League preview: Who is best placed to escape lower division bearpits?
AT THE HELM: Andy Moran of Leitrim, Wicklow's OisĂn McConville and Longford boss Paddy Christie.Â
: Andy McEntee (first season).
Antrim native and Armaghâs All-Ireland winning coach in 2002, John McCloskey has signed up, along with selector Terry McCrudden and former world boxing champion Brian Magee.
Dermot McAleese fulfilled the duty during the Dr McKenna Cup.
Veteran brothers Mick and Tomas McCann both had operations recently but neither have said they are retiring. Ricky and Martin Johnston donât appear to be keen on a return.
Jan 29 Offaly (h); Feb 4th Down (a); Feb 19th Tipperary (a); Feb 25th Fermanagh (h); Mar 5th Westmeath (a); Mar 18th Cavan (h); Mar 26th Longford (a).
Dominic McElhill of OâDonovan Rossa scored well against Armagh in the Dr McKenna Cup, but his hurling abilities may see him declaring for the other code. There is a bit of buzz around Pat Shivers too.
An ambivalence to season-long commitment levels re-emerged towards the end of Enda McGinleyâs reign. The county with the third largest number of clubs has huge potential. This potential had to be the carrot that tempted Andy McEntee to point the car North on the M1. His straight-up approach could make a quick impact in Antrim if their best players make the effort. The cycle for some experienced campaigners coming to an end will require a rebuild of sorts but the talent is there. Paddy McBrideâs pace is impactful in defence and attack and his drive will need to be contagious for a transitional squad to avoid relegation trouble.
: Mickey Graham (fifth season).
Former Mayo selector under James Horan, James Burke comes in.
Raymond Galligan once again.
Thomas Galligan is a massive loss. The 2020 All-Star is going travelling in Australia and will not be available this year at all.
Jan 29th Westmeath (a); Feb 5th Tipperary (h); Feb 19th Longford (h); Feb 26th Offaly (a); Mar 5th Down (h); Mar 18th Antrim (a); Mar 26th Fermanagh (h).
Graham used 32 players during the Dr McKenna Cup, handing out 10 debuts in the last three games. Returning David Brady impressed against Tyrone while Brandon Boylan had moments in attack.
By a stretch the best team in Division 4 last year. As you would expect from 2020 Ulster champions. Followed up promotion with stuttering league final and Ulster championship displays. Largely untroubled en route to a Tailteann Cup final but let a commanding position in that final slip to Westmeath. Any semblance of complacency should be well dampened by the presence of that same Westmeath, a triumvirate of Ulster rivals, and neighbours Longford. Mickey Graham and Ryan McMenamin will know a passionate Cavan following will quickly turn if promotion looks unlikely. They have the tools. Goalkeeper Raymond Galligan recently became a centurion, multiple excellent man markers, Gerard Smith is a beast on transition while Paddy Smith and Gearoid McKiernan can notch big scores.
: Conor Laverty (first season)Â
Laverty brings a decent looking coaching war cabinet with Martin Clarke, Declan Morgan and Tyrone native Mickey Donnelly.
: Rotated through the Dr McKenna Cup with Liam Kerr fulfilling duties against Derry in the semi-final, but no announcement.
: The very last of the connections with the team that reached the 2010 All-Ireland final has been severed with the retirement of Kevin McKernan, while itâs unlikely Darren OâHagan will return. James Guinness is also recovering from a cruciate injury last summer.
: Jan 28th Tipperary (a); Feb 4th Antrim (h); Feb 19th Fermanagh (a); Feb 25th Westmeath (h); Mar 5th Cavan (a); Mar 18th Longford (h); Mar 26th Offaly (a).
In the games to date, Laverty appears to have brought a bit of togetherness to the county and has convinced talents such as Shay Millar to come back. Ceilum Doherty will become a more prominent figure while the emergence of Donnach McAleenan would put Down fans in mind of Mark Poland.
