Jim Gavin is targeting a third successive Allianz NFL Division 1 success for Dublin Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
CORK SWEPT ALL before them in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League from 2010-12, winning three successive crowns.
But now Dublin stand on the cusp of a similar achievement as they prepare for Sunday’s opening day visit to, you’ve guessed it, Cork.
This cracker will be one to savour as the sides served up a semi-final classic at Croke Park last April. The Rebels produced arguably their best football of the year to lead by ten points early in the second half before Jim Gavin’s Sky Blues came steaming back to claim a seven-point victory.
In their long and illustrious League history, Dublin have never won three League titles in a row but Gavin would dearly love to achieve that feat as his Leinster champions aim to prove that the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Donegal was merely a blip.
2. New beginnings for Donegal and Mayo
Following the departure of Jim McGuinness, Rory Gallagher is now the main man in Donegal Presseye / Andrew Paton/INPHO
Presseye / Andrew Paton/INPHO / Andrew Paton/INPHO
The winds of change are blowing through Donegal and Mayo, two of Gaelic Football’s recent superpowers, ahead of the new League season.
Last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists Donegal had a mixed bag of a McKenna Cup campaign, well beaten by Derry in their opening fixture before recording victories against Queen’s University and Fermanagh.
Failure to reach the latter stages of the competition could work in their favour in the long run but long-serving star Karl Lacey has already admitted that the north-westerners need to become more offensive if they want to challenge for All-Ireland glory again.
In the West, Mayo’s FBD League campaign was ended by an emerging Roscommon side, with joint-bosses Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly targeting real physicality in central positions.
Near neighbours Mayo and Donegal remain two of the leading contenders for the major prizes but how they adapt to life after messrs. Horan and McGuinness will be fascinating.
3. Return of the ‘Gooch’ in Kerry – and Tommy Walsh is back too
Colm Cooper lifts Sam Maguire at Croke Park last September Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Kerry fans still basking in the warm afterglow of last year’s sensational All-Ireland success could have more glory days to come.
Few would have predicted such a remarkable year for the Kingdom following the retirements of Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin, followed by Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper’s untimely cruciate knee ligament injury.
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But after a frustrating year on the sidelines, Cooper will be desperate to make up for lost time and to prove that he can still cut it at the highest level. As if that prospect isn’t appetising enough, how about throwing the return of Tommy Walsh from Australian Rules Football into the mix?
Kerry last won the League crown in 2009 – and went on to capture the double later in the year with All-Ireland final victory over Cork. After flirting with relegation in 2014, ending a six-year wait for Division 1 glory would be a lovely way for Cooper and Walsh to mark their returns.
4. Early bragging rights on offer in Ulster
Tyrone boss Mickey Harte searching for summer clues Presseye / Russell Pritchard/INPHO
Presseye / Russell Pritchard/INPHO / Russell Pritchard/INPHO
Fresh from a fourth successive McKenna Cup success, Tyrone boss Mickey Harte will be eager to lay down another marker up north when the Red Hands host Monaghan at Healy Park tomorrow night.
Tyrone were Division 1 finalists as recently as 2013 but championship success is what Harte really craves and the three-time All-Ireland winners have fallen upon lean times in recent seasons.
It’s been 2010 since Tyrone ruled Ulster and since then, Monaghan emerged from the shadows in 2013 to bridge a 25-year gap back to their previous success.
Donegal and Monaghan have been to the fore in Ulster in recent times but Harte, who took the axe to his squad this week, is determined to change that and restore Tyrone to what he feels is their rightful place.
A decent League run would provide the ideal platform ahead of the summer and make up for last year’s disappointing spring campaign, when Tyrone finished outside of the top four placings.
Monaghan, meanwhile, will hope to announce their return to the top division with a bang after they whipped Donegal in last year’s Division 2 decider at Croke Park.
5. Are Roscommon on the verge of something big?
Roscommon's graph is on an upward curve under John Evans Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
With Mayo under new management and Galway still in a period of transition, could this be the year that Roscommon emerge from the pack to lay down the law in Connacht?
Fresh from a very first FBD League success, the Rossies are preparing for life in Division 2 after sweeping to promotion last season.
