Division 2 2024

[Ethan Tremblay]

Honestly think every team in this division could beat the other on the day.  I would expect Cavan, Fermanagh and Louth to contest relegation, but for each of them to put a spanner in the works of the others. 

Armagh and Donegal are probably bookies favorites for promotion, consistency and staying clear of injuries (Donegal in particular) should steer both of them up. 

Should be a competitive league

[5times5times]

Stark differences between Armagh & Donegal's approach to McKenna cup.

€€ Jim played 80/90% regulars.
££ Geezer played ~5% regulars, if even.

[Itchy]

I hope everyones prediction of Cavan being in  the bottom 2/3 is misplaced. Like always in the league it will probably come down to small margins. Cavan have a large number of players that were in Division 1 previously. The unknown is how they will get on under new management. I don't particularly rate Meath or Kildare that highly and either of them could end up in relegation trouble with a bad result or two. Likewise Fermanagh are not a team to be written off. I wouldn't be surprised really at anything that might happen in this group.

[Blowitupref]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

[intheknowhow]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

Sure all the Cavan men here don't believe in the league.. only the oul league ... they are championship men! Driven by the yonder years success... you can only talk to Cavan men about championship becaus apparently that's where they are successful..

[J70]

Stark differences between Armagh & Donegal's approach to McKenna cup.

€€ Jim played 80/90% regulars.
££ Geezer played ~5% regulars, if even.

I don't think it was quite THAT high, at least in terms of starters. Across all the games, fair enough, I think most got a run out and the spine was always strong. One of the benefits of last year's disaster with injuries and opt-outs was the blooding of new players.

First fifteen come championship would probably be something like..

Patton
Curran
McCole
McMenamin
McHugh
Ban Gallagher
Mogan
McGee
McGonigle
O'Donnell brother
Langan
Thompson
McBrearty
Gallen
Conor O'Donnell

Subs.
O'Baoill
H. McFadden
McColgan
McFadden Ferry
Other O'Donnell brother
J. Brennan
P. Brennan
O. Doherty
Molloy brothers
Mac Ceallabhuí etc.

[Itchy]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

Sure all the Cavan men here don't believe in the league.. only the oul league ... they are championship men! Driven by the yonder years success... you can only talk to Cavan men about championship becaus apparently that's where they are successful..

Do you spend all night dreaming about Arva and the Cavan Junior championship. You'd want to get a life lad.

[Armagh18]

Would say Cavan are bit better than Louth or Fermanagh. I'm sure they'll have improved from our Ulster game last year where they were very poor. Don't think they'll push for promotion but wouldnt be surprised to see them take points off one of the teams that are

[J70]

First few rounds are always a bit of a crapshoot anyway as different teams are at different stages of training and squad strength. And then the luck of the home/ away draw and sequence comes into it.

[intheknowhow]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

Sure all the Cavan men here don't believe in the league.. only the oul league ... they are championship men! Driven by the yonder years success... you can only talk to Cavan men about championship becaus apparently that's where they are successful..

Do you spend all night dreaming about Arva and the Cavan Junior championship. You'd want to get a life lad.

Not at all. It's funny how the common Cavan man defends the Arva situation but at inter county level yous are shocking because of the outlook on your county league structures.

[Itchy]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

Sure all the Cavan men here don't believe in the league.. only the oul league ... they are championship men! Driven by the yonder years success... you can only talk to Cavan men about championship becaus apparently that's where they are successful..

Do you spend all night dreaming about Arva and the Cavan Junior championship. You'd want to get a life lad.

Not at all. It's funny how the common Cavan man defends the Arva situation but at inter county level yous are shocking because of the outlook on your county league structures.

I'm sticking you on ignore, you're a dose

[intheknowhow]

League football has been eventful for Cavan the last ten years.

2014 - promoted to Div 2
2015 - stayed in Div 2
2016 - promoted to Div 1
2017 - relegated to Div 2
2018 - promoted to Div 1
2019 - relegated to Div 2
2020 - relegated to Div 3
2021 - relegated to Div 4
2022 - promoted to Div 3
2023 - promoted to Div 2

Sure all the Cavan men here don't believe in the league.. only the oul league ... they are championship men! Driven by the yonder years success... you can only talk to Cavan men about championship becaus apparently that's where they are successful..

Do you spend all night dreaming about Arva and the Cavan Junior championship. You'd want to get a life lad.

Not at all. It's funny how the common Cavan man defends the Arva situation but at inter county level yous are shocking because of the outlook on your county league structures.

I'm sticking you on ignore, you're a dose

Cavan have a 46% win rate in the Ulster champ over the last 10 years.... Monaghan is 62%

[armaghniac]

This is the ranking produced by Laoisman11 on Boards.ie.
This shows quite a wide spread in Div 2. Before you start cribbing about Armagh's score, this system would have counted the games against Derry and Monaghan in the championship as draws, the fact that those teams proceeded on penalties would not have counted.
Donegal have had a managerial boost and Louth a managerial loss, so this woud probably see Armagh, Cork and Donegal as most likely be promoted, Meath and Kildare to probably stay mid table but be concerend with their position re inclusion in the championship, and Louth, Cavan and Fermanagh to have potential difficulties.

Of course, everything may be different in a couple of weeks.

[seafoid]

By its nature it is backward looking whereas the League needs a forward looking analysis. The ratings as approximated by the betting are extremely volatile in the first 3 rounds.

It is the same in the first weeks of the championship. The favourite is who won  last year

[Blowitupref]

Jim McGuinness

"There's a lot of people hellbent in the GAA in talking down the provincial championships, even though the provincial championship in Ulster, there is no change on it. It's still the exact same thing that it always was,"

"But people's perception of it, that people are not taking it seriously or people are focusing on the All-Ireland, it's absolute nonsense. A paper doesn't refuse ink, or conversations on podcast.

"The bottom line for us is that it will always be the number one competition. Whenever we're out of that competition, the next one will be the number one competition. There is two competitions every single year, in terms of championship football, and you focus on the first one first and the second one second.


"That is absolutely it. For us, everything from that very first training session to that ball being thrown in at Celtic Park is focused on that moment, nothing else.

"We will obviously be going out to win as many games as we can in Division 2, you're trying to get promotion, keep the wheel turning, build the positivity and try and get up into a higher level for the next year.

"But the only reason you're trying to do that is to be in a better place against better teams so you're better positioned for the Ulster championship."