ANOTHER WINTER ROLLS round into, well, more winter and the league begins. All sides in Division One are hell-bent on staying there, but all have various private aspirations and hopes as bolt-ons.
Here, we look at the teams in the top flight and the questions they will be asking of themselves.
Mayo
Manager: Kevin McStay
Captain: Paddy Durcan
(Winners in 2023)
It might come as a slight surprise to be reminded that last year’s league win for Mayo was their 13th in that competition. And as much as it was nice for Kevin McStay to deliver silverware at his first attempt in charge of his county, it had the effect of building them up for the almighty fall they suffered just one week later with defeat to Roscommon in the Connacht opener in Castlebar.
They need to keep Tommy Conroy and Ryan O’Donoghue fit and ideally finish third, as they are off to face New York the weekend after the final.
Galway
Manager: Pádraic Joyce
Captain: Sean Kelly
(Beaten finalists in 2023)
Like Mayo, as the league concludes, they have more pressing engagements as they are in McGovern Park, Ruislip, to face London the week after a potential league final.
Now, winning a league wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. But should they reach that, you’d doubt they would take any risks in team selection.
The return of Liam Silke and Kieran Molloy to strengthen up the defence has us wondering if Sean Kelly can be freed up to ‘do a Brendan Rogers’ and become an up and down the field midfielder. With Peter Cooke unavailable, they may need that.
Roscommon
Manager: Davy Burke
Captain: Brian Stack
(Third in 2023)
The departure of Mark McHugh as coach over the winter means a large knowledge bank is now lost, particularly on Ulster teams with McHugh hugely well-informed.
No player grows up dreaming of winning a league. But boy, Roscommon would gain some worth from it having only won the 1979 edition.
They would not worry too much about cutting preparations finer as they are not out in Connacht until 21 April, which will be against Mayo who will conquer New York.
Very good in the opening stages of last year’s league, manager Davy Burke knows that it matters little what happens in the short term, they have Mayo in their sights again.
Tyrone
Managers: Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher
Captain: Peter Harte
(Fourth in 2023)
The trickle of retirements over the winter cannot have helped, and there is a strange fog hanging over this team since they won the All-Ireland in 2021.
At this stage, it would appear that the fire has gone out for many, but not all, that won the All-Ireland Under-21 title under managers Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher.
The loss of All-Stars Ronan McNamee and Niall Sludden, as well as Richie Donnelly not committing for the year ahead means they are forced into a significant redrafting. They need Seanie O’Donnell and Conor Cush to land into the team fully-formed. Some inevitable pain lies ahead.
Kerry
Manager: Jack O’Connor
Captain: Paudie Clifford
(Fifth in 2023)
The league will play out and Kerry will be safe in the knowledge that they will sit tight until Limerick and Cork take a few lumps out of each other before they meet the winners on 20 April.
In years gone by Jack O’Connor was perfectly happy to tread water, but this year he knows he has to host extensive auditions for the jersies numbered from 8 to 12.
At present, Joe O’Connor is the name on many lips, and Jack’s winter spent watching his sons tear it up for Milltown-Castlemaine will have brought Cillian Burke into sharp focus, although he is hardly an unknown, having shown up well for the county U20s Munster win in 2023.
Monaghan
Manager: Vinny Corey
Captain: Kieran Duffy
(Sixth in 2023)
The great survivors are still in the top flight, ten years after they beat Donegal in the Division 2 final of 2014.
Every single year they are seen as the certainties to go down. And given they haven’t gained a reputation as fast starters they tend to leave plenty of work for themselves.
This year feels even more difficult however with the retirement of Kieran Hughes, and the absence of Rory Beggan who is concentrating on an opportunity to make it as an American Football kicker. His place has been taken by Clontibret’s Darren McDonnell and he has already scored from play against Fermanagh in the Dr McKenna Cup.
They’ll be ok, once again.
Dublin
Manager: Dessie Farrell
Captain: James McCarthy
(Division 2 winners in 2023)
If you want to see a team in full petri-dish experimental mode, then you’d expect to catch Dessie Farrell wearing a laboratory coat on the sideline these weeks.
Every team is in a constant state of transition but Dublin manage it better than most. With David Byrne gone for the year they need to find a tight marker for the full-back line and Theo Clancy of Kilmacud Crokes could be that candidate.
Aside from that, Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion will be keen to put down a league in full fitness, which will go a long way to what should be a comfortable campaign.
Derry
Manager: Mickey Harte
Captain: Conor Glass
(Second in Division 2 in 2023)
You’d get caught up in recency-bias regarding Derry. The fact is they have nine Ulster titles and 2024 represents their chance to win their first three-in-a-row.
Under Mickey Harte, they have the manager who has six of them and holds the record, though his last was 2017.
Harte’s brief in January was to broaden a panel that had become wafer-thin and he flung jerseys in all directions for the Dr McKenna Cup while also winning it. The pick of the new breed is Johnny McGurk’s son, Patrick, and Ruairí Forbes and in all, he put out 27 different players.
With Tyrone, he never really bought into pacing yourself through a league campaign. But mileage on some players must be a concern.