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Lads, thought Roscommon got promoted last year ??

Yeah, and?

C'mon Dessie, you didn't beat your breathern just to lose to these fellas, did yah?

Good luck to Garrycastle, you'll do Westmeath and Athlone proud.

Absolutely, but it's not exactly a murders row of forwards you'd be comparing them to in Leinster, look at how desperate Kildare are to get Johnston and they're the second best overall team in Leinster. Likewise, though, we'd have the best selection of forwards in our province.

We won't have any apprehensions facing Wexford - we've played them three times in competitive fixtures since 2009 - and I'd imagine the players will draw on last years' trip to the south-east and their brilliant battle with Micko and Wicklow as proof that a long journey to a hard place doesn't have to be fruitless.

We make two changes for Sunday Higgins,Kilroy out Mannion,Rogers in. Our best scoring forwards Donal Shine,Senan Kilbride on the bench again. Wexford pick their strongest possibly team a very free scoring forward line.

A uphill task for us on Sunday but a good test to see how far we have come.

I'd imagine Newton will make more 'last minute' changes'. Kilbride particularly may end up starting. I can't see Shine not a elast feature at some point, though.

We're wise to your tricks, Mick. 

All counties at u-21 have to deal with 3rd level commitments, though. I'd definitely not be worried, we've got a home game and a fantastic squad of players. We can, and if we play to our ability should, win it. Plenty f the key players have got themselves tuned up at senior and 3rd level over the last few weeks so they're not exactly going into this cold.

Delicious opportunity to knock Mayo out of the championship three years running - how often does that happen at any level? Our u-21 teamsheet reads like a team that can win, let's just hope they play to that ability.

And thank God for that. When the day comes that GAA is as accepted by unionist populations as rugby is now by non-protestants and people without historical attachments to it, we'll know our little island is a long way towards maturity.

There's obviously some cultural bells and whistles that make it harder but in time they'll hopefully lose their usefulness as political tools and everyone can just enjoy the events and the sports themselves. We all see ourselves as Irish and the GAA has the capacity to be a celebration of Irish culture for everyone, no matter their politics.

Like it or not he's clearly an immediate upgrade in the forward line. A Seanie Johnston who's as fit and as focused as the current Kildare team will be a noticable improvement over the one playing in last year's league with a weaker team and a manager he didn't get on with. Removing politics the reason the person with the most intimate knowledge of the Kildare squad wants Johnston is because he feels they need help there. He's not wrong.

[everyone]

It just gives the same types of louts who shout abuse at players during matches a chance to write down their bile. Players should either use the bs as motivation or ignore it completely. It's really that simple.

Twitter is what it is, though, and people need to realise there's a desire in everyone to talk about themselves or things that pop into their heads. The whole 'I don't understand new technology x' meme is ten times more grating than the tech itself. You don't like it, fine, but if you really tried and still failed to understand Twitter then I'm at a loss for words.

Not really.

Welcome to a forum!

Ah sure, them Mayo bucks be up to mad craic.

[with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008]

The difference at the moment is all three of Longford, Roscommon and Wexford are very confident in their abilities to compete at higher levels and are coming off good 2011 championship form. If one of them crashed and burned in the 2012 championship it might damage them but right now they'd have zero fear of the vast majority of D2 teams.

Wexford yo-yo'd after their All-Ireland semi but they've obviously built a very dangerous outfit over the last two years, but for a Masterson mistake Dublin wouldn't have been Leinster champions and but for a questionable point they'd have been in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

This Longford team is the finest I've ever seen, they play with a great unity and belief, as fit as any D2 team, and coming back from two sucker punch goals in the first half and a five point deficit in the second half to beat us (Roscommon) last week typifies the progress they've made.

The current Roscommon team has the potential to be a D1 team, of that I have absolutely no doubt. We're loaded with young players that'll take a few more years to fully develop but this squad is the most complete Roscommon panel since the early 90's, a team itself that was severely unlucky not to make the 1991 All-Ireland final. Roscommon historically have been a D1/D2 team, with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008, our recent skid down the league has done a very good job at masking the fact that we tended to, even when championship form was off, be a threat to any team in the league.

All three are coming off good championship form, Longford pushed Tyrone to the limit last year and we had a back-to-back provincial title in the bag (how many D2 teams can claim that?) but for a blizzard and were more than equal to Tyrone before our inexperienced bench meant we had no answer for subs of the quality of Brian Dooher and Owen Mulligan. That's a Tyrone squad that was better than the team currently cutting shreds through D2.

So if all three have a good chance of beating three of the current D2 teams, Galway, Westmeath and Louth, that alone that means at least one of the soon-to-be-promoted teams has a very good chance of being in D2 come 2014, and that's disregarding the fact Monaghan, Derry or Meath would be particularly confident of beating any of those teams. The standard gap is lower for these three counties than some others who've made the step up. Obviously the tie between the two promoted D3 teams next season will be crucial in deciding who stays up, but the teams coming down from D1 next season are unlikely to be as hot as Tyrone are this season either.

Westmeath have a bit of the Roscommon's about them at the moment, a team not doing anything in the championship but able to pull results out in the league, they're definitely are caught in the middle ground between D2 and D3. Tipp and Sligo didn't preform last year - Sligo are a team still damaged from the 2010 Connacht final - but the crop coming up will make D2 the most unpredictable division in the league next season.

Mayo Micks cousin?

They have to be related and he'll have no choice but to pipe down after Wexford beat them.

Famous last words..

It just gives the same types of louts who shout abuse at players during matches a chance to write down their bile. Players should either use the bs as motivation or ignore it completely. It's really that simple.

