Connacht

Galway

Consolidation has been the theme of the year so far for Galway and the strong NHL run has lifted morale after the devastation of last year's championship. Yet, despite the protestations of the management, the jury will be out until the team comes up with a significant championship victory. Injury-free, the full-back line is fine, but the half backs less so with long-term doubts about Fergus Flynn's capacity to pivot a defence at this level and the bringing back from centrefield of Nigel Shaughnessy. The attack has good potential, but getting everyone firing on the same day is the problem. Mark Kerins's arrival has brought strength to the full forward spot but that's not to say Joe Rabbitte's return wouldn't be an asset.

Manager: Matt Murphy All-Irelands: 4 (1988). Connacht: XX (1998)

1996: All-Ireland semi-final, btn by Wexford 3-7/2-13

1997: All-Ireland q-f, btn by Kilkenny 3-16/4-15

1998: All-Ireland q-f, btn by Waterford 1-10/1-20 199698 P7 W4 D0 L3, 57% 1999: Final v Roscommon

Roscommon

Despite last year's creditable showing against Galway, Roscommon are no nearer making the Connacht final a meaningful contest.

Under Michael Conneely, there has been an improvement in organisation and focus, but the benefits of this have been more appropriately applied in Division Two of the League where Roscommon have mounted a sustained challenge.

Manager: Michael Conneely. All-Irelands: None. Connacht: X (X)

1996: Connacht final, btn by Galway 2-10/3-19

1997: Connacht final, btn by Galway 0-5/6-24

1998: Connacht final, btn by Galway 3-13/2-27

199698 P3 W0 D0 L3, zero %.

1999: Final v Galway July 3rd.

LeinsterDublin

On Michael O'Grady's timetable, Dublin have six years to win an All-Ireland. Judged by current form, they'll need every minute of that time. Last year's thrashing by Kilkenny appears to have had a devastating impact on morale. The withdrawal of Shiner Brennan and Eamonn Morrissey has coincided with Liam Walsh's return to the football panel and an undistinguished League campaign. Probably glad to be out of Kilkenny's way this year, they don't look to have significantly greater chances of putting one over on Wexford.

Manager: Michael O'Grady All-Irelands: 6 (1938). Leinster: 23 (1961).

1996: Leinster semi-final, btn by Wexford 1-9/2-12 1997: Leinster semi-final, btn by Kilkenny 2-13/2-10

1998: Leinster first round, btn by Kilkenny 0-14/4-23 1996-98 P4 W1 D0 L3, 25%.

1999: First round v Wexford May 30th, Nowlan Park.

Kilkenny

After the tumult of the last two years, Brian Cody's quiet management style has proved very effective in rehabilitating the county after a demoralising All-Ireland defeat undermined the very real achievement of winning Leinster. Cody has supervised the unveiling of Henry Shefflin and Eamonn Kennedy, the effective re-integration of DJ Carey (and maybe even David Byrne) and the easing of recrimination by asking John Power back onto the panel.

With Pat O'Neill and Canice Brennan still to return, Kilkenny face into the campaign to retain their Leinster title in good shape and have been forewarned about Laois since last year's semi-final.

Manager: Brian Cody All-Irelands: 25 (1993). Leinster: 56 (1998).

1996: Leinster first round, btn by Wexford 0-14/1-14 1997: All-Ireland semi-final, btn by Clare 1-13/1-17

1998: Leinster champions, All-Ireland final, btn by Offaly< ws 1-13/2-16

199698 P10 W6 D0 L4, 60%.

1999: Semi-final v Laois June 20th, Croke Park.

Laois

Since being murdered by Offaly three years ago, the graph of Laois's championship performances has been steady. Whereas there has been no breakthrough victory, the matches against Offaly and, last year, Kilkenny were encouragingly competitive. There will, however, be no chance of complacency on Kilkenny's part this time - as was the suspicion last June. League evidence about Laois is muted. Some good and historic wins in the tight confines of Rathdowney were qualified by spiritless beatings on broader pitches. Given Kilkenny's impressive progress, Laois have their work cut out.

Manager: Padraig Horan All-Irelands: 1 (1915). Leinster: 5 (1949). 1996: Leinster semi-final, btn by Offaly 2-10/4-17 1997: Leinster quarter-final, btn by Offaly 2-7/1-11

1998: Leinster semi-final, btn by Kilkenny 1-4/3-11 199698 P3 W0 D0 L3, 0%.

1999: Semi-final v Kilkenny June 20th, Croke Park.

Offaly

At a stage when most people would have expected to have given up on the county, Offaly take the field as defending champions. The immediate need is to overcome Wexford and guarantee an All-Ireland run at least until the end of July. The players have a fair mileage up now and the old problem of insufficient reserves of emerging talent persists. Well served at the back, Offaly run out of options further up the field. Last year's improbable success depended heavily on the migration of players up to the front - as well as Joe Dooley's tour de force in Thurles. Although the players are a law unto themselves, the suspicion is that they will struggle to recreate last year's driven motivation and will hardly benefit from the same serendipity.

