A look mat the counties taking part in the league
Division One A
Cork
Manager: Billy Morgan
Last NFL title: 1999
2006 NFL: 5th Division One A
2006 SFC: Munster champions and AllIreland semi-finalists
2007 NFL: Despite the bitter disappointment of losing to Kerry, whom they'd beaten in Munster, last year was encouraging for Cork. They were undermined by injuries to Graham Canty and Micheál Shields before and during the All-Ireland semi-final.
At full strength, the defence is excellent, but the team needs more firepower. Billy Morgan believes that the young forwards can step up to the mark, but the next few weeks will be the judge of that.
Donegal
Manager: Brian McIver
Last NFL title: None.
2006 NFL: 1st Division Two A. Divisional finalists.
2006 SFC: Ulster finalists and All-Ireland quarter-finalists.
2007 NFL: Haven't impacted on the top level of the league for quite a while and this would be a good year to start, but, in a tough division, room for manoeuvre is limited and a Division Two place next year may be as good as it gets. Defence was good last year with Karl Lacey deservedly getting an All Star.
Injuries deprive the team of captain Neil Gallagher and Colm McFadden. They have the advantage of four home matches, including big fixtures like Kerry and Dublin.
Dublin
Manager: Paul Caffrey
Last NFL title: 1993
2006 NFL: 4th Division One A
2006 SFC: Leinster champions and AllIreland semi-finalists
2007 NFL: Well, is the bottle half-full or half-empty? Was the Mayo defeat a catalyst for future success or a fatal sign of incapacity? Paul Caffrey spoke during the week about how he has taken the league seriously over the past two years and yet failed to make an impact. Dublin's challenge is to demonstrate the sort of edge in spring that Kerry, Tyrone and Armagh are capable of maintaining throughout the season.
One thing the Mayo defeat did do was leave plenty of questions over Dublin's team selection. Is Bryan Cullen to be relocated to the forwards on the basis of one difficult afternoon at centre back? Who's going to make the number-three jersey their own?
Can Diarmuid Connolly answer all the prayers being offered up to him?
Qualification for the semi-finals is essential if progress is to be maintained.
Fermanagh
Manager: Charlie Mulgrew
Last NFL title: none
2006 NFL: 6th Division One A
2006 SFC: Ulster semi-finalists and AllIreland qualifiers round four
2007 NFL: The county's failure to make a big impact on the Ulster championship has disguised how consistent Fermanagh have been in the past few years over both league and championship.
Three wins, including over Tyrone and Dublin, represented a solid return from last year's league and a repeat of that competitiveness would spare them the worst consequences of next year's reformatting.
Kerry
Manager: Pat O'Shea
Last NFL title: Holders
2006 NFL: 2nd Division One A and NFL winners
2006 SFC: Munster finalists and All-Ireland champions
2007 NFL: A couple of things must haunt Pat O'Shea - the perennial failure to retain All-Irelands in the past 16 years and the potential disruption of having to guide his club, Dr Croke's, in the All-Ireland series. The latter needn't be a major roadblock - Mickey Harte did it four years ago en route to Tyrone's first Sam Maguire. But the first?
The intensity needed to win football championships is bound to leave teams drained and the retirement of Michael McCarthy and especially Séamus Moynihan is a big loss of influence. There is still the playing stock to win another All-Ireland, but the close connection between NFL and championship successes in recent years for Kerry creates immediate pressure.
You'd expect a top-four placing but finding their stride won't be an automatic process.
Limerick
Manager: Mickey Ned O'Sullivan
Last NFL title: none
2006 NFL: 2nd Division Two A and divisional semi-finalists
2006 SFC: Munster semi-finalists and AllIreland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: Given the failure to break through a few years ago when all the best players were available, it's impossible to see that sort of ground being regained with dual players all returned to hurling.
Mickey Ned O'Sullivan will make the best out of what he has - the county's presence in this division proves that - but they'll do extremely well to avoid the tumble to next season's Division Three.
Mayo
Manager: John O'Mahony
Last NFL title: 2001
2006 NFL: 1st Division One A
2006 SFC: Connacht champions and AllIreland finalists
2007 NFL: The scale of Mayo's defeat in last year's All-Ireland suggested that it was time for a transitional phase yet John O'Mahony's achievements - and to be fair, the county's over the past 10 years - mean that there's little enthusiasm for such realities.
Signs are that the personnel won't be changing radically in the weeks ahead and yet it's hard to see the same team pushing on to a higher level. The past six NFL winners, including Mayo in 2001, have exclusively comprised the past five years' All-Ireland finalists, but O'Mahony will want to settle nerves and get everyone with the programme in the weeks ahead.