 A county that has generated a lot of noise off the pitch in recent years. The lack of engagement of Kilcoo players with the intercounty team has been a notable feature. Conor Laverty exudes passion for football. If he cannot get his Kilcoo teammates invested in the Down project then there is something very wrong. Retired Kevin McKernanâs service was seismic but the margins for improvement are large. McKenna Cup form suggests a corner has been turned.
: Kieran Donnelly (second season)Â
Former Tyrone attacker Ronan OâNeill has replaced Ryan McCluskey in the coaching backroom.
Declan McCusker continues in the role.
Some of the best attacking talent in the county are instead playing soccer. MiceĂĄl Glynn is with Larne FC and Dungannon have the loyalties of Darragh McBrien. Richie OâCallaghan has retired.
Jan 28 Longford (h); Feb 5th Offaly (a); Feb 19th Down (h); Feb 25th Antrim (a); Mar 5th Tipperary (h); Mar 18th Westmeath (h); Mar 26th Cavan (a).
2018 All-Star nominee Che Cullen has returned from a few years working abroad, while a fully-fit Ultan Kelm will look to revive his form and possibly the move to Freemantle in the AFL. Elsewhere, there will be hopes that 2019 Hogan Cup winning captain Brandon Horan can have a big year.
: Extracting a read on preseason form that could be applied to Division 3 is difficult in the case of Fermanagh. Two McKenna Cup defeats were against powerful Derry and Tyrone outfits. Given their playing population a strong argument can be made that they are overachieving - probably built on defensive solidity. The addition of mercurial former Tyrone forward Ronan OâNeill hints at efforts to enhance their creativity. Ex Aussie Rules man Ultan Kelm has a year back in GAA under his belt and his athleticism will be needed to implement a quicker transition game. From a place of admiration and not condescension - inclement weather has been their friend in recent league campaigns. Watch out for the unexpected Wâs their defiance secures.
: Paddy Christie (First season).
Christie, a Dublin great, has former inter-county players from Sligo (Dessie Sloyan), Leitrim (James Glancy) and Longford (Michael Kenny) in his backroom team.
: Michael Quinn captained Longford in 2022 though no announcement regarding this season has been made yet.
: Making space for all the returning players has been the bigger issue for the new management. Michael Quinn, who made his 100th county appearance last season, is giving it another year.
: Jan 28 Fermanagh (a); Feb 5 Westmeath (h); Feb 19 Cavan (a); Feb 26 Tipperary (h); Mar 5 Offaly (h); Mar 18 Down (a); Mar 26 Antrim (h).
Daniel Mimnagh is among a number of experienced players back in the panel. He struck 1-2 in their opening game of the season, a big O'Byrne Cup win over Laois. The McGivney brothers, James and David, Gary Rogers, Robbie Smyth, Rian Brady and Peter Foy are also back. County final goalscorer Ruairi Harkin from Colmcille and Tadhg McNevin are among the promising rookies.
Dessie Reynolds 3-3 last weekend should see him heading into the league as one of the country's most confident forwards. Picking up silverware after a 10 point win will have his Longford team in similarly buoyant mood. Paddy Christie comes in with an excellent reputation for his coaching work with Ballymun, DCU and Tipperary, This may be one of the reasons why Longford appear to have all their best players involved this season. Mickey Quinn will ensure they are organised at the back, Darren Gallagher is an underrated midfielder while Reynolds and David McGiveny are a test for any corner back. Can the early season energy see them surprise some, relatively, more illustrious opponents?
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: Liam Kearns (First season).
Martin Murphy led Portarlington to a Laois three-in-a-row last season and is one of Offaly's new selectors, along with John Rouse. Alan Flynn is the coach. Ex-Sligo and St Vincent's wing-back Brendan Egan is involved too.
: Declan Hogan.