Manager: Michael Bond All-Irelands: 4 (1998). Leinster: 9 (1995).

1996: Leinster final, btn by Wexford 2-15/2-23

1997: Leinster semi-final, btn by Wexford 2-12/3-12

1998: All-Ireland champions

199698 P14 W9 D1 L3, 64%. 1999: S-f v Wexford/Dublin June 20th, Croke Pk.

Wexford

Earlier this year, there was considerable confidence that Wexford would enjoy a good championship. Now the alarm bells are ringing due to a combination of injuries and loss of form. Still this is an experienced team with a strong, robust defence, greatly enhanced by some good reserve strength including Darragh Ryan who impressed at centre back prior to Liam Dunne's comeback. Ryan Quigley has also done enough to suggest he is worth a chance this summer at centrefield alongside clubmate Adrian Fenlon. In attack there are concerns about Martin Storey's groin injury and hopes that Paul Codd, Gary Laffan and Rory McCarthy can hit their best form. There is no doubt that Wexford can be a force again, but for a number of the more experienced players there's no time to lose.

Manager: Rory Kinsella. All-Irelands: 6 (1996). Leinster: 19 (1997).

1996: Champions

1997: Leinster champions, All-Ireland semi-final, btn by Tipperary< ws 0-15/2-16

1998: Semi-final, btn by Offaly 0-17/1-15 199698 P9 W7 D0 L2, 78%.

1999: First round v Dublin May 30th, Nowlan Park.

Munster

Clare

The Clare revolution has seen triumph alternating with epic defeat (Limerick and Thurles). This year is due to be an `on' championship. One of the most settled defences in the history of Gaelic games continues to hold sway with Enda Flannery the latest applicant for membership. There will be a couple of question marks. Can they as a unit avoid injury? Will Sean McMahon, Ollie Baker and James O'Connor have recovered from their exertions with Doora-Barefield? How will Brian Lohan - and opposing full forwards - respond to what was his first difficult season at full back? In attack there's still the impression of Jamesie and five others. At various stages, Forde, Markham and Gilligan have seized matches by the throat, but it's not yet a sufficiently regular occurrence. Still, hard to oppose in Munster.

Manager: Ger Loughnane All-Irelands: 3 (1997). Munster: 6 (1998).

1996: Munster first round, btn by Limerick 0-15/1-13

1997: Champions

1998: All-Ireland semi-final replay refixture, btn by Offaly 0-13/0-16

199698 P12 W7 D2 L2 (one unfinished) 73%.

1999: S-f v Kerry/Tipperary June 6th, Pairc Ui Chaoimh

Cork

This is it. In his fourth season, Jimmy BarryMurphy knows he has to deliver something different. Last year's league and the hard lessons of Clare's dominance in June represented progress but an All-Ireland season is now required - which means reaching the Munster final. The draw has been kinder to Cork this time and they face the winners of Limerick-Waterford. The league season hasn't been overly-informative, but Donal Cusack has moved seamlessly into Ger Cunningham's place in goal and Diarmuid O'Sullivan has graduated to full back. Centrefield remains a problem, with Pat Ryan not in as good form as a year ago, whereas up front the dependence on Joe Deane can be excessive. Still the recent AllIreland under-21 winners provide reasonable scope for cover recruitment and Cork are cautiously favoured to reach the Munster final.

Manager: Jimmy Barry-Murphy All-Irelands: 27 (1990). Munster: 45 (1992).

1996: Munster first round, btn by Limerick 1-8/3-18

1997: Munster semi-final, btn by Clare 0-18/1-19

1998: Munster semi-final, btn by Clare 0-13/0-21

199698 P4 W1 D0 L3, 25%.

1999: S-f v Waterford/Limerick Thurles, June 13th.

Kerry

Still involved in league business with a relegation play-off against Down to come, Kerry have predictably struggled in Division One and won't be holding out excessive hopes for bridging the five-year gap since the last championship win. Yet, last year the county gave a respectable account of itself against eventual All-Ireland semi-finalists Waterford and were level well into the final quarter. They weren't in the same section as Tipperary, but will know all too well what to expect on Saturday.

Manager: PJ O'Grady All-Irelands: 1 (1891). Munster: 1 (1891).

1996: Munster semi-final, btn by Tipperary 2-11/4-19

1997: Munster first round, btn by Clare 1-6/3-24

1998: Munster first round, btn by Waterford 1-9/0-20

199698 P4 W0 D0 L4, zero%

1999: First round v Tipperary May 22nd, Thurles.

Limerick

Limerick's decline since 1997 has been striking and is likely to continue unabated. Eamonn Cregan knows that the manager's job now is more about rebuilding rather than somehow wringing an All-Ireland out of a fading team, but resources are sparse. Most of the old reliabels have returned to the panel but don't retain the potency of old, whereas the under-21s drafted on to the panel are completely inexperienced at this level. The league campaign was mediocre but primarily experimental. Just two years ago, Limerick were considerably superior to Waterford but the tables appear to have turned.

Manager: Eamonn Cregan. All-Irelands: 7 (1973). Munster: 18 (1996).

