Amidst the mud and experimental line-ups of the weekend's secondary competitions, the football season takes a few more steps towards full resumption, weather permitting. Action at this time of the year is concentrated in Connacht and Leinster with the FBD League and O'Byrne Cup respectively. Ulster's and Munster's equivalents, the McKenna and McGrath Cups, take place later in the year.
At a time of the year when nothing else is happening, the competitions throw up some points of interest and the last week has seen speculation on the future of Mayo's Kieran McDonald, who declined to turn up for two Connacht League matches, and on the composition of Dublin's panel from which manager Tom Carr has omitted a few well-known veterans.
This weekend's fixtures include some evocative reunions. This afternoon in Aughrim, Wicklow are due to entertain Meath. Home manager, and Leinster Railway Cup selector, Niall Rennick is a former Meath player - a role he notably combined with managing Wicklow earlier in the decade during his first stint with the county. Since then he has played for Carlow where he now lives.
Rennick this year has the occasional assistance of a well-known football personality who also has considerable experience of Meath football. Billy Morgan, double All-Ireland winning manager with Cork, has come across Meath at several times during his long career.
As a player, he kept goal when Cork lost to Meath in the 1967 All-Ireland final and 20 years later he renewed that rivalry at management level. Between 1987 and 1990, Cork played three All-Irelands - four including the '88 replay - against Meath, winning one and losing the others.
Morgan is anxious to clear up any misunderstanding of his role with Wicklow. "I was described somewhere as joint manager. I'm not. I think it might have arisen after Wicklow had beaten Roscommon and Kevin O'Brien praised my input. But Niall Rennick is the manager. My role is purely advisory and I've been up to Wicklow a couple of times while they were involved in the National League but I'm still in charge at Nemo (Rangers, his club in Cork).
"Wicklow approached me and I told them about my involvement with Nemo and I agreed with Niall Rennick that I could act in an advisory capacity but Nemo remains my priority when club training starts again at the end of the month."
Morgan finds the travel demanding but drives from Cork to Carlow and completes the journey to Glendalough, where Wicklow train, in Rennick's car.
"The players are very enthusiastic," he says, "and aren't that far off a breakthrough. I find them keen enough and the turnout at training sessions I've attended has been very good but I don't think I'd be involved at all if it wasn't. It's different to Cork where I've been involved all my life and I'd be less passionate but the players' enthusiasm compensates."
Tomorrow afternoon in Mullingar, another manager like Rennick taking on his native county is Brendan Lowry who looks to build on a good initial year with Westmeath whom he led to the Leinster quarter-finals last summer when Laois ended their run.
Already Westmeath have avenged that defeat in their last O'Byrne Cup outing and now face holders and NFL winners Offaly with whom Lowry won an All-Ireland medal in 1982. Meetings between these neighbouring counties are always well-attended and a good crowd is expected.
"It's great for Westmeath to get competitive games at the moment even though we're in heavy training. The O'Byrne Cup is a lot more competitive than a challenge match and it would be a huge boost to win it. Offaly did so and won the Leinster a few months later. We'll be putting out our strongest team."
Westmeath reached the final earlier in the 1990s but forfeited the trophy to Wexford when they refused to play extra-time.
Tommy Lyons's Offaly side are chasing a third successive O'Byrne Cup and the manager believes that the breakthrough success of two years ago was an important factor in the team's advance.
"It was very significant," he says. "You can never belittle anything you win. If you've pride in the jersey, you don't want to lose any sort of match. We took it easy before Christmas - which was part of the plan - but the gloves are off now. We won't leave the O'Byrne Cup go easy."
With nominations closing this weekend for the position of Cavan football manager, vacated by Liam Austin, speculation about his successor has been rife.
Former Meath star Mattie Kerrigan, who had accepted the position prior to Austin but who later withdrew, is again in the frame.
Others mentioned include former Meath under-21 manager Paul Kenny and recently retired Cavan midfield star Stephen King.
Five clubs have insisted in putting Austin forward again.
Ger Cunningham, Cork's veteran hurling goalkeeper, yesterday announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. Now 37 and one of the best-known names in the game, Cunningham made his debut for the county at New Ross in 1980 and went on to win a host of honours: three All-Ireland medals in 1984, '86 and '90 and three NHL medals in 1981, '93 and '98. He also was selected as an All-Star on four occasions and was named Texaco hurler of the year in 1986.