: Last year's captain Johnny Moloney has opted out while goalkeeper Paddy Dunican is travelling. Still no word on whether veteran attacker Niall McNamee will be available. Jordan Hayes will miss the league due to Defence Forces duty.
: Jan 29 Antrim (a); Feb 5 Fermanagh (h); Feb 19 Westmeath (a); Feb 26 Cavan (h); Mar 5 Longford (a); Mar 18 Tipperary (a); Mar 26 Down (h).
: Former attacker Nigel Dunne, who pulled out of John Maughan's squad in controversy in 2019, is back and played in the O'Byrne Cup win over Dublin. Peter Cunningham and Cian Farrell are back after army duty and injury respectively. Goalie Corey White, Kevin Nugent and Shane O'Toole Greene are among the newcomers.
: John Maughan addressed the low hanging fruit to allow Offaly bounce from Division 4 to 2. Momentum stalled last year. Relegation and underwhelming summer form combined with murmurings around player availability. Indications were Tomas Ă SĂ©, very popular among the players, was set to step up from selector to manager but this never materialised. A Kerry influence has been secured though, Liam Kearns stepping into the hotseat. Michael Duignanâs reign as chairman has created a much-needed unity of purpose, underage success has lifted supporters. Blending a wider group of U20 All Ireland winners into the squad while avoiding relegation will be a flag planted for what needs to be a brighter summer campaign than 2022.
David Power (fourth season).
Former Meath underage coach Sean Barry has replaced Paddy Christie, the latter having left to take up the top job in Longford.
: Conor Sweeney.
: Bill Maher has moved to America. Colin OâRiordan, despite training with the panel before Christmas, has since returned to Australia. Michael Quinlivan is again absent. Robbie Kiely announced his retirement on Monday. The injured Mark Russell is expected to miss the majority of the league.
: Jan 28, Down (h); Feb 5, Cavan (a); Feb 19, Antrim (h); Feb 26, Longford (a); Mar 5, Fermanagh (a); Mar 18, Offaly (h); Mar 26, Westmeath (a).
2020 Munster winner Emmet Moloney has rejoined the panel. Keep an eye on newcomer Conor Cadell. He was a member of the Tipp U20 team that lost the 2021 Munster final.
Any county in Ireland would feel the loss of Michael Quinlivan. A county looking to readjust to a higher level of league football in the shadow of more exalted hurling contemporaries even more so. 2022 season summed up the last decade of Tipperary football. Inconsistent. Promotion achieved after a below par start to the league. Followed by defeat to a struggling Carlow. UCCâs Sean OâConnor is a scoring threat. He will need to fill the void left by his aforementioned club-mate to help see his side consolidate their status.
Dessie Dolan (First season)Â
Local legend Dolan was confirmed as Jack Cooney's replacement in September, with former colleague John Keane as his selector/defensive coach. Dublin great Jason Sherlock has since joined the group as a performance coach.
Kevin Maguire looks set to retain the captaincy after steering Westmeath to the Tailteann Cup title.
Former captain Ger Egan retired last month after 12 years in maroon.
Jan 29 Cavan (h); Feb 5 Longford (a); Feb 19 Offaly (h); Feb 25 Down (a); Mar 5 Antrim (h); Mar 18 Fermanagh (a); Mar 26 Tipperary (h).
Stephen Smith, an All-Ireland U-21 winner with Dublin in 2017, and brother of Westmeath defender Jack, has joined the panel, scoring 0-2 on his debut against Louth. Senan Baker, son of Clare hurling great Ollie, and Brian Cooney, son of former Westmeath football manager Jack, featured in the O'Byrne Cup too. Dessie Dolan namechecked newcomer Danny Scahill after the clash with Louth while Shane Dempsey and Boidu Sayeh have returned to the panel.
