Compiled by SEÁN MORANand IAN O'RIORDAN
SATURDAY
DIVISION ONE: Dublin v Kerry, Croke Park, 7.15 – Interesting blends of youth and experience for the teams who contested last September's All-Ireland final. Both sides are short because of injury and other commitments but Dublin look more afflicted, with four of their six All Stars not playing, as they attempt to extend a fine recent record against Jack O'Connor's team – three victories in league and championship since the nightmare of 2009.
Colm Cooper isn’t available for Kerry but Dublin don’t have the Brogans, the last two Footballers of the Year. A third brother, Paul, is back in the reckoning after a couple of seasons destroyed by injury and if he lacks the penetration of Bernard and Alan he has the athleticism and physique to fill the modern wing forward role.
Craig Dias starts at wing back and it will be interesting to mark his progress this year, as he has the potential to press strong claims for a starting place.
One of the surprises of last summer in Kerry was the disinclination to try more of the up-and-coming defenders but Shane Enright, Peter Crowley and Brian Maguire have been named in the back six.
O’Connor delivers this year’s resurrection shuffle in the form of Seán O’Sullivan, a player he is on record as admiring for the quality of the ball he is capable of delivering into this evening’s captain Kieran Donaghy.
It should be a great curtain raiser for the Division One season and Dublin’s reduced firepower hands Kerry the initiative to get 2012 off to a positive start.
Laois v Mayo, Portlaoise, 7.0 – Laois could do with surviving the season in the division after the hard work done last year in securing promotion. Justin McNulty has a strong enough team at his disposal here. Pádraig Clancy stays at full forward although Ger Cafferkey did a good job spoiling the similarly-dimensioned Kieran Donaghy in last August’s All-Ireland semi-final.
Mayo have been doing a bit of restructuring albeit in some cases with familiar faces. Conor Mortimer’s form has been good to date and Pat Harte is named at centrefield and how they settle in to the new system will be carefully monitored by James Horan. This should be touch-and-go, as both teams have momentum, but Mayo are a more developed unit and can take the points.
Down v Donegal, Newry, 7.0 – Last season Down followed their best championship in nearly 20 years by making a good impact in their first season back in Division One. Donegal need to do the same but injury will hinder their early season.
Both teams lost a significant number of players to the third-level colleges last month and will struggle a bit to hit the ground running and face their separate challenges: Donegal to expand on the at times limited game plan that brought some success last year and Down in the post-Martin Clarke era. Home advantage can make the difference.
DIVISION TWO: Kildare v Tyrone, Croke Park, 5.0 – Kildare were comfortable winners over Dublin a fortnight ago and when all of the injuries are healed they will be formidable even if the conversion ratio is still too loose.
Tyrone have made steady progress in the McKenna Cup but Mickey Harte has a lot of rebuilding to do after the sundry retirements of winter and he will be relying on the McMahons, Joe and Justin, to organise and lead from their central positions.
Michael Murphy’s return to the panel has been marked by encouraging displays at centrefield whereas the arrival of Matthew Donnelly adds quality to the attack where there’ll be hope that Stephen O’Neill can repeat his pyrotechnics of three years ago under lights in another opening day fixture.
None the less Kieran McGeeney’s side look too strong at the back and too powerful going forward.
Meath v Monaghan, Páirc Tailteann, 7.0 – A one-score swing during injury-time in two of three matches at the end of last year’s league would have meant that these teams would have been two divisions apart instead of playing each other this evening.
Instead Séamus McEnaney faces what he acknowledges as an uncomfortable fixture against his own county, who he managed for six years. Despite the travails of 2011, Meath are favourites to win this. Their forwards look more potent but it’s up in the air to what extent they deliver on that. There’s little evidence that the defence has firmed up, but with Monaghan in transition, Meath should win.
DIVISION THREE: Antrim v Sligo, Casement Park, 7.0 – Two teams that for the last two years experienced the yo-yo effect – promoted in 2010, relegated again in 2011 – get the chance to steal the vital head-start on the other, and with that comfortable advantage, plus an apparently strengthened squad, Liam Bradley's Antrim look the better poised.
SUNDAY
(Matches at 2.30)
DIVISION ONE: Armagh v Cork, Athletic Grounds – The holders travel north for their first defence with a decent selection allowing for the longer-term injuries. They have a good chance of taking the spoils, as Paddy O'Rourke's team is weakened by the perennial absence on All-Ireland duty of the Crossmaglen contingent. Armagh line out with five debutants and will struggle to cope with Cork's power and scoring capacity.
DIVISION TWO: Derry v Galway, Celtic Park – Derry were slightly unlucky to lose out so comprehensively in last week's McKenna Cup final after starting well before the sending-off of James Conway in the first half. There have also been retirements with the two Kevins, former All Star McCloy and McGuckin, calling it a day. John Brennan has the consolation of Paddy Bradley back from injury in good form, which will help to restore the attack, and home advantage.
Galway come with some of the same problems – question marks over the continuing input of Pádraic Joyce and Michael Meehan – but have the dynamic of a new manager Alan Mulholland, who has the talent of his All-Ireland under-21s to experiment with. In the circumstances a home win looks more likely but Galway are a bit of an unknown quantity going into this.
Louth v Westmeath, Haggardstown – Neither side is at full strength but Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick doesn’t have anything like the problems facing Pat Flanagan. Between the loss of the dual players to concentrate on hurling and the absence of Garrycastle pending their All-Ireland semi-final, Westmeath will struggle here and throughout the season as a whole.
DIVISION THREE: Longford v Offaly, Pearse Park, 2.30; Nothing like a good midlands derby to test the form and nerve, and after a shaky O'Byrne Cup, new Offaly manager Gerry Cooney (even with Niall McNamee back on board) can't be too confident about this trip to a steadily improving Longford.
Wexford v Cavan, Wexford Park, 2.30; Wexford manager Jason Ryan spoke this week of the need to push for promotion, and that was no exaggeration, given they’ve just missed out the last two years, but Cavan won’t lie down easily, with the Seanie Johnston transfer saga perhaps providing the added incentive.
Roscommon v Tipperary, Kiltoom, 2.30 – Seemingly in the half-empty, half-full scenario, new Roscommon manager Des Newton won’t want this league to empty any more confidence, and is yet down a few first-choice players, perhaps allowing the always primed Tipperary to snatch those crucial away points.
DIVISION FOUR:Clare v Waterford, Cusack Park, 2.30 – There's never much between these close Munster rivals, and although Waterford will be desperate to start off on a winning foot after last season's relegation from Division Three, Clare look that bit stronger right now.
Kilkenny v Wicklow, Freshford, 2.30 – Hard to know what silm hopes Kilkenny have of raising any sort of contest, even with home advantage, although at least they have managed to get a management team in place for the start of the season.
Leitrim v Limerick, Carrick-on-Shannon, 2.30 –The only question surrounding Limerick right now is why on earth they can’t seem to get out of Division Four, but this could be their season – with Stephen Lucey making his return for what should be a winning start.
London v Fermanagh, Ruislip, 1.0 – After finding himself under a glaring spotlight during the McKenna Cup recently Peter Canavan will be happy to get back to basics, and begin Fermanagh’s drive for promotion. Yet this could prove a tricky first hurdle, particularly as London tripped them up in the qualifiers last summer.
