Championship 2004 draw analysis: With the 2003 championship only just fixed in the rear view mirror, next year's competition has already swum onto the horizon, with the announcement of the 2004 draw, in Perth last Sunday.
The Ulster football pairings sparked plenty of comment, with Armagh getting an opportunity to avenge last May's defeat to Monaghan and Tyrone facing Derry in their opening encounter of their championship campaign for the second year in succession.
Yet it is the Leinster football draw that has produced potentially the most enthralling showdowns, especially considering the recent close season managerial appointments.
Westmeath against Offaly will have all eyes on the midlands as two new managers cut their teeth in the Leinster championship.
Páidí Ó Sé's charges will pit their wits against neighbours Offaly, now under Gerry Fahy, for the honour of taking on Dublin in the quarter-finals.
Although Fahy won't be under the microscope quite as often as his opposite number in Westmeath, the Offaly manager still has the arduous task of re-invigorating a county that finished the season with an unseemly round of in-fighting and resentment, with football secretary Jim Buckley eventually falling on his sword in response to the manner in which Paul O'Kelly was removed from the manager's post.
With two new managers now at the helm, the pressure on both to overcome their local rivals will be enormous. Victory will begin talk of a new era; defeat will bring a cloud over the incumbent's future, especially Fahy, who has only a one-year contract.
"There is going to be pressure, for both teams," he said. "Westmeath are an improving team and have a very high profile now."
Westmeath county board chairman Tommy Byrne added: "It is certainly the tougher side of the draw but if you want to win you have to beat everybody. There are five or six counties that are capable of winning the Leinster championship.
"Playing Westmeath is as much a local derby as facing Laois so there is a lot at stake."
In Munster, Billy Morgan's return for a second stint in the Cork job could not have a more difficult baptism of fire than Kerry, presuming the Kingdom overcome Clare in the first round.
"My first championship match back and I get Kerry!" he said. "Well, it probably will be Kerry. It's going to be a tough one, as they will already have the advantage of a first-round match but that is just the way it goes.
"Everything will be focused on the first match of the championship, there is a back-door but nobody wants to be beaten," continued Morgan.
After his promotion to the Kerry hot-seat from the under-21s, at least Jack O'Connor gets to begin his senior championship career against Clare.
"We're happy enough with the draw. Not to be dismissing Clare, but with a first round game, we are not going into the championship cold. I'm just glad we are not playing Cork, right from the start," said the new Cork boss.
Meanwhile, Ireland's new look shinty/hurling national side was too strong for Scotland when they ran out 26-16 victors at Burght Park, Inverness, last Saturday.
Despite fielding a side from developing hurling counties - in order to make the series more competitive - the Irish still had too much firepower, scoring five goals to Scotland's one.
Dublin's Shane Martin grabbed two while Paul Lavery, Andy Mitchell and James Young scored one apiece.
It was a double celebration for Ireland as the under-21s also recorded victory over their Scottish counterparts, winning out 12-10.
IRELAND (senior squad): J Bermingham, T McGrath, W O'Gorman, D Spain, S Martin, P Mahon, J Young, O Collins, G Biggs, M McCambridge, P McCormack, P Dunne, A Healy, P Seevers, P Lavery, A Mitchell.