Based on championship form they can make legitimate claims to have been the second-best team in Leinster over the last 10 years. If they hadnât been faced with a generational Dublin team would they have added to Leinster title PĂĄidĂ steered them to? On league form, Kildare and Meath have been able to retain higher standings. The Tailteann Cup win shows they are capable of a top-16 ranking but their struggle has been consistency. What better way for their new management team to address this than by adding Jason Sherlock. Dessie Dolan will look to the powerful Sam McCartan and Ray Connellan to supply Ronan OâToole and John Heslin enough ball to ensure they win shootouts. They love shootouts.
Niall Carew (fourth season).
Former Kildare captain Eamonn Callaghan has come in as a performance coach.
: Darragh Foley is to captain the Barrow County.
: Carlow lost a wealth of experience prior to the 2022 season and there hasnât been as many personnel changes for this year.
: Jan 28 Wicklow (h); Feb 5 Waterford (a); Feb 19 Laois (h); Feb 26 Leitrim (a); Mar 5 London (a); Mar 18 Sligo (h); Mar 26 Wexford (a).
: Carlow lost their two OâByrne Cup games but there will be interest in Carewâs recruitment of former League of Ireland footballer Eric Molloy and ex-Carlow hurler Aaron Amond, brother of Woking striker PĂĄdraig.
A pre-arranged training camp prevented the rescheduling of their final OâBryne Cup game. This highlights the focus they are putting on the early stages of the league. Former pro soccer player, Eric Molly, is an exciting addition to the forward line on his return from Wellington. County champs Palatine easily disposed of their Wicklow counterparts last October, a replication of this result at inter county level in this weekendâs opener would be a necessary boost.
: Billy Sheehan (Second season).
Tommy Mulligan, from the Portlaoise club, is a fresh coaching voice for 2023, replacing Brian 'Beano' McDonald.
Joint captains Trevor Collins and Evan O'Carroll.
John O'Loughlin and Colm Begley announced their retirements last summer while Ross Munnelly finally brought the curtain down after 20 seasons in December.
Jan 29 Sligo (a); Feb 5 Wexford (h); Feb 19 Carlow (a); Feb 25 Wicklow (h); Mar 4 Waterford (h); Mar 19 Leitrim (a); Mar 26 London (a).
No wins in the O'Byrne Cup but a host of debutants in the Round 1 tie against Longford. Boss Billy Sheehan namechecked rookie Sean Greene after the Round 2 draw with Meath, as well as Padraig Kirwan. Former Carlow player Lee Walker is an interesting acquisition in attack after a club transfer last year.
 "Shouldnât be in Division 4â is a sentence that will have been used quite a few times about Laois since last March. The fact they have made this same drop as recently as 2017 probably insulated them from overly harsh introspection. Their biggest mistake would be to think a repeat of instant promotion is, again, inevitable. With three championship wins on the trot a young Portarlington team have very definitely ended the Portloaise dominance internally. Billy Sheehan and his backroom team will have been putting a huge effort into conditioning this younger crew for the rigours of inter county football. The fruits of this labour should see them prove too strong at least six D4 rivals
Andy Moran (second season).
Former Sligo footballer and St Vincentâs All-Ireland club winner Luke Bree has joined the coaching team. Last year Bree was involved with the Roscommon management team, working with Anthony Cunningham.
Donal Wrynn.
Along with Wrynn, David Bruen was the only other game to log 12 games in 2022. He has taken a year out for 2023.
: Jan 29th Waterford (h); Feb 5th London (a); Feb 19th Wexford (a); Feb 26th Carlow (h); Mar 5th Wicklow (a); Mar 19th Laois (h); Mar 26th Sligo (h).
After making the Leitrim Observer club team of the year, St Maryâs Kiltoghert cornerback Adam Reynolds was thrown in at the deep end his first day out marking Ian Burke in Bekan. The Corofin forward scored 1-1, but the green flag came after a goalmouth scramble and Reynolds held his own despite Leitrimâs 14-point loss.