Tyrone
Manager: Mickey Harte
Last NFL title: 2003
2006 NFL: 3rd Division One A
2006 SFC: Ulster quarter-finalists and AllIreland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: According to the alternating distribution of recent years, 2007 is Tyrone's turn for an All-Ireland. They'll be contenders, although the question effectively deferred by last year's injury-related difficulties - and how the team will cope without Peter Canavan - remains to be answered. Last season's NFL was the first in five years that didn't feature Tyrone in the play-offs.
Given Mickey Harte's attitude to maximising competitive football he will want to rectify that by next April.
Division Two A
Carlow
Manager: Andy Shortall
Last NFL title: none
2006 NFL: 7th Division Two A
2006 SFC: Leinster quarter-finalists and All-Ireland qualifiers round one
2007 NFL: A poor league and some promise in the championship give new manager Andy Shortall something to work for in the season ahead - even if results since have been far from impressive. Some lively newcomers, most notably Derek Hayden, give hope that Carlow can improve on their usual league showing, but the uncertainty over Tomás Walsh's intentions is far from welcome. Long shots to avoid bottom four.
Clare
Manager: Páidí Ó Sé (right)
Last NFL title: None
2006 NFL: 6th Division Two
2006 SFC: Muster first round and All-Ireland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: This the challenge to beat all challenges for Páidí Ó Sé, given that Clare's cycle is on a bit of a downswing. Most of last year's players are available again, but the fixture list makes them travel for four potentially critical matches (Carlow, Roscommon, Offaly and Longford) and becoming the first county to win the Tommy Murphy Cup twice could be the limit of this year's ambition.
London
Manager: Noel Dunning
Last NFL title: none
2006 NFL: 8th Division Two A
2006 SFC: Connacht first round and AllIreland qualifiers round one
2007 NFL: The league's bottom team with eight out of eight defeats in 2006. The big problem for London every year is lack of continuity and that hasn't changed judging by manager Noel Dunning bringing in nine players who weren't involved last year.
Certainties to end up in next season's Division Four.
Longford
Manager: Luke Dempsey
Last NFL title: 1966
2006 NFL: 5th Division Two A
2006 SFC: Leinster first round and All-Ireland qualifiers round four
2007 NFL: After a mediocre NFL last year Luke Dempsey's team went on to become one of the stories of the summer, putting the heart crossways against Dublin, beating Derry and unveiling the talent of Brian Kavanagh along the way.
On that basis, they should challenge for a top-two place, but progress isn't always that linear. Imperative they finish in the top four.
Leitrim
Manager: Dessie Dolan
Last NFL title: none
2006 NFL: 4th Division Two A
2006 SFC: Connacht semi-finalists and All-Ireland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: Very competitive in last year's league even if the championship follow-up was muted.
Leitrim came very close to promotion given that they drew with the two promoted teams, Donegal and Limerick, and kept the second tightest defence in the division. Building on that up front is the challenge if they are to stay in the top four. Touch and go.
Monaghan
Manager: Séamus McEnaney
Last NFL title: 1985 (Division Two 2005)
2006 NFL: 8th Division One A
2006 SFC: Ulster quarter-finalists and AllIreland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: Last year's disappointing season went wrong on the first day of the league with defeat to Fermanagh, identified as relegation rivals. The win over Dublin was the highlight, but underlined the earlier stumble.
A decent panel of players and well capable of finishing in the top two, but Monaghan need more consistency.
Offaly
Manager: Pat Roe
Last NFL title: 1998
2006 NFL: 7th Division One A
2006 SFC: Leinster finalists and All-Ireland qualifiers round four
2007 NFL: Some good displays last season ultimately ended in disappointment similar to Monaghan's. An agonising point short of survival in the final table, they went on to a creditable Leinster final, but flat-lined in the qualifiers against Laois, who again turned them over in last month's O'Byrne Cup.
New manager Pat Roe did great things with Wexford in Division One and Offaly will be expecting a top-two placing.
Roscommon
Manager: John Maughan
Last NFL title: 1979
2006 NFL: 3rd Division Two A
2006 SFC: Connacht semi-finalists and All-Ireland qualifiers round two
2007 NFL: Last year's minor triumph was a welcome lift for a county that has fallen off the pace at senior level since reaching the All-Ireland quarter-finals four years ago.
A bungled promotion challenge set the tone for a downbeat year. The panel looks stronger this year and is capable of having a say in who gets to the play-offs, but a top-four spot looks more likely.
Guide to the counties
Seán Moran
