The good, bad and indifferent of a modest football league

Derry and Dubs strut stuff, for others there’s as many questions as answers

ANational Football League campaign that promised much but delivered less than other years as Dublin and Derry asserted their authority and Donegal and Armagh made a swift return to Division 1. For for other teams, success and failure is relative.

DIVISION 1

Derry

Topped the division with six wins from seven and were the most prolific goalscorers with 13, six of which came from defenders, including three from Conor McCluskey. Used 28 players, with a wider net cast by Mickey Harte than in recent years which deepens options.

Dublin

Used 34 players but still got results from the third round on, ruthlessly killing off teams. Hitting Kerry for 3-18 was a league high point for a Dessie Farrell-managed team and with 11-121 scored, they’re clearly off the leash and playing with frightening pace and creativity.

Kerry

The Dublin performance apart, a decent league that stopped just short of a final – probably where they wanted to be. Midfield got better through an improving Joe O’Connor , while Cillian Burke and Seán O’Brien showed promise.

Mayo

Hard to know what to make of their programme. Beat Dublin and Galway and narrowly lost to Kerry, yet it never felt they were in full flight. Fergal Boland’s second coming was impressive, though, 0-13 scored.

Tyrone

Stayed in Division 1 without key players available, and having shipped six in their last 2021 league game against Kerry, it softens the five-goal rout at Dublin’s hands. But not much. The division’s lowest goal return despite having one of its most prolific forwards, Darragh Canavan, who scored two of the three. Not enough at this level.

Galway

They survived but second-lowest scorers in the division, 6-76, reflected the absence of their top forwards throughout. Still, Cillian Ó Curraoin built on his promise towards the end. Picked up all of their five points on the road.

Roscommon

Ben O’Carroll was missed, but even with the forwards they have, 5-77 was a poor return, an average of 0-13 per game.

Monaghan

Bad bumps in the middle after a bright opening night against Dublin, but recovered to finish with decent performances in defeat to Tyrone and Mayo as a 10-year stint in the top-flight ended. Defence clearly destabilised by Rory Beggan absence as they conceded 14 goals, double what it was in 2022 and 2023.

DIVISION 2

Donegal

Quick makeover from Jim McGuinness to bring necessary improvement, as expected. Concession of five goals at this level slightly concerning, though.

Armagh

Up to the last round, they were the only team in all four divisions not to concede a goal. Played most of it without star attacker Rian O’Neill but still averaged almost 19 points per game with swift counter-attacking.

Cavan

Early promise evaporated once they were safe with three poor performances to finish. Still, they stay in the same division for the first time since 2015, and in Paddy Lynch, they have a reliable marksman, 1-48 from their 3-94.

Cork

Strong finish and good scores accumulated after the first two rounds, but equal placing and points haul to 2023 reflects stagnancy. Chris Óg Jones’ 2-15 from play stands out.

Meath

Better defensively than 2023 but didn’t score more than 12 times in any game – 1-11 their best against Louth. Nowhere enough to progress. Gave league debuts to 10 players.

Louth

Survival in their first post-Harte cam-

paign, given the upheaval, and a better scoring return than 2023, 13-82, making them the top goal-scoring team in the division, deems their campaign a success.

Fermanagh

Slightly unfortunate to drop, having led late against Cork, who hit them with a late goal. Beating Kildare and Cavan and drawing with Meath a return they’d otherwise be satisfied with.

Kildare

A disastrous campaign without a point, the first in the division since Louth in 2018, and hardly a redeeming feature, Kevin

Feely’s defiant performances apart. Like Meath never broke the 12-score barrier.

DIVISION 3

Down

Might be the most improved team in any division. With Laois, had the best points difference, +57. Only ‘blemish’, a draw with Westmeath. A team packed with pace.

Westmeath

Promotion, but never set the world alight as a modest +12 points difference suggests. Three teams below them scored more. A dip from last year’ s SF C, though John Heslin missed much of it.

Clare

Given their list of departures, a very good campaign for Clare that went right to the last day. Unfortunate against Westmeath.

Sligo

Further improvement with their fourthplaced finish their best since 2012 when they were third in Division 3 with eight points, one less than their nine in 2024. In Seán Carrbine (2-19) and Niall Murphy (1-22), they have two prolific forwards.

Antrim

Lost their way in the middle after a bright start, but three wins from seven leaves them better off than 2023.

Offaly

A poor campaign, they were perhaps fortunate Wick low and Limerick dipped as much as they did below them.

Wicklow

Took some heavy shelling and the game they won against Limerick was hard earned. Like Monaghan, badly missed Mark Jackson’s dynamic brief.

Limerick

Any defections will cost a county like Limerick dearly. No league win now for two years as they return to Division 4.

DIVISION 4

Laois

Their place isn’t Division 4 and in his first season back, Justin McNulty and Co corrected that.

Leitrim

From where they were in New York almost a year ago, a big bounce back. Huge win in Laois set them up after wobbling against Carlow and Longford.

Wexford

The unluckiest team in the competition, a disputed penalty to lose to Leitrim costing them on the head-to-head when their points difference on 10 points was superior.

Longford

A loss to Tipperary hurt most, but wins over Leitrim and Carlow gave them false hope. For the first time since 2011, they’ll spend back-to-back seasons in Division 4.

Carlow

Did as much as was expected with four wins but scored an average of 0-8 in their three losses to Leitrim, Wexford and Longford, which gives context to where they are.

Tipperary

Sixth in the basement division is their lowest finish since the leagues were restructured for 2008.

London

Kept it competitive with a win over Waterford and a draw with Tipperary, on top of no double-digit losses.

Waterford

They did well to field a team in 2024 and will do better again in 2025. Draw with Tipperary the only highlight.