The passion for football in Leitrim is underestimated nationally. The club scene is more competitive than many counties with significantly higher playing numbers. Player turnover had been a problem. With the importance of S&C in the current game players need the compound efforts of 3-4 years to ensure they are physically relevant versus their opponents. Andy Moran will know the importance of this and will look to build an established, familiar core group. Midfielder Donal Wrynn takes over as captain and has an aerial presence which will disrupt a lot of opposition kickouts. The experiment of using former attacker, Nevin OâDonnell, in goals is a new page added to the playbook. Patience of both players with incremental and off pitch improvements will be key as managements plan is probably one or two years away from peaking.
Michael Maher (Fourth season).
Michael Boyle, part of the Gweedore backroom when they won the 2018 Ulster club SFC title, replaces Joe Coulter as a coach. Dominic Mulligan is new on the S&C front.
Liam Gavaghan.
Boss Maher has retained 22 of last year's squad, a major improvement on previous seasons. Goalkeeper Noel Maher and attacker Fearghal McMahon are among those who have left.
Jan 28 Wexford (a); Feb 5 Leitrim (h); Feb 18 Wicklow (a); Feb 26 Sligo (h); Mar 5 Carlow (h); Mar 18 Waterford (a); Mar 26 Laois (h).
: Kilcummin's Kevin McCarthy, who lined out for Kerry in the 2019 National League final, has joined London. So has former Derry captain Enda Lynn and Niall O'Leary, who started the 2019 All-Ireland U-20 final for Dublin. Boss Maher recently said London born rookie Aidan McLoughlin is 'absolutely ripping up the script in training'.
It may not seem notable to many this side of the Irish Sea but long-standing efforts to reduce the transient nature of the London squad are bearing fruit. 20 of last year's 29 man panel are retained. January is a month associated with the FA Cup, manager Michael Maher masterminded successes in this competition while over Redhill. He will be looking to leverage that underdog spirit in the coming weeks. He has recruited shrewdly over the winter. Highly rated coach, Michael Boyle, was an All-Ireland winner with Donegal. On the playing front, Derryâs Enda Lynn and Kerryâs Kevin McCarthy are Division 1 standard forwards. Early season logistic and eligibility hurdles are a challenge others donât face, but expect incremental improvements as the weeks progress.
: Tony McEntee (third season).
McEntee heads into the last season of a three-year term with the same management team. There is also an option of a further year to be triggered on review at the end of next season.
: Niall Murphy.
: There are some notable absentees from the 38-strong squad named for the league including Liam Gaughan and Conan Marren. After 12 years of stellar service, Pat Hughes has also retired.
: Jan 29th Laois (h); Feb 5th Wicklow (a); Feb 19th Waterford (h); Feb 26th London (a); Mar 5th Wexford (h); Mar 18th Carlow (a), Mar 26th Leitrim (a).
Six members of Sligoâs Connacht U20 winning side join the squad including captain Jack Lavin. Dual star Gerard OâKelly Lynch has opted for football over hurling this year.
Where are Sligo? The county needed dramatic equalisers and penalty saves before finally securing a home Tailteann Cup win over London. Their season ended in Croke Park in July with a very encouraging semi-final showing versus Cavan. A prolonged famine at underage level ended with a Connacht minor title in 2021 and a maiden u20 success in 2022. Some of those prospects are now been sprinkled into the senior squad. A squad further energised by the return of Luke Nicholson, Gerard OâKelly Lynch and Cian Lally. Season 3 for Tony McEntee is likely to be era-defining. One defeat in each of the last two seasons has scuppered promotion. This group needs Division 3 football to keep developing.
: Ephie Fitzgerald (second season).
: Backroom team unchanged.
: Dermot Ryan.
: 2022 first-team regulars David Hallihan and Jason Curry. The latter, who is currently abroad, could yet be home for a section of the season.
: Jan 29, Leitrim (a); Feb 4, Carlow (h); Feb 19, Sligo (a); Feb 25, Wexford (h); Mar 4, Laois (a); Mar 18, London (h); Mar 26, Wicklow (h).