Roscommon collected Croke Park silverware in the process, downing Cavan at Croke Park to claim the Division 3 crown. On home soil in Kiltoom, they’ll fancy their chances of kicking off their 2015 season with victory at home to Down.
Manager John Evans is no stranger to repeat promotions, having achieved that feat in charge of Tipperary when the Premier County jumped from Divisions 4 to 2 in successive years.
But Evans has his sights firmly set on the summer as Roscommon have been handed the favourable side of the Western draw, separated from Galway and Mayo until the Connacht final, should they get that far.
6. It’s not ‘just’ the League, you know…
Dublin's Bernard Brogan shows off his bumper 2013 haul Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
In six of the previous 12 seasons, the Allianz League Division 1 champions have gone on to claim All-Ireland glory. That statistic should provide solace to the pundits who continually insist that good League form can lead to a summer full of promise.
As far back as 2003, Tyrone’s League success was followed up by a very first Sam Maguire Cup win.
And three times since then, Kerry have managed to complete the double – adding All-Ireland glory to their League crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
Cork also won the double in 2010 and Dublin followed suit in 2013, defeating Tyrone by a point in the Division 1 final. So if you hear anybody telling you that the League is ‘only’ the League, you’ll have some ammunition to hit back with.
Indeed, the past 12 years have been the most fertile period in GAA history for double wins.
7. What’s bubbling beneath the surface?
Is Jason Ryan rubbing his hands at the thoughts of promotion? Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
The race for promotion to the top flight looks wide open in what promises to be a fiercely-contested Division 2 campaign.
Jason Ryan’s Kildare,, relegated in 2014, will start as favourites to lift second tier silverware but the other seven teams in the division will all fancy their chances of having a say in the final shake-up.
Kildare and Down clash on Sunday in Newbridge in what could be the pick of the fixtures, as Galway host Meath.
In Division 3, Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh are hotly-tipped to return to Division 2 following last year’s relegation, with opening day opponents Tipperary second behind them in the pecking order compiled by the bookmakers.
Division 4 is renowned as an annual minefield, with promoted teams often commenting on just how difficult it was to get out of there.
Longford and Offaly, both relegated from Division 3 last year, are fancied to go straight back up at the first attempt but Antrim and Wicklow will look to have a say.
And don’t rule out newly-crowned McGrath Cup winners Waterford, who will attract plenty of movement in the market at an attractive 7/1.
7 talking points ahead of the weekend's Allianz football league lift-off
1. Can Dublin emulate their big city rivals?
CORK SWEPT ALL before them in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League from 2010-12, winning three successive crowns.
But now Dublin stand on the cusp of a similar achievement as they prepare for Sunday’s opening day visit to, you’ve guessed it, Cork.
This cracker will be one to savour as the sides served up a semi-final classic at Croke Park last April. The Rebels produced arguably their best football of the year to lead by ten points early in the second half before Jim Gavin’s Sky Blues came steaming back to claim a seven-point victory.
In their long and illustrious League history, Dublin have never won three League titles in a row but Gavin would dearly love to achieve that feat as his Leinster champions aim to prove that the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Donegal was merely a blip.
2. New beginnings for Donegal and Mayo
The winds of change are blowing through Donegal and Mayo, two of Gaelic Football’s recent superpowers, ahead of the new League season.
Last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists Donegal had a mixed bag of a McKenna Cup campaign, well beaten by Derry in their opening fixture before recording victories against Queen’s University and Fermanagh.
Failure to reach the latter stages of the competition could work in their favour in the long run but long-serving star Karl Lacey has already admitted that the north-westerners need to become more offensive if they want to challenge for All-Ireland glory again.
In the West, Mayo’s FBD League campaign was ended by an emerging Roscommon side, with joint-bosses Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly targeting real physicality in central positions.
Near neighbours Mayo and Donegal remain two of the leading contenders for the major prizes but how they adapt to life after messrs. Horan and McGuinness will be fascinating.
3. Return of the ‘Gooch’ in Kerry – and Tommy Walsh is back too
Kerry fans still basking in the warm afterglow of last year’s sensational All-Ireland success could have more glory days to come.
Few would have predicted such a remarkable year for the Kingdom following the retirements of Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin, followed by Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper’s untimely cruciate knee ligament injury.