1996: All-Ireland final, btn by Wexford 0-14/1-13

1997: Munster semi-final, btn by Tipperary 0-13/1-20

1998: Munster first round, btn by Cork 3-11/1-20

199698 P9 W5 D1 L3, 61%.

1999: First round v Waterford Pairc Ui Chaoimh, May 30th.

Tipperary

Having gone bald-headed for the league, Tipp have either primed the pump or left themselves with no gears to ascend. There is no doubting the potential of the new recruits, but recent experience suggests that it takes a couple of years to attain championship standard. David Kennedy has impressed at centre back, as has Eamonn Corcoran in general at the back. Declan Carr's comeback and Eddie Enright's centrefield credentials await fuller examination while the attack needs more consistent support for Declan Ryan's swashbuckling style on the 40 and Tommy Dunne's unerring dead-ball exploits. The Paul Shelly experiment at full forward is still on trial whereas All Star footballer Declan Browne's claim on the left corner appears to have weakened. Whereas improvements have been made, it's hard to believe they've been sufficient to overcome Clare.

Manager: Nicholas English. All-Irelands: 24 (1991). Munster: 35 (1993).

1996: Munster final, btn by Limerick 1-16/0-19, 0-16/4-7 (replay)

1997: All-Ireland final, btn by Clare 2-13/0-20

1998: Munster first round, btn by Waterford 2-12/0-21 1996-98 P10 W5 D1 L4, 55%.

1999: First round v Kerry Thurles, May 22nd.

Waterford

Waterford face into that difficult second album. After the advances of last year, reaching the NHL final and taking Tipp and Galway in the championship, as well as bringing Clare to a replay, there is little room left for improvement. Either winning a Munster title or reaching an All-Ireland final is the sort of level at which expectation runs. The league campaign was ordinary enough but that doesn't matter given last year's exploits.

Everything depends on the championship and whereas they should get the verdict over Limerick, Cork have traditionally raised trickier psychological barriers for Waterford. Progress depends on the forwards being able to perform with a consistency which does justice to the soundness of the defence and the vibrancy of centrefield.

Manager: Gerald McCarthy. All-Irelands: 2 (1959). Munster: 5 (1963).

1996: Munster first round, btn by Tipperary 1-11/1-14

1997: Munster first round, btn by Limerick 1-17/2-20

1998: All-Ireland semi-final, btn by Kilkenny 1-10/1-11 199698 P8 W3 D1 L4, 44%.

1999: First round v Limerick May 30th, Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Ulster

Antrim

A best League campaign for five years sends Antrim into the championship in good shape. After comfortably retaining their Division One status and beating Offaly along the way, Seamus Elliott's team look comfortable favourites for the Ulster title. What happens after that will give a more accurate reading on how progress is going.

Manager: Seamus Elliott. All-Irelands: None. Ulster: X (1998).

1996: All-Ireland semi-final, btn by Limerick 0-13/1-17

1997: Ulster final, btn by Down 0-19/3-14

1998: All-Ireland quarter-final, btn by Offaly 2-9/2-18

199698 P7 W3 D1 L3, 50%.

1999: Semi-final v London June 19th, Casement Park.

Derry

Last year's breakthrough proved the potential of the county but structural constraints constantly intrude. The loss of many of Derry's best hurlers to the exclusive demands of the football panel flared up only a few weeks ago in the tug-of-love over Geoffrey McGonigle. A good league campaign leaves the county well-placed to emulate last year's achievement.

Manager: Kevin McNaughton. All-Irelands: None. Ulster: X.

1996: Didn't compete at senior levelP}1997: Ulster semi-final, btn by Down 1-10/1-15 1998: Ulster final, btn by Antrim 2-13/1-19

199698 P3 W1 D0 L2, 33%.

1999: Semi-final v Down June 27th, Casement Park.

Down

Given the difficulties inherent in being Division One B's whipping boys all season, Down could well have done without the recent outbreak of disharmony in the camp. Some of the later NHL displays were spirited but unveiled nothing to suggest that Frank Dawson's team can regain the Ulster title they won two years ago.

Manager: Frank Dawson. All-Irelands: 0. Ulster: 3 (1997).

1996: Ulster final, btn by Antrim 2-12/1-20

1997: All-Ireland q-f, btn by Tipperary 3-8/3-24

1998: Ulster semi-final, btn by Derry 0-18/2-17

199698 P5 W2 D0 L3, 40%.

1999: Semi-final v Derry June 27th, Casement Park.

London

Strange championship last year, varying madly between being unfortunate not to beat eventual champions Antrim in their drawn semi-final and getting destroyed in the replay. The league campaign hasn't been great either with mutiny spreading to the committee room where only the chairman's casting vote saved manager Mick Hennessy.

Manager: Mick Hennessy. All-Irelands: 1 (1901). Ulster: 0. 1996: Prelim rnd, btn by New York 0-14/1-16 1997: Did not enter

1998: Ulster semi-final replay, btn by Antrim 1-7/6-27 (0-19/0-19)

199698 P3 W0 D1 L2, 17%. 1999: Semi-final v Antrim June 19th, Casement Park.