A LONG SUMMER of football throws in this weekend with the start of provincial championship action in Ulster.

It goes without saying that Cork are the team to beat but league finalists Dublin are sure to be snapping at their heels.

Will the third Sunday in September see Croke Park decked in red and blue or will there be a new kid on the block? Down or Donegal? Laois or Mayo? Don’t write Kerry off either. Here’s what we learned from the league campaign…

1. Dublin will be there or there about

In a way, and despite the fact the men from the real capital of Ireland won the league, Dublin were the story of the league.

The ‘Dublin Spring Series’ could not have gone better for the capital’s footballers and the re-emergence of the likes of Diarmuid Connolly, Tomas Quinn and Kevin McManamon bodes well for the upcoming championship.

But the trio, unlike last year’s Footballer of the Year, Bernard Brogan, are unproven on the biggest stage of all.

2. Rebels will set the standard

Cork have now won the last three national titles on offer and have gone from being a team that was on the verge prior to the Allianz Football League decider last year, to a confident, assured and determined outfit that have made winning a habit and are now not only favourites for provincial honours but for football’s greatest prize – again

3. Drop down will do Galway no harm

Galway may have been relegated, along with Monaghan, to Division Two but all is not lost for Tomás Ó Flathárta and the footballers from the west. After some morale-sapping defeats in the early stages of the league the Tribesmen regrouped and ended up registering a win and a draw in their last two outings. That being said, the sense is that the long-term development of this team will be better served in a lower division.

4. Royals need Reilly’s to deliver

Sligo’s one-point defeat to Kildare on the last day of the league meant that Leinster champions Meath retained their Division One status but new boss Seamus McEnaney will be happy to see the back of what he referred to as a “horrendous National League campaign”. Graham Reilly’s inspirational performance against Tyrone showed just how important he and namesake Kevin are to the Royal County and both players will need to be at their best if Meath are to prevent, let’s say, Dublin, from regaining the provincial title.

5. Murphy and company must be watched

As if proof were needed, the league illustrated just what a talent Donegal skipper Michael Murphy is. Add the rejuvenated figure of Colm McFadden and Naomh Conall’s Dermot Molloy to the mix and you have one of the most threatening forward lines in the country.

6. Croker not the place for lesser games

The GAA’s decision to stage the Division Three and Four finals at Croke Park backfired in spectacular fashion. The recorded turnout was 8,130 spectators and it was reported that more people were present for the first offering – Longford and Roscommon, with it estimated that there were only around 5,000 fans in situ for the second match, in which which Louth defeated Westmeath by 1-15 to 0-13.

The Association should take note going into championship time; the right to play at Croke Park should be earned in the summertime.