Paul Rouse: The disease of hope is most virulent in January

In county and club dressingrooms all across the GAA world, hope is alive this weekend.

HOPE SPRINGS:  Young fans watch the Cork v Kerry game in the McGrath Cup at Páirc Uí Rinn on Wednesday evening. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Hope is a disease. There is no month that its signs and symptoms are more prevalent than in January.

This is a disease that can afflict even the most unlikely of individuals, the giddiness of a new beginning promising to purge painful memories of past failures.