Carlow v Wexford, Dr Cullen Park, 3.15. The Bank of Ireland football championship gets underway with an interesting preliminary round clash between these south eastern neighbours. Many sad things have happened in Carlow in recent times starting with the defeat of Eire Og in the club final. Coach Bobby Miller left the club but remains in charge of Carlow for the time being. Already he has lost Eire Og personnel, and the Haydens are at various points of the globe, depending on who you talk to.

This is a blow, but even more so is the loss of the sense of purpose that has characterised football in the county in recent years. Miller has better things to do than to preside over the disintegration of all he has achieved and, consequently, the players either do it for themselves tomorrow or the whole project lapses.

Wexford are no pushovers and will come to Carlow with a physically strong side that can scrap in tight situations. If Carlow put together the glorious short game that so startled Laois last year, they will win. But you get the sense that the moment has passed.

Longford v Wicklow, Longford, 3.45 Eamonn Coleman's voodoo hadn't quite taken when the sides shared the League points last autumn. Tomorrow will be different. Longford rightly dismiss the nine goal hammering by Dublin in a challenge as a freak. With their regular goalkeeper back, they won't be as easily penetrated.

Their fitness, speed and physicality ploughed them through the League to promotion despite a bad start, and Wicklow, never the most reliable of championship competitors, could fall foul of this tomorrow.

Limerick v Cork, Kilmallock, 7.30 The return of Steven O'Brien to Cork's attack is surely a response to the bankruptcy of the League semi final attack. Limerick know that there is no chance of coming through this one and that a good struggle is the height of their reasonable ambitions.