Saturday, February 5
Allianz NFL Division 1A
Donegal v Tyrone
(Ballybofey, 14.30)
Donegal go into this crunch tie hardly boosted by the news that Brendan Boyle will be out for an extended period due to injury.
Donegal boss Brian McEniff has named a strong starting 15, however, to face Tyrone. Kevin Cassidy starts at midfield after a lengthy time off the team, although Adrian Sweeney has an ankle injury and won't start. Teen goalkeeper Michael Boyle and Neil Gallagher both make their Donegal senior debuts.
Undedogs star Eoghan Bradley will realise a dream at MacCumhaill Park: he will start at left corner forward in a somewhat experimental Red Hand side, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the big stage. Rory Mellon, having endured a two-year lay-off because of illness, makes a fully deserved return.
Tyrone begin what may be a post-Canavan era, and Chris Lawn is fully aware of how big a loss he would be.
"He's going to be a huge loss, and he is already. But we'll be expecting him back sooner rather than later. It's a mark of the man that he doesn't want to be going in if he's only 70 or 80 per cent fit. He wants to be able to come in and give 100 per cent.
"And when he goes back to try and get back to full fitness with the club, I fully expect that we'll see him back."
TYRONE - P McConnell, R McMenamin, C Lawn, E Bradley, B Robinson, G Devlin, B Donnelly, B. Dooher, S O'Neill, S Cavanagh, M Coleman, O Mullins, R Mellon.
DONEGAL - Boyle, N McCready, R Sweeney, D Diver, E McGee, B Monaghan, S Carr, S Cassidy, N Gallagher, S McDermott, C Toye, R Kavanagh, C McFadden, S Cassidy, B Roper.
BETTING: Donegal 7/4, Tyrone 4/7, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 1A
Offaly v Westmeath
(Tullamore, 14.30)
This should be a typical, tough local derby with the bookmakers failing to separate the sides. Will the scoreboard?
Perhaps Westmeath will have a slight edge, having endured a good preparation for the league in the form of the O'Byrne Cup, of which they reached the final only to lose narrowly to Laois.
Offaly had a tough year in 2005, with Gerry Fahy eventually leaving the scene, despite the backing of their players. In comes Kevin Kilmurray, whose first aim will be to exact some revenge on Westmeath, who edged Offaly, controversially, by a point in last year's championship.
Dessie Dolan and John Keane return to Paidi O'Se's side, while Niall McNamee, having been in good form for UCD in the Sigerson Cup, is one to note in the Offaly line up.
WESTMEATH - G Connaughton; J Davitt, D O'Donoghue, J Keane; M Ennis, D Kilmartin, D Heavin; R O'Connell, J Brennan; J Fallon, D Mitchel, C Galligan; A Mangan, D Gleenan, D Dolan.
BETTING: Offaly 1/1, Westmeath 1/1, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 1B
Galway v Kildare
(Pearse Stadium, 14.30)
Galway boss Peter Ford has afforded both Val Stemey and Niall Coleman the chance to make a name for themselves as both make their league debuts against Kildare on Sunday.
Stemey starts at corner back, while Annaghdown clubman Coleman, a son of former intercounty star Mattie, is tried in the troubled area of midfield.
Galway have a number of players playing in unexpected positions: Kevin Brady at corner forward, Derek Savage at right half forward and Tommy Joyce at centre back, where he is likely to remain throughout the league.
Joe Bergin, despite a struggle with injury during the week, starts - but both Richie Fahy and the in-form Michael Comer are both out.
Padraig Joyce, meanwhile, will miss several weeks after being advised to rest.
Given the experimental nature of the home side, the many Kildare people who like a punt will think the 11/4 about an away win represents considerable value.
Padraig Nolan's side is also likely to feature new names, but they showed solid form in the O'Byrne Cup and, under new captain John Doyle, they will not be overawed.
Allenwood's David Hughes makes his NFL debut at full back with Eamonn Callaghan moving to corner back. Anthony Rainbow returns from honeymoon and Karl Ennis moves from wing back to wing forward.
GALWAY - B O'Donoghue; V Stemey, K Fitzgerald, C Monaghan; D Meehan, T Joyce, D Burke; J Bergin, N Coleman; D Savage, P Clancy, J Devane; M Meehan, N Meehan, K Brady.
BETTING: Galway 1/3, Kildare 11/4 Draw 9/1.
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Allianz NFL Division 1B
Laois v Limerick
(Portlaoise, 14.30)
Two improving sides meet in Portlaoise, with the O'Byrne Cup winners facing the McGrath Cup winners.
Laois would seem to be well on the way to full fitness already under Mick O'Dwyer, and they will be all out to add the NFL to their trophy cabinet.
However, they are without Donie Brennan on Sunday, as the Knockbeg College ace will be in action against against All-Ireland champions St Pat's of Navan in a Leinster colleges tie.
