th Division Two
The All-Ireland team has nearly dispersed with a star-studded exodus over, but the loss of last year’s captain Paul McGrane goes beyond statistical detail.
Losing one of McGrane’s heirs, Charlie Vernon, for early matches is further misfortune. Steven McDonnell and Ronan Clarke form a top-class strike- force, but rest of the attack is still work in progress and full-back line is inexperienced.
Limerick
First match: versus Tipperary
Manager: Mickey Ned O'Sullivan (fourth year). Titles: Munster 1 (1896), All-Ireland 2 (1896), . Last year: Lost Munster semi-final to Cork, beaten by Kildare in second round qualifier. NFL position: 7th Division Three.
For all the huffing and puffing, no Munster championship since 1896. and most of that successful team are gone now!
John Galvin is a tough midfielder and since Ian Ryan left his calling card with 3-7 against Meath last summer, they have a scoring outlet too.
League form suggests they shouldn't really fancy it against Tipperary, but they will.
Monaghan
First Match: versus Derry
Manager: Séamus McEnaney (fifth year). Titles: Ulster 13 (1988), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Ulster quarter-final to Fermanagh, lost All-Ireland qualifier round three to Kerry. NFL position: 1st Division Two and finalists.
The formula is now well known and the key operatives the same, but Monaghan remain hard to beat and on their game, even more dangerous than that.
League final defeat by Cork wasn't a true indicator, but there are the old problems of reliance on Tommy Freeman and Paul Finlay and where to deploy Vincent Corey.
Up against it in Celtic Park.
London
First Match: versus Galway
Manager: Noel Dunning (fifth year). Titles: 0. Last year: Beaten by Sligo in first round of Connacht championship. NFL position: 8th in Division Four.
Dead men walking. The recession will have to bite a little deeper and the boat to Holyhead get a little busier before the odds narrow on a London upset in Connacht.
As it is, you have to go back to the 1970s for the last time London upset any sort of apple cart.
Still, caused a minor ripple in the backwaters when taking league points off Waterford in the spring.
Longford
First match: versus Wicklow
Manager: Glenn Ryan (first year). Titles: Leinster 1 (1968), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Leinster first round to Westmeath, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Laois. NFL position: 8th Division Three and relegated.
A difficult first year for Glenn Ryan, complicated by the absence of a number of players – particularly Brian Kavanagh.
Centrefield is weakened by the long-term injury to Liam Keenan, but the defence conceded just one goal in the entire league.
They will, however, do well to emulate the feisty displays of two and three seasons ago.
Sligo
First Match: versus London or Galway
Manager: Kevin Walsh (first year). Titles: Connacht 3 (07), AIl-Ireland 0. Last year: Beaten by Mayo in Connacht semi-final. NFL position: 2nd Division Four. Won final.
Seems like only yesterday when the all blacks were travelling en masse towards Croke Park with a provincial title in the vanguard.
After a year living in denial Sligo accepted something had gone wrong and brought in Galway legend Kevin Walsh.
A surprise against Galway isn't entirely out of the question, especially if Seán Kilbride can click into gear at full forward.
Tipperary
First match: versus Limerick
Manager: John Evans (second year). Titles: Munster 9 (1935), All-Ireland 4 (1920), Last year: Lost Munster quarter-final to Limerick, lost first round qualifier to Westmeath. NFL position: 2nd in Division Three, won final.
John Evans' work borders on the miraculous. Barry Grogan scored three goals against Cork in the Munster under-21 final in 2007. He has developed into a serious operator at senior level, along with Hugh Coughlan at centre back and the young Ciarán McDonald at full back.
Great chance of a Munster final appearance.
Limerick
First match: versus Tipperary
Manager: Mickey Ned O'Sullivan (fourth year). Titles: Munster 1 (1896), All-Ireland 2 (1896), . Last year: Lost Munster semi-final to Cork, beaten by Kildare in second round qualifier. NFL position: 7th Division Three.
For all the huffing and puffing, no Munster championship since 1896. and most of that successful team are gone now!
John Galvin is a tough midfielder and since Ian Ryan left his calling card with 3-7 against Meath last summer, they have a scoring outlet too.
League form suggests they shouldn't really fancy it against Tipperary, but they will.
Offaly
First match: versus Kildare
Manager: Tom Cribbin (first year). Titles: Leinster 7 (1997), All-Ireland 3 (1982). Last year: Lost Leinster quarter-final to Westmeath, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Down. NFL position: 3rd Division Three.
After a chaotic start to the year, Offaly steadied to end the season as best of the rest in Division Three – even if their defensive performance was the worst of the eight teams.
That will need to improve as will uncertainty at centrefield, but in attack Niall McNamee is less isolated, even if the talented but volatile PJ Ward is suspended for the opening tie.
Louth
First Match: versus Carlow
versus winners of London v Galway
Manager: Eamonn McEneaney (fourth year). Titles: Leinster 8 (1957), All-Ireland 3 (1957). Last year: Lost Leinster quarter-final to Dublin, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Tyrone. NFL position: 4th Division Three.
Encouraging early season form gave way to a frustrating league in which only one of four losses was by more than one score.
McEneaney's task hasn't been eased by the hamstring problems that rule out last year's captain Aaron Hoey for a month and threatened Paddy Keenan's participation.
Will want to rediscover the qualifier drive of two years ago.
Waterford
First Match: versus Cork
Manager: John Kiely (fifth season). Titles: Munster 1 (1898), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Beaten by Clare in Munster quarter-final. NFL position: 4th in Division Four.
John Kiely and his side keep on keeping on even if they do so this summer in the manner of Christians being fed to the lions.