But after a frustrating year on the sidelines, Cooper will be desperate to make up for lost time and to prove that he can still cut it at the highest level. As if that prospect isn’t appetising enough, how about throwing the return of Tommy Walsh from Australian Rules Football into the mix?
Kerry last won the League crown in 2009 – and went on to capture the double later in the year with All-Ireland final victory over Cork. After flirting with relegation in 2014, ending a six-year wait for Division 1 glory would be a lovely way for Cooper and Walsh to mark their returns.
4. Early bragging rights on offer in Ulster
Fresh from a fourth successive McKenna Cup success, Tyrone boss Mickey Harte will be eager to lay down another marker up north when the Red Hands host Monaghan at Healy Park tomorrow night.
Tyrone were Division 1 finalists as recently as 2013 but championship success is what Harte really craves and the three-time All-Ireland winners have fallen upon lean times in recent seasons.
It’s been 2010 since Tyrone ruled Ulster and since then, Monaghan emerged from the shadows in 2013 to bridge a 25-year gap back to their previous success.
Donegal and Monaghan have been to the fore in Ulster in recent times but Harte, who took the axe to his squad this week, is determined to change that and restore Tyrone to what he feels is their rightful place.
A decent League run would provide the ideal platform ahead of the summer and make up for last year’s disappointing spring campaign, when Tyrone finished outside of the top four placings.
Monaghan, meanwhile, will hope to announce their return to the top division with a bang after they whipped Donegal in last year’s Division 2 decider at Croke Park.
5. Are Roscommon on the verge of something big?
With Mayo under new management and Galway still in a period of transition, could this be the year that Roscommon emerge from the pack to lay down the law in Connacht?
Fresh from a very first FBD League success, the Rossies are preparing for life in Division 2 after sweeping to promotion last season.
Roscommon collected Croke Park silverware in the process, downing Cavan at Croke Park to claim the Division 3 crown. On home soil in Kiltoom, they’ll fancy their chances of kicking off their 2015 season with victory at home to Down.
Manager John Evans is no stranger to repeat promotions, having achieved that feat in charge of Tipperary when the Premier County jumped from Divisions 4 to 2 in successive years.
But Evans has his sights firmly set on the summer as Roscommon have been handed the favourable side of the Western draw, separated from Galway and Mayo until the Connacht final, should they get that far.
6. It’s not ‘just’ the League, you know…
In six of the previous 12 seasons, the Allianz League Division 1 champions have gone on to claim All-Ireland glory. That statistic should provide solace to the pundits who continually insist that good League form can lead to a summer full of promise.
As far back as 2003, Tyrone’s League success was followed up by a very first Sam Maguire Cup win.
And three times since then, Kerry have managed to complete the double – adding All-Ireland glory to their League crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
Cork also won the double in 2010 and Dublin followed suit in 2013, defeating Tyrone by a point in the Division 1 final. So if you hear anybody telling you that the League is ‘only’ the League, you’ll have some ammunition to hit back with.
Indeed, the past 12 years have been the most fertile period in GAA history for double wins.
7. What’s bubbling beneath the surface?
The race for promotion to the top flight looks wide open in what promises to be a fiercely-contested Division 2 campaign.
Jason Ryan’s Kildare,, relegated in 2014, will start as favourites to lift second tier silverware but the other seven teams in the division will all fancy their chances of having a say in the final shake-up.
Kildare and Down clash on Sunday in Newbridge in what could be the pick of the fixtures, as Galway host Meath.
In Division 3, Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh are hotly-tipped to return to Division 2 following last year’s relegation, with opening day opponents Tipperary second behind them in the pecking order compiled by the bookmakers.
Division 4 is renowned as an annual minefield, with promoted teams often commenting on just how difficult it was to get out of there.
Longford and Offaly, both relegated from Division 3 last year, are fancied to go straight back up at the first attempt but Antrim and Wicklow will look to have a say.
And don’t rule out newly-crowned McGrath Cup winners Waterford, who will attract plenty of movement in the market at an attractive 7/1.
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Allianz Leagues Gooch Cooper Let Battle Commence Mickey Harte Cork Donegal Dublin Kerry Mayo