However, Chris Conway, Ross Munnelly and Padraig Clancy are all available to face Limerick.
The Shannonsiders, shock winners of this Divison last year, will be missing five of their main players. Stephen Lucey, John Galvin, Jason Stokes, Seamus O'Donnell and team captain Muiris Gavin are all injured.
LAOIS - F Byron; N Donoher, C Begley, T McDonald; K Kelly, P McDonnald, F McMahon; P Clancy, N Garvan; R Munnelly, C Conway, C Bergin; G Kavanagh, S Kelly, M Dunne.
LIMERICK - S Kiely; M O'Riordan, D. Sheehy, J McCarthy, P Browne, S Lavin, C Mullane; J Quane, J O'Donovan; S Buckley, J Murphy, M O'Brien, M Ahern, P Fitzgerald, M Reidy.
BETTING: Laois 10/11, Limerick 11/10, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 1B
Down v Sligo
(Newcastle, 14.30)
Down and Sligo can hardly be fancied to fight for promotion this year, although Sligo could surprise if they can gel well under new boss Dom Corrigan.
With Eamonn O'Hara and Sean Davey in midfield, the Yeats County will have plenty of possession in attack, where Dessie Sloyane and Gerry McGowan can trouble the Ulstermen's defence.
Down are without Benny Coulter, though he may appear as an unnamed replacement if there is any truth to the rumours from the county. After their poor McKenna Cup form, they could do with a win to kick off the NFL.
Sligo, meanwhile, disappointed in the NFL so it is hard to make a confident prediction, though the 13/8 that the visitors win is probably the safest bet for those who must.
Down need to progress this year or Paddy O'Rourke's reign will probably come to an end.
BETTING: Down 8/13, Sligo 13/8, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 1B
Wexford v Armagh
(Wexford Park, 14.00)
Wexford, dark horses for Division 1B glory this year, have John Hudson and Mattie Forde in a very fearsome full forward line for the visit of Armagh.
Wexford won this fixture last year, but might find things a little tougher this time around. However, one senses that Orchard boss Joe Kernan hasn't seen his players peak just yet.
"The National League - while we want to do well in it, it's good preparation for the Championship," he said.
"Anyone who comes off a good run in the National League would certainly benefit come the Championship. It seems a long time since last August when we were knocked out of the Championship and we're really glad to get back into a competitive edge."
Gareth Swift, who has impressed in the McKenna Cup, starts at wing forward in a strong Armagh side.
WEXFORD - J Cooper, C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy, D Breen, D Murphy, S Cullen, J D'Arcy, P Colfer, D Fogarty, D Kinsella, J Hegarty, D Foran, J Hudson, M Forde.
ARMAGH - C McKinney, A Mallon, J McNulty, P McCormack, P McKeever, K McGeeney, A McCann, J Toal, P Loughran, G Swift, P McGrane, P Keenan, S McDonnell, R Clarke, B Mallon.
BETTING: BETTING: Wexford 11/8, Armagh 8/11, Draw 7/1.
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Allianz NFL Division 2A
Monaghan v Carlow
(Clontibret, 14.30)
Carlow begin life under Liam Hayes with a visit north to Drumlin Country, but, in racing terms, they may "come on for the run".
Hayes has admitted that his team are a fair bit adrift of peak fitness, which is hardly surprising as the panel only began full training early last month.
Monaghan, in contrast, have trained quite well and will be expected to account for their Leinster rivals.
MONAGHAN - S Duffy; McQuaid, Coyle, Flanagan; Ronaghan, Clerkin, Ward; McElroy, F Duffy; McArdle, Woods, McManus; T Freeman, D Freeman, Gollogley.
CARLOW - Brennan; Kehoe, Power, Murphy; D Nolan, Hayden, Daly; Byrne, P Nolan; Sinnott, Walters, Walsh; Rea, Pender, Hickey.
BETTING: Monaghan 8/11, Carlow 11/8, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 2A
Roscommon v Clare
(Dr Hyde Park, 14.30)
Roscommon, after a disappointing FBD League campaign, should be able to account for Clare in Dr Hyde Park.
Tommy Carr's men lost out to Offaly and Donegal for promotion last year and they must have a fair chance of achieving that aim in 2005. Carr will look to Seamus O'Neill to lead his charges, who lost veterans Stephen Lohan and Nigel Dineen last year.
Clare may be improving after a spell in the doldrums in the last few years and this is certainly not a bad place to start their NFL assault.
D McInerney; P Gallagher, D Kelly, K Dilleen; D Blake, B Considine, M O'Connell; Dave Russell, J Quinlan; Denis Russell, S Daniels, M O'Shea; A Cloghessy, S Hickey, R Donnelly.
BETTING: Roscommon 2/5, Clare 9/4, Draw 8/1.
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Allianz NFL Division 2A
Leitrim v London
(Carrick-on-Shannon, 14.30)
Leitrim aren't 1/6 with bookmakers to win a game very often, but lowly London are not expected to trouble the Connacht side.