: Forward John Devine, younger brother of former Waterford hurler Tom.
If most recent results were to be extrapolated as a definite predictor of future performance then the signs for the DĂ©ise would be ominous. Winless in 2022 and a recent heavy defeat in the McGrath Cup. Three one-point defeats suggests this was not a fair reflection of their level. Ephie Fitzgerald is a winner, there has been intimations of a need to transplant some Corkness to a side that lack belief. Their collection of cards in 2022 could be a nod to this this but, concurrently, a reason why they were unable to see out some promising starts to games. Hitting the sweet spot of matching an increase in training ground intensity with game day discipline will be key. Connor Murray and talented youngster Tom OâConnell are game changing forwards.
: John Hegarty (First season)Â
Former Wexford footballer and London manager Ciaran Deely will assist in the areas of performance, science and coaching. Diarmuid O'Hanlon and Mick Casey are coaches while Joey O'Brien is the fitness expert.
Liam ColemanÂ
New boss Hegarty has got a strong commitment from veteran performers, including 35-year-old Ben Brosnan.
Jan 28 London (h); Feb 5 Laois (a); Feb 19 Leitrim (h); Feb 25 Waterford (a); Mar 5 Sligo (a); Mar 18 Wicklow (h); Mar 26 Carlow (h).
: Brian Cushe, Liam Doyle, Conor Kinsella and Cathal Stokes all debuted in the season opener against Kildare. In their only other pre-season game, a heavy loss to Westmeath, four more players made debuts; Ryan Furlong, Brian Molloy, Daire Bolger and Conor Kelly.
Lights, cameras, action for Wexford last weekend. The Wexford hurlers that is. Their January pre-season encounter with Kilkenny was Wexford Parkâs first floodlit encounter. Lights and action is a more appropriate estimation for the footballers as they face London on Saturday in a less-hyped affair. Esteemed former forward John Hegarty has taken over from Shane Roche and has publicly put a huge emphasis on the league. Former London manager and current QPR Academy coach, Ciaran Deely, is a notable inclusion on his backroom team. Wexford have gone all in on the split season trend by completing their hurling championship before the football action commences. One would expect having more of their players in focused football action later into the year should help hit the ground running. Hegarty will need to impart all his scoring nous to a side which needs to hit bigger tallies.
OisĂn McConville (first season).
The former Armagh star has support from previous joint interim Wicklow boss Gary Duffy, former Naas and Thomas Davis manager Paul Kelly, coach Joe Cowley, Des Jennings (performance coach) and Eimear Kelly (strength and conditioning).
McConville is to name a captain ahead of the trip to Carlow for the Division 4 opener.
Veteran forward Conor McGraynor, 29, has transferred to Westport.
Jan 28 Carlow (a); Feb 5 Sligo (h); Feb 18 London (h); Feb 25 Laois (a); Mar 5 Leitrim (h); Mar 18 Wexford (a); Mar 26 Waterford (a).
Baltinglassâ defender Karl Furlong and forward Jack Kirwan are a couple of players McConville is keeping tabs on at present.
Alan Costello and Gary Duffy completed a very unheralded job when steadying the ship last season in a rare case of mid season managerial change. Recent commercial partnerships suggest a county that is showing foresight off the pitch. Bringing in Mick OâDwyer previously gave football in the county a big lift and they are now hoping to repeat that trick with OisĂn McConville. McConville has shown his appetite for a clean slate by holding open trials and starts with a fresh-faced panel. New captain, imposing midfielder PĂĄdraig OâToole, and his colleagues will be eager to ensure the curious locals retain their early season interest. Year 1 of a project but will disappointed if not in the promotion mix.
Compiled by Declan Bogue, Eoghan Cormican, John Fogarty and Paul Keane with county-by-county analysis by Neil Ewing.
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