Shane ENRIGHT

WAS it a strong National League or not, and how does that bode for the quality of the upcoming Championship?

I THINK it was a decent League without being spectacular. The highlight was Sunday’s final between Derry and Dublin which was a game that had everything: open football, plenty of scores, a red card and a penalty shoot-out. It was great to see Derry get over the line. It will mean a lot more to them than it would have to the Dubs.

Derry will enter the Championship in confident mood and are now serious All-Ireland contenders.

Many of the games were dour enough affairs I felt. With so much emphasis on getting men behind the ball, it ruins the game as a spectacle. In Division 1, Monaghan and Roscommon struggled and both deservedly got relegated.

Galway were cursed with injuries but may still be dangerous come Championship if they can get some key men back.

Mayo did enough to stay up but weren’t overly impressive. It may be a blessing in disguise that they come into the summer a little under the radar. Last year after winning the league they were hyped up but their season petered out fairly disappointingly.

Kerry were efficient without reaching top form but Dublin and Derry look like the teams to catch at the moment from what we saw. Donegal will fancy beating anyone after their Division 2 success on Sunday and Armagh aren’t far behind them in the chasing pack.

From Kerry’s perspective, do you think they have strengthened their panel sufficiently, and who is the one player who has impressed you the most and why?

KERRY seem to have found a few players that will play pivotal roles come Championship. The Galway way game emphasised this where the Cliffords could be rested and Kerry still won. Players like Dylan Casey, Sean O’Brien, Cillian Burke and Darragh Roche saw plenty of game time and did quite well. Dylan Geaney impressed early in the league before picking up an injury and Armin Heinrich did well against Galway.

Not too many of the aforementioned are guaranteed starters but some may play their part off the bench. In the modern game, you need to be able to finish a game with as strong a fifteen as you start with. Whether it’s a year too soon for some of these players remains to be seen but it certainly gives the management extra options off the bench. I have been impressed with Joe O’Connor (pictured), especially against Galway. He is after coming back from a serious injury and was always going to take a few games to reach his peak. He is improving steadily and if Kerry are to be successful they are going to have to as least break even with the tops teams around the middle. Joe will be key to that. He is a strong runner, good in the air and can take a score. He has all the credentials of a top midfielder. He just needs to find consistency now in his game. If he can put in a seven or eight out of ten performance week in week out it would be a massive boost to Kerry’s chances.

Are Dublin the hot favourite to retain their title, or can any team dethrone them? Who could that be?

I BELIEVE Dublin will be favourites entering the Championship and deservedly so but after watching them against Derry last Sunday I think they are very beatable. Derry picked holes in the Dublin defence, scoring three goals and could have had a couple more. They have some frailties at the back that oppositions can expose. Derry’s strong running game caused them serious problems at times.

Saying that I still think that they look the most likely winners at the moment. They were short a few players on Sunday and I don’t think Dessie Farrell showed his full hand. I’d be very surprised if they give up the opposition kick-out as easily come Championship. It gave Derry a platform to build from the back which they utilised well.

Derry are certainly a coming force and we saw that on Sunday. They gave Kerry an almighty scare in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final and may have taken their game up another notch or two this season. If Dublin are to be dethroned, Derry and Kerry would be the two most likely teams to do so. If Derry can keep their key players fit they won’t be too far away.

Kerry pushed the Dubs all the way in last year’s decider. Some of the experienced Dublin players are that year older and you would have to question how much is left in the legs. Will the likes of Fitzsimons and McCarthy be content with being impact subs that come on late to see Dublin over the line in games? If not and they push Farrell’s hand to start them, it may well be the rock they perish on.

What county looks like it could be a disruptor to the established sides?

AFTER watching Donegal on Sunday they may well take a big scalp in this year’s Championship at some stage. Jim McGuinness is back and is building from the bottom up again. They are after a quiet couple of seasons by their standards. They lost their talisman Michael Murphy and he left a huge void in the team. They look fit, however. No doubt the players will have put in the yards under Jim and if they can get Paddy McBrearty back fit and into that team, they may well raise a few eyebrows later in the year.

Having seen the new format for the first time last year, is the provincial / All-Ireland series too bloated with games, or are you excited for a feast of action between now and the end of July?

I WAS impressed with how well the new All-Ireland series format worked last year and hopefully we will see similar excitement this year. Many of the groups were only decided on the last round of games and some late scores in those games was the difference between qualifying out of the group or not.

While there are some very one-sided games in the provincial championships, especially in Leinster and Munster, the Ulster championship is packed with quality and will bring about some very intriguing contests.

There are quite a lot of games but I think both the players and supporters are happy with that. As a player there is nothing worse than waiting four or five weeks for the next championship outing. For supporters, the feast of football lights up the summer and gives us all something to look forward to.

What three players are you most looking forward to watching in the Championship, and who is likely to be named Footballer of the Year?

SHANE McGuigan, Brian Fenton and David Clifford. If Derry are to land the All-Ireland McGuigan will be a central figure for them. He is one of the top forwards in the country when on song and could light up the championship.

Fenton is a Rolls Royce footballer. He makes Dublin tick. Everything goes through him and he is key for this Dublin team.

You couldn’t pick out three players that you were looking forward to watching and not mention David. The two-time Footballer of the Year is a joy to watch in full flight. He oozes class and can do ridiculous things with a football.

For me, if Kerry go close to winning this year’s All Ireland, he will again be the most likely Footballer of the Year if he can hit the levels we know he is capable of. He is key to Kerry’s chances.

Four provincial champions, the All-Ireland finalists and who lifts Sam Maguire?

Kerry, Dublin, Mayo, Derry

Dublin to beat Derry in the final