Leitrim, under Des Dolan, father of the Westmeath ace, showed pleasing progress in the FBD League and they will be no pushovers in the NFL this year.
London, who finished bottom of this group last year after beating only Carlow, will at least have Scott Doran to boost their credentials for another year.
However, even with the Wexford man, they face the obvious problem of struggling to field good players in an era when very few people leave Ireland for the English capital since the growth of the Celtic Tiger.
Embarrassing hammerings by Dublin and Galway in last year's Championship showed how far they remain adrift.
BETTING: Leitrim 1/6, London 5/1, Draw 9/1.
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Allianz NFL Division 2B
Wicklow v Waterford
(Aughrim, 14.30)
Wicklow missed out on promotion last year by losing to Antrim in their final game. That aberration still hurts the Garden County players, but they can get off to a winning start on Sunday.
However, considering the form of Stradbally in the Munster club championship, the bookies might be risking it a little by going 4/1 about an away win.
Furthermore, veteran Tommy Gill is out for a number of weeks. Wicklow give a debut to Ian Burke between the sticks, while the OhAnnaidh brothers, Brendan and Dara, both return and form two-thirds of the half back line.
WICKLOW - I Burke; C Hyland, S Cush, B Daly; K Manning, D O hAnnaidh, B O hAnnaidh; J Stafford, D Dillon; AN OTHER, T Harney, A Ellis; W O'Gorman, JP Davis, J Daniels.
BETTING: Wicklow 1/5, Waterford 4/1, Draw 10/1.
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Allianz NFL Division 2B
Tipperary v Cavan
(Ardfinnan, 13.00)
The injured Brian Lacey will have to wait to make an emotional return to the Tipperary colours. The former All-Star will be an enormous boost to Tipp boss Seamus McCarthy, who took over, of course, in unfortunate circumstances.
After a year that is best summed up as a shambles, the Munster men just want to play football, a point alluded to by their trump card, Declan Browne.
"In the McGrath Cup we seemed to be going alright when we beat Kerry, but in the next game we lost heavily to Cork IT. In fairness, we would be a few weeks behind other teams in terms of training," he told the Irish News.
"Brian Lacey's return to the county is a big boost for us, and while it will take time for things to develop I think a player of Brian's quality will definitely have a big impact on the squad.
"He is not quite fit yet, has been struggling with an injury, but we should see him back in Tipperary colours before the beginning of March.
"The first thing is to try and win our home matches in the league, but it is a strong Cavan team."
The Breffni men have Patrick Brady and Lorcan Mulvey in midfield, and Mark McKeever, Michael Lyng, Jason Reilly, Seanie Johnston and Mickey Graham will trouble Tipp's defence.
Cavan also have Anthony Forde, Paul Brady and Karl Crotty in reserve.
BETTING: Cavan 4/7, Tipperary 7/4, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 2B
Antrim v Louth
(Casement Park, 14.30)
Antrim's limitations were ruthlessly exposed in the McKenna Cup by Stephen O'Neill and Tyrone, though Louth represent a more realistic assignment.
It seems highly improbable that either of these two teams will be in line for promotion later in the year, but a win for either would obviously breed confidence.
Antrim, with Paddy Logan settling in after ending a self-imposed two-and-a-half-year exile from their team, might edge matters with the benefit of home advantage.
ANTRIM - P Murray; K Murray, C Brady, Gault; Devlin, Scullion, Kelly; Quinn, McGarry; Close, K Brady, Gallagher; McAleese, Herron, Madden.
LOUTH - McCoy; Neary, Shevlin, Carr; Long, Hoey, Gerard; Devenny, Carroll; McDonnell, Stanfield, Clarke; Lennon, Matthews, Sharkey.
BETTING: Antrim 10/11, Louth 11/10, Draw 15/2.
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Allianz NFL Division 2B
Derry v Meath
(Ballinascreen, 14.30)
Five years ago, these two were locking horns with the NFL final at stake; now they're languishing in Division 2B.
The year 2005 will surely be Sean Boylan's last as Royals boss, so promotion would represent a very solid achievement at a time when All-Ireland success seems grossly unrealistic.
During the Boylan era, Meath have never beaten Derry, and it's probable that they never will. However, after such a short-lived championship run in 2004, they've had plenty of time to regroup and plan 2005.
Derry boss Mickey Moran has named a reasonably strong side, featuring Sean Marty Lockhart, Paul McFlynn and Paddy Bradley. Both these sides have strong promotion prospects and victory for either on Sunday would boost their hopes greatly.
DERRY - Gillis; McGuckian, McCusker, O'Kane; McEldowney, Lockhart, Kelly; McBride, Doherty; McFlynn, Gilligan, Moran; Murphy, Paddy Bradley, Paul Bradley.
BETTING: Derry 8/13, Meath 13/8, Draw 15/2.
