Perhaps history will repeat itself and a Jack O'Connor-led team will bounce back from a loss to Longford with a strong season but, for now, it's frustration for the new Kildare manager.

Longford, Offaly and Westmeath delivered victories, with Carlow also beginning brightly this afternoon.

Kildare midfielder Kevin Feely has hit out at the decision to begin the O’Byrne Cup on Saturday week, claiming it’s far too early and a ‘player welfare’ issue.

New Kildare senior football manager Jack O’Connor says he is undeterred by the lengthy commute from South Kerry.

Twelve months ago against Mayo in the famous ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ Qualifier, quality Kildare forwards like Niall Kelly, Paddy Brophy, Paul Cribben, and Daniel Flynn were inspirational.

New York boss Justin O’Halloran admits his side will be underdogs against Mayo in next month’s Connacht SFC opener — but is relishing the tag.

Cork champions Charleville had too much pace and firepower for a depleted Lixnaw side in Saturday’s AIB Munster Club IHC semi-final.

Kerry have turned to the ultra-experienced Kieran Young to lock down the centre of defence for their crucial Super 8s clash with Kildare.

Newbridge or nowhere? That’s how it’s shaping up again for Kildare only this time they’ll have nowhere left to turn in the championship if they don’t beat Galway in Newbridge next weekend.

Kildare 1-16 Longford 1-13

Derry 2-14 Kildare 2-22

Kildare claimed their first win in 12 months, with a richly deserved eight-point qualifier win over Derry.

Inter-county managers like to have every last detail relating to their team planned and prepared as best they can. Kildare’s Cian O’Neill is a self-confessed ‘data geek’ and someone who prides himself on the small details, so you can be sure that he steps through every part of gameday in his head in the lead-up to a match.

Carlow 2-14 Kildare 1-10 

Former Down All-Star Marty Clarke has advised his county to draft in Steven Poacher to their management set-up as soon as he becomes available.

Kerry 0-19 - Kildare 0-14: A first win in four games. A first victory on home soil since January 28 and a first clean-sheet since July of 2017. Significant daylight put between themselves and the relegation zone. All in all, not a bad evening’s work for Kerry.

Kerry 0-19 Kildare 0-14: A sixth consecutive league defeat means Kildare will spend next spring in Division 2.

Donegal 1-16 Kildare 3-7: Donegal’s poorest performance of Division 1 this term was still enough to post a first win, at Kildare’s expense.

Donegal came through something of a must-win to give themselves a fighting chance of Division 1 survival at Kildare’s expense at Ballyshannon.

John Divilly on the takeaways from the opening weekend of league action.

Dublin 2-17 Kildare 2-10: All-Ireland champions Dublin shrugged off a sluggish first half to make a winning start to their Division 1 campaign in Croke Park this evening.

Meath are eyeing up their first piece of silverware under Andy McEntee after cruising comfortably through to the last four of the Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup.

“In the workplace, it’s the stigma. People can’t talk about their mental health without others assuming they are mentally ill and that their state never changes. In fact they are on a continuum,” says Daniel Flynn.

For the first time in the history of the PwC All-Stars, there are four candidates for the footballer of the year including two goalkeepers, David Clarke and Stephen Cluxton, writes John Fogarty.

For the first time in the history of the PwC All-Stars, there are four candidates for the footballer of the year including two goalkeepers, David Clarke and Stephen Cluxton.

The August Bank Holiday weekend is usually a pretty good starting point for the business end of the football championship, writes Tomás Quinn.

Jamie Clarke was in sublime form as Armagh marched into next Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin or Tyrone.

I can stand over my comments because I know, hand on heart, I’m not trying to stick a knife into any fella. Because I’ve been that fella. Pundits have said I was the best in the country. And they’ve given me flak and urged me to retire, writes Colm Cooper.

Daniel Flynn spoke openly and honestly at a media event earlier this week about all things Kildare; from their woeful Croke Park record to his costly missed goal chance against Dublin in the Leinster final.

Kevin Feely doesn’t know what better way to put why he waved goodbye on a career across the Irish Sea.

The Dubs will be a different story altogether in the decider.

The light went out. Simple as that. After 10 years, Eoghan O’Flaherty just felt he could give Kildare no more. He still doesn’t now, seven months after he told Cian O’Neill he was done.

Glenn Ryan made the point last week local rivalries are only stoked when both teams are hitting their straps and Kildare’s destruction of Laois in Tullamore yesterday confirmed the last embers have been all but extinguished from this one.

Kildare have coasted through a Leinster football semi-final on the back of the most facile of victories over an utterly insipid Laois side in Tullamore this afternoon.

Paddy Brophy was standing on the fine white sand of City Beach in Perth, the impossibly blue waters of the Indian Ocean stretching beyond the horizon before him, when he arrived at the decision to come home.