In Liam Ó Lionáin from an Rinn, they seem to have discovered a reliable source of scores, but the chances of converting a league tally of 6-15 from play into something which makes a game of it in Dungarvan next weekend are slim.
Roscommon
First Match: versus Leitrim
Manager: Fergie O'Donnell (first year). Titles: Connacht 19 (2001), AIl-Ireland 2 (1944). Last year: Lost Connacht quarter-final to Galway, beaten in first round qualifier by Donegal. NFL POSITION: 6th Division Three.
Three straight losses after a promising start to the league and the golden generation of minor All-Ireland medal winners were beaten in their under-21 campaign by Mayo. Hope no longer springs eternal.
Visit Leitrim in the first round and an escape from there might set up some momentum for a qualifier run in the summer.
Wicklow
First match: versus Longford
Manager: Mick ODwyer (third year). Titles: Leinster 0, All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Leinster quarter-final to Laois, Tommy Murphy Cup finalists. NFL position: 5th Division Four.
Wicklow have rarely been a great league team and Mick O'Dwyer was never going to regard fixing that as a priority.
The improvement in the county's championship displays and success at Croke Park, however, bear O'Dwyer's stamp.
With the first-choice midfield of Thomas Walsh and James Stafford again available, they've a chance against Longford.
Tyrone
First match: versus Armagh
Manager: Mickey Harte (seventh year). Titles: Ulster 11 (2007), All-Ireland 3 (holders) Last year: Lost Ulster quarter-final to Down, All-Ireland champions. NFL position: 5th Division One.
The one challenge Mickey Harte has yet to meet is mounting a sustained All-Ireland defence. The omens are more favourable than in 2004 and '06 as Tyrone have a depth of talent that is formidable and versatile.
If Stephen O'Neill can muster an injury-free run and the team can hit its stride at the same time, they'll be harder to depose than ever before.
Mayo
First match: versus Leitrim or Roscommon
Manager: John O'Mahony (third year). Titles: Connacht 41 (2006), AlI-Ireland 3 (1951), Last year: Lost Connacht final to Galway, beaten in third round qualifier by Tyrone. NFL position: 4th Division One.
Who knows, who knows?
This could be heaven.
This could be hell.
John O'Mahony knows the arrhythmic heartbeat of the place better than most.
Much depends on whether young Aidan O'Shea can make the leap in his debut season to being a top level forward.
A big thumbs up . . . no thumbs down . . . no, wait.
Who knows?
Meath
First match: versus Dublin
Manager: Eamonn O'Brien (first year). Titles: Leinster 20 (2001), All-Ireland 7 (1999). Last year: Lost Leinster quarter-final to Wexford, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Limerick. NFL position: 5th Division Two.
Quite where it all went wrong after the encouragement of 2007 remains a mystery, but the traumatic defeat by Wexford was the turning point.
Assuming the injury plague lifts to allow the return of Nigel Crawford and Brian Farrell, the team will have a formidable front eight. Defence isn't as impressive, but matches against Dublin are always tight.
Wexford
First Match: versus Kildare or Offaly
Manager: Jason Ryan (second year). Titles: Leinster 10 (1945), All-Ireland 5 (1918). Last year: Lost Leinster final to Dublin, lost All-Ireland semi-final to Tyrone. NFL position: 8th Division Two and relegated.
Like Wile E Coyote after sprinting off a cliff, Wexford appear to have looked down during this years NFL and the free fall has been spectacular.
Even if last season's Leinster final proved sobering, the side's recovery and re-application earned a memorable All-Ireland campaign – but a woeful hangover.
Westmeath
First Match: versus Longford or wicklow
Manager: Tomás Ó Flatharta (fourth year). Titles: Leinster 1 (2004), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Lost Leinster semi-final to Dublin, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Tyrone. NFL position: 8th Division One and relegated.
Westmeath succumbed to a nightmare volume of injuries and were unable to get anywhere near their best in Division One.
But with Martin Flanagan, Fergal Wilson and Dessie Dolan back from injury, and Damien Healy returned from his travels, they have every chance of again reaching the provincial last four.
Louth
First Match: versus Carlow
Manager: Eamonn McEneaney (fourth year). Titles: Leinster 8 (1957), All-Ireland 3 (1957). Last year: Lost Leinster quarter-final to Dublin, lost All-Ireland qualifier first round to Tyrone. NFL position: 4th Division Three.
Encouraging early season form gave way to a frustrating league in which only one of four losses was by more than one score.
McEneaney's task hasn't been eased by the hamstring problems that rule out last year's captain Aaron Hoey for a month and threatened Paddy Keenan's participation.
Will want to rediscover the qualifier drive of two years ago.
Waterford
First Match: versus Cork
Manager: John Kiely (fifth season). Titles: Munster 1 (1898), All-Ireland 0. Last year: Beaten by Clare in Munster quarter-final. NFL position: 4th in Division Four.
John Kiely and his side keep on keeping on even if they do so this summer in the manner of Christians being fed to the lions.
In Liam Ó Lionáin from an Rinn, they seem to have discovered a reliable source of scores, but the chances of converting a league tally of 6-15 from play into something which makes a game of it in Dungarvan next weekend are slim.
Roscommon
First Match: versus Leitrim
Manager: Fergie O'Donnell (first year). Titles: Connacht 19 (2001), AIl-Ireland 2 (1944). Last year: Lost Connacht quarter-final to Galway, beaten in first round qualifier by Donegal. NFL POSITION: 6th Division Three.
Three straight losses after a promising start to the league and the golden generation of minor All-Ireland medal winners were beaten in their under-21 campaign by Mayo. Hope no longer springs eternal.
Visit Leitrim in the first round and an escape from there might set up some momentum for a qualifier run in the summer.
