1. Jason Ryan (Kildare)
Ryan’s much heralded arrival in Kildare hasn’t worked out as Lilywhite fans would have hoped for.
In two League campaigns at the helm, Ryan has presided over successive relegations from the top flight to Division 3.
But Ryan hasn’t become a bad manager overnight and he was a revered figure in Wexford, who he transformed into an ultra-competitive force.
All seemed good when Kildare thumped Louth in last year’s Leinster SFC opener but they were trumped by Meath in the semi-finals.
Kildare bounced back with two qualifier wins but Monaghan bounced them out of the qualifiers at Croke Park.
Waterford native Ryan would dearly love to mastermind Kildare’s first Leinster SFC title win since 2000 but Laois or Carlow await them in the first round, with the winners of that likely to face down the Dublin juggernaut in the semi-finals.
2. Brian Cuthbert (Cork)
Cuthbert and Cork have let themselves down in their last two big matches with silverware at stake.
They were hosed by Kerry on home soil in the 2014 Munster final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a game that held extra significance attached as it was the last big intercounty senior football clash held at the Leeside bowl.
And the Rebels suffered an embarrassing loss to Dublin in the recent Allianz Football League Division 1 decider, as the Sky Blues ran out 11-point winners.
Up until then, it was an quite an encouraging campaign for Cork, with Colm O’Neill sparkling in attack.
But League form will count for nothing as Cuthbert and his players look ahead to the summer.
They should beat Clare or Limerick to reach a Munster final but the hard work starts there, with Kerry expected to meet them in another Old Firm provincial decider.
3. Jim Gavin (Dublin)
It might seem strange to include Gavin on this list after Dublin waltzed to a third successive League title.
But Gavin knows that nothing less than All-Ireland glory will satisfy expectant Sky Blue fans this summer.
Dublin and Gavin were outfoxed by Jim McGuinness and his Donegal warriors in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final and the Leinster kingpins must find a way to break down the blanket defence to ensure another long championship season.
Dublin really struggled in their games with Tyrone and Derry, the latter a forgettable Croke Park encounter under lights, but those matches provided Gavin with plenty of material to work on as he plots a way to break down stubborn Ulster resistance when it comes his way again.
Dublin are expected to stroll through Leinster again but they’ll face a battle-hardened opponent in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
The ace in Dublin’s pack is of course their intimate knowledge of Croke Park but Donegal proved last year that even the wide-open spaces of GAA HQ can be closed down.
4. Noel Connelly/Pat Holmes (Mayo)
James Horan’s departure as team manager after the 2014 championship sparked a period of mourning in the Mayo camp.
But county board officials worked quickly to confirm former playing stars Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes as joint-bosses.
Mayo’s Division 1 League campaign was topsy-turvy, as they won three, lost three and drew one of their seven outings.
Markedly, one of those three defeats came against Tyrone, who were relegated from the top flight, but they did score encouraging wins against last year’s All-Ireland champions Kerry, Monaghan and Derry.
Provided Galway beat Leitrim in the Connacht SFC quarter-final, Mayo will face their old rivals in the last four of the provincial series.
And with an emerging Roscommon potentially awaiting the winners of that game in the Western showpiece, there are absolutely no guarantees that Mayo will win a fifth successive title.
But if they don’t, Connelly and Holmes could feel the heat as supporters craving a first All-Ireland SFC crown since 1951 will demand answers.
5. Mick O’Dowd (Meath)
Meath boss O’Dowd has his sights firmly set on a Leinster final showdown with Dublin.
But the Royals have lost the last three provincial finals against their old rivals by an aggregate of 26 points.
O’Dowd presided over two of those losses, having taken charge of the team in late October, 2012.
Under Seamus McEnaney, Meath lost the 2012 Leinster final by just three points, but the difference between the teams since then has been seven and 16 points.
Meath do find themselves on the favourable side of the provincial draw, with Dublin and Kildare scheduled to meet in a potential semi-final, but work still needs to be done against Wicklow first off, followed by Louth, Westmeath or Wexford.
O’Dowd would also have been hopeful of guiding Meath to promotion from Division 2 this year, but they finished third behind Roscommon and Down in the second tier standings.
6. Terry Hyland (Cavan)
Having contested a 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final, and captured the hearts of many Gaelic Football fans, Cavan took a step back under Terry Hyland last year.
They lost by six points to Armagh in Ulster, stumbled past Westmeath by a point, and were then taken apart by Roscommon in the qualifiers.
Cavan remain the most successful county in the history of the Ulster SFC, with 37 titles, but they haven’t lifted the Anglo Celt Cup since 1997.
Their last final appearance came against Tyrone in 2001 but Cavan did win four successive Ulster U21 titles from 2011-2014.
Those memorable wins spawned real hope that senior success would follow as Hyland was a key figure in that underage set-up.
Hyland was still U21 boss in 2012 when Val Andrews quit as senior supremo when players voted for change.
Cavan’s Ulster campaign is a minefield as they must beat Monaghan and Fermanagh or Antrim to reach a first final in 14 years.
7. Mickey Harte (Tyrone)
This is Mickey Harte’s 13th season as Tyrone manager but not even senior intercounty football’s longest-serving boss is immune to criticism.
It’s been a disappointing campaign to date for the Red Hands, who were relegated from Division 1 of the Allianz Football League.
And the odds are stacked firmly against Tyrone as they travel to Ballybofey for next Sunday’s Ulster SFC preliminary round showdown with Donegal.
The hosts have won the last three championship clashes between the counties and won by ten points at the same venue in the League.
Tyrone have been desperately shot-shy in front of goal so far this season, averaging under 12 points per game, and that doesn’t bode well against one of the meanest defences in the game.
You’ll get extremely generous odds on Tyrone winning Ulster as they have four games to win to land the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time since 2010.
Lovely
Absolutely brilliant….
Some achievement! Is there a chance team GB could be make an approach? Not too up to scratch on international allegiance on the athletics front.
@Fran Duggan: well i guess they could but lets see. Shes ours for now anyway
@Fran Duggan: Yep, living in England and competing for a British club. However, it’s usually the athlete who chooses to switch (access to potentially better coaching, funding, etc) rather than an association approaching an athlete.
Stay Irish girl,in case those Brits try to entice you to represent them
Absolutely fantastic the whole country is so proud take a bow girl
For all this pushing of the “Dundalk Girl” she lists her own hometown as Birmingham on twitter.
@China Photo Daily: couldn’t blame her,must be the town accent
@billy Dorney: in fairness when it comes to accents Birmingham is the Dundalk of England.
@China Photo Daily: she happens to live there…..
@China Photo Daily: I’m living in Sydney the last 8 years along with thousands of other Irish people. Are we less Irish now?
@Ger: vvv good
Absolutely amazing stuff, congratulations its people like you that put Irish Athletics on the map and considering the lack of funds, facilities and the amount of people involved at the top end of Athletics in Ireland that shouldn’t be allowed to attend an U5 Relay, this is a fecking miracle……Brilliant…..Congratulations and Proud to be Irish