Twitter is what it is, though, and people need to realise there's a desire in everyone to talk about themselves or things that pop into their heads. The whole 'I don't understand new technology x' meme is ten times more grating than the tech itself. You don't like it, fine, but if you really tried and still failed to understand Twitter then I'm at a loss for words.

With no Rogers,Shine on the field yesterday & Heneghan not interested in frees anymore Claffey was given the job to take a few distance frees i just hope that's that last time i see him trying them.

Keenan smashing the crossbar was incredible miss & the goal ruled out for a square ball should have stood as Finneran ran into the box.

Looking at the Divison now Longford,Wexford are the favourites to get the two promotion spots but we have done well to be in the hunt (remember some pundits had us tipped for relegation) Antrim were poor yesterday but a win v Longford would put them right back in it.

Tipp,Offaly look certain for the drop now we regrouped after relegation i'm sure both of them can as well. Sligo,Cavan are in limbo won't get relegated or promoted by the looks of it.

Claffey only took the one, it was worth a go because McDermott was assured enough taking short frees but the one long one he hit was about the only mistake he made all day long. Strange that he and not Heneghan, the free-taker that McDermott's own club, wasn't taking them.

The irony of Claffey's screwed kick was that it ended up in Cregg's hands just outside the square and he missed a guilt-edged shot himself, I've rarely seen a player hold his head in his hands for as long as Cregg did, the water-boy was probably about to wheel the oxygen tank out!

[with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008]

The difference at the moment is all three of Longford, Roscommon and Wexford are very confident in their abilities to compete at higher levels and are coming off good 2011 championship form. If one of them crashed and burned in the 2012 championship it might damage them but right now they'd have zero fear of the vast majority of D2 teams.

Wexford yo-yo'd after their All-Ireland semi but they've obviously built a very dangerous outfit over the last two years, but for a Masterson mistake Dublin wouldn't have been Leinster champions and but for a questionable point they'd have been in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

This Longford team is the finest I've ever seen, they play with a great unity and belief, as fit as any D2 team, and coming back from two sucker punch goals in the first half and a five point deficit in the second half to beat us (Roscommon) last week typifies the progress they've made.

The current Roscommon team has the potential to be a D1 team, of that I have absolutely no doubt. We're loaded with young players that'll take a few more years to fully develop but this squad is the most complete Roscommon panel since the early 90's, a team itself that was severely unlucky not to make the 1991 All-Ireland final. Roscommon historically have been a D1/D2 team, with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008, our recent skid down the league has done a very good job at masking the fact that we tended to, even when championship form was off, be a threat to any team in the league.

All three are coming off good championship form, Longford pushed Tyrone to the limit last year and we had a back-to-back provincial title in the bag (how many D2 teams can claim that?) but for a blizzard and were more than equal to Tyrone before our inexperienced bench meant we had no answer for subs of the quality of Brian Dooher and Owen Mulligan. That's a Tyrone squad that was better than the team currently cutting shreds through D2.

So if all three have a good chance of beating three of the current D2 teams, Galway, Westmeath and Louth, that alone that means at least one of the soon-to-be-promoted teams has a very good chance of being in D2 come 2014, and that's disregarding the fact Monaghan, Derry or Meath would be particularly confident of beating any of those teams. The standard gap is lower for these three counties than some others who've made the step up. Obviously the tie between the two promoted D3 teams next season will be crucial in deciding who stays up, but the teams coming down from D1 next season are unlikely to be as hot as Tyrone are this season either.

Westmeath have a bit of the Roscommon's about them at the moment, a team not doing anything in the championship but able to pull results out in the league, they're definitely are caught in the middle ground between D2 and D3. Tipp and Sligo didn't preform last year - Sligo are a team still damaged from the 2010 Connacht final - but the crop coming up will make D2 the most unpredictable division in the league next season.

Mayo Micks cousin? Roscommon were in Div 2 in 08. While Longfords form has surprised me this season they have been building under Glen Ryan for a few years now. It will be interesting to see how they get on against Wexford (the best team in Div 3 IMO) in their last league game, provided both teams have something left to play for. To say Roscommon and Longford are better than Galway, Westmeath and Louth and would put it up to Monaghan, Derry or Meath is a bit of a leap of faith. Wexford as they showed in championship last year would comfortably fit into the yoyo bracket between 2 and 3 with ourselves Louth, Antrim and Sligo. I'm not sure what Galway have done to be in this grouping, they have five points on the board after 4 games with a lot of new faces on board this year, they deserve the benefit of the doubt at the moment anyway.

It was a lot more murky than that. In 2007 we got to the final of the old D2(A+B), topping our division, but because of the restructure we ended up in the new 'D2' that contained Dublin, Monaghan near their peak, Meath, Armagh and Cork. That was not a normal D2. And, of course, Westmeath won the final.

Galway haven't won a single championship game in Ireland since June 2009; any fair Galway supporter would tell you that on form all those three teams have been better than them over the last number of years. Neither Derry or Monahgan have shown any more consistency or ability above and beyond what the best three teams in D3 have, indeed Roscommon have a provincial title in the last two seasons and Wexford were desperately unlucky themselves last season. Louth haven't showed much at all since last year's league and I couldn't see many rating them as better than any of the three. And with all due respect to Westmeath, the other three wouldn't be going in to face you with any trepidation and would likely be fairly confident of being able to beat you, at least privately.

We'll see, but Roscommon, Longford and Wexford have being making continuous progress for a couple years now while most of the other teams bounding around D2/3 have shown inconsistent form in league and championship games, Louth, Sligo, Tipp, Westmeath, Monaghan and Galway are coming off disappointing championships.