WITH A GAME to spare, both Kildare and Louth clinched their second successive league promotions on Sunday.
Westmeath and Wexford also guaranteed they’ll be playing football at a higher level next year after they sealed promotion from Division 4, while Meath have an outside change of making a leap to the top flight for 2018.
If Meath can nab a win in Ennis on Sunday, a Kildare victory over Galway will see Andy McEntee’s men go up to Division 1.
It all means that five of the six promotion spots available in the Allianz Football League could be occupied by Leinster counties by the time the regulation fixtures are concluded this weekend.
One or two of Laois, Offaly and Longford will be relegated from Division 3, but no other Leinster county faces the drop.
That’s not to suggest that Dublin will be quaking in their boots. The reigning All-Ireland champions will lift their seventh straight provincial crown in the summer barring an upset of seismic proportions.
But, at last, some Leinster counties appear to be getting their house in order. They won’t be putting it up to Dublin anytime soon, but there are signs that progress is being made.
The Lilywhites will become the first Leinster team outside of Dublin to compete in Division 1 since 2014.
Under Cian O’Neill, Kildare are very much on an upward trajectory. The former Kerry football and Tipperary hurling fitness coach has led them from Division 3 to Division 1 in his first two league campaigns in charge and built a very settled team.
They’ve benefited from the return of several players to full fitness, including Mick O’Grady, Keith Cribbin, Daniel Flynn, Paul Cribbin.
Chris Healy didn’t see much action in 2016 after joining the panel late, Ben McCormack has only broken through from underage ranks, Kevin Feely returned home after his contract at Charlton Athletic expired and talented hurler Johnny Byrne is benefiting from solely focusing on the big ball code.
Neil Flynn recently had his appendix removed and his return will bolster O’Neill’s hand in an already potent attack.
Speaking on the RTE GAA Podcast yesterday, O’Neill gave an insight into how their gameplan has evolved this year.
“We have been putting up a lot of more scores. Last year we had to play a system to suit the qualities of the players we had.
“For me the priority last year, having shipped seven goals in their last competitive match the year before against Kerry in Croke Park, was to get a defensively sound platform.”
Having plugged up any leaks in defence, Kildare have experienced a noted leap in their attacking play so far this year.
Kildare are the joint-highest scores in the top two tiers along with Galway, and only Armagh and Westmeath have score more than them out of all four divisions.
“We didn’t have the same quality last year that we have this year and that’s given us a new lease of life,” continued O’Neill.
“We’re playing quite a settled team and they know each other so much better so we’re able to transition and work that ball a lot quicker.
“The inside forwards have a little bit more time and space because the ball is transitioning quicker and in fairness the lads are ruthless.”
It may have been overshadowed by the bigger games on a busy weekend, but Louth’s win over All-Ireland semi-finalists Tipperary was a seminal moment.
Just 20 months ago, they suffered a 23-point mauling by the same opposition at Semple Stadium.
That result led to Colin Kelly’s arrival as boss, and on Sunday he oversaw a defeat of the table-topping Premier despite the absence of key young forwards Ryan Burns and Jim McEneaney.
Finally some good news in Leinster and Kildare, Louth, Westmeath and Wexford appear to be heading in the right direction.
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