Cork looking primed to make League title push
DIVISION 1 – GROUP A
CLARE MANAGER: Brian Lohan (5th season) LAST SEASON: 4th (W2 D1 L2) FIXTURES: (H) Cork, (A) Waterford, (A) Wexford, (H) Kilkenny, (A) Offaly PREDICTION: Under Lohan, Clare have been able to trundle through the spring and save their best form for championship – don’t be surprised if they follow the same path. Third. CORK MANAGER: Pat Ryan (2nd season) LAST SEASON: Beaten semifinalist (W4 D1 L1) FIXTURES: (A) Clare, (H) Kilkenny, (H) Waterford, (A) Offaly, (A) Wexford PREDICTION: To be an All-Ireland contender, you have to be able to be a serious league contender. Way too often Cork have come up short. No better time to end that long league drought without silverware dating back to 1998. Overall winners. KILKENNY MANAGER: Derek Lyng (2nd season) LAST SEASON: 2nd (W5 L2) FIXTURES: (H) Wexford, (A) Cork, (H) Offaly, (A) Clare, (A) Waterford PREDICTION: It’s part of Kilkenny’s DNA to be ultra-competitive, irrespective of injuries or squad rotation. Last year’s final defeat by Limerick was a chastening one but won’t stop them going hard again. Second.
OFFALY
MANAGER: Johnny Kelly, pictured right (2nd season) LAST SEASON: Division 2A winner (W5 D1) FIXTURES: (H) Waterford, (A) Wexford, (A) Kilkenny, (H) Cork, (A) Clare PREDICTION: A huge jump up in standard here after winning
Division 2A last year but at least Offaly know that they will still be a Division 1B team next year in the rejig to come if results don’t go their way. Sixth.
WATERFORD
MANAGER: Davy Fitzgerald (2nd season) LAST SEASON: 3rd Group B (W2 D1 L2) FIXTURES: (A) Offaly, (H) Clare, (A) Cork, (H) Wexford, (A) Kilkenny PREDICTION: Austin Gleeson’s sabbatical, allied to the injury-warning bulletin around top scorer Stephen Bennett, makes for slightly worrying reading for Waterford. But Fitzgerald tends to have his teams ready to hit the ground running for the league. Fourth.
WEXFORD
MANAGER: Keith Rossiter (1st season) LAST SEASON: 5th (W1 L4) FIXTURES: (A) Kilkenny, (H) Offaly, (H) Clare, (A) Waterford, (A) Cork PREDICTION: A Walsh Cup and some silverware is definitely a nice way to start for the new manager but Rossiter will be well aware that he needs to develop some squad depth so Wexford aren’t overreliant on the likes of Lee Chin. Fifth.
DIVISION 1 – GROUP B
ANTRIM MANAGER: Darren Gleeson, pictured below (5th season) LAST SEASON: 5th (W1 L4) FIXTURES: (A) Limerick, (H) Dublin, (H) Galway, (A) Westmeath, (H) Tipperary PREDICTION: Tough for the manager that a core group of Dunloy players won’t be involved and that Neil McManus’ leadership will also be missing. Sixth.
DUBLIN MANAGER: Micheál Donoghue (3rd season) LAST SEASON: 4th (W2 D1 L2) FIXTURES: (H) Tipperary, (A) Antrim, (H)
Limerick, (A) Galway, (H) Westmeath PREDICTION: Dublin have a point to prove after the championship blow-out against Clare. A Munster scalp has to be a target this spring. Fourth.
GALWAY
MANAGER: Henry Shefflin (3rd season) LAST SEASON: 3rd (W3 L2) FIXTURES: (H) Westmeath, (A) Tipperary, (A) Antrim, (H) Dublin, (A) Limerick PREDICTION: A league title would certainly show that Galway have found some consistency but they have flattered to deceive thus far under Shefflin. Third.
LIMERICK
MANAGER: John Kiely (8th season)
LAST SEASON: Winners (W6 L1) FIXTURES: (H) Antrim, (A) Westmeath, (A) Dublin, (H) Tipperary, (H) Galway PREDICTION: After winning the double last year, it’s not as if the holders have anything left to prove. Even with a bit of experimentation, they are still good enough to sneak into a semi-final. Second in group.
TIPPERARY
MANAGER: Liam Cahill, pictured above (2nd season) LAST SEASON: Semi-finalist (W5 L1) FIXTURES: (A) Dublin, (H) Galway, (H) Westmeath, (A) Limerick, (A) Antrim PREDICTION: The only team last year to win all five group games, they should be in the shake-up again and might even top the group again. Group winners.
WESTMEATH
MANAGER: Joe Fortune (3rd season) LAST SEASON: Relegation playoff (W1 L5) FIXTURES: (A) Galway, (H) Limerick, (A) Tipperary, (H) Antrim, (A) Dublin PREDICTION: That win over Wexford really put the cat amongst the pigeons in last year’s Leinster championship group but the compressed schedule and a tight squad means that Westmeath are probably going to have to pick their battles. Fifth.