1. Donegal v Tyrone – Ulster SFC
Out of all of the first round fixtures in football and hurling, this epic Ulster derby stands tallest.
One of Gaelic Football’s superpowers will bite the bullet in their province at the very first hurdle, with a long qualifier path awaiting the losers.
All roads lead to Ballybofey on May 17 as Rory Gallagher leads a Donegal team into championship battle for the first time, pitting his wits against wily Tyrone boss Mickey Harte.
The consequences of defeat are dire but the winners will still have a long road ahead of them in the Ulster championship, with Armagh awaiting the winners in the quarter-finals.
2. Clare v Limerick – Munster SHC
The storied Munster senior hurling kicks off on May 24 with an absolute cracker at Semple Stadium – and both teams have questions to answer after poor League campaigns.
Davy Fitzgerald’s Clare were relegated to Division 1B and their campaign was overshadowed by highly-publicised player defections.
Limerick failed once again to gain promotion to the top flight before being hosed by Dublin at Croke Park.
The prize for the winners is a crack at Tipperary in the Munster SHC semi-final on June 21 and while the losers will head for the back door, there’s a real knockout feel to this local derby.
The counties last met in championship fare in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final, which Clare won before claiming the Liam MacCarthy Cup in September.
3. Cork v Waterford – Munster SHC
Waterford have already captured Allianz Hurling League Division 1 glory but the big question now is can they repeat that stunning success against Cork when the sides meet again next month.
Cork won last year’s provincial quarter-final replay by 14 points but a ten-point League final win for Waterford represents a 24-point turnaround in the space of a year.
On all known form this year, Cork have a lot of work to do to become a potent summer force and Derek McGrath’s well-drilled charges are well primed to deliver a serious early blow.
Waterford are the undoubted hurling story of the year so far, conceding just five goals throughout the entire League campaign while also averaging over 26 points per game at the other end of the field.
Serious flaws were exposed in the Cork set-up when the sides last met in competitive fare and a number of positions are up for debate in the Leeside line-up.
4. Dublin v Galway – Leinster SHC
Dublin were tipped as relegation fodder before the start of the Allianz League campaign but there was a freshness about the Sky Blues under new boss Ger Cunningham, who took over the reins from Anthony Daly last year.
Dublin enjoyed a productive campaign but they should not have blown a 12-point lead against Cork in the Nowlan Park semi-final.
That capitulation hints at a brittleness in Dublin when they are attacked but the positives from 2015 should far outweigh the negatives.
Prolific Mark Schutte emerged as a forward of real potency but the challenge now is to deliver in the white heat of championship.
As for Galway, who knows what team will turn up at Croke Park on May 31? The Tribesmen’s maddening inconsistency has been a recurring theme for the last number of years and they remain heavily reliant on ace score-getter Joe Canning for inspiration.
5. Offaly v Longford – Leinster SFC
Familiarity may well breed contempt when Offaly and Longford lock horns at O’Connor Park, Tullamore, on May 16.
The two sides are already well used to each other, having clashed in two League fixtures this year.
Longford won by three points at the end of March on home soil but when the counties collided again at Croke Park in the Division 4 decider, it was Offaly who won by 13 points, rattling four goals past Jack Sheedy’s men in the process.
Offaly have made steady progress under Pat Flanagan and will start as favourites with home advantage.
The rather dubious reward for the winners is a May 31 showdown with the Dublin juggernaut at Croke Park but a championship victory of any kind is not to be sniffed at.
6. Tipperary v Waterford – Munster SFC
Tipperary endured a mixed bag of an Allianz League campaign, winning four and losing three of their Division 3 fixtures.
But the recent march to an All-Ireland U21 final has heightened expectations that the Premier County can emerge as a serious force to challenge the old established order in Munster.
Tipp ran Cork desperately close at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last year and a little bit more composure would have seen them claim a famous victory.
Peter Creedon’s men recovered to reach round 4 of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers and a successful season saw them finish in the top 12.
They will start as hot favourites to see off Waterford on home soil as the Déise, who captured the McGrath Cup, won just one of their seven Division 4 fixtures in a largely forgettable League campaign.
– First published 19.48, 13 May
