NFL Division 2 2012

[Captain Obvious]

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.

[Syferus]

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..

[Croí na hÉireann]

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.

Have to disagree, you've got that backwards. If anything the old 2A was not a normal Division 2, just the same way that the old 1A was not a normal Div 1. charlie has said all that needs to be said regarding holding up Roscommon's Connacht title as a point of comparison and also pointed out Derry and Monaghans form last year.

[heffo]

but for a Masterson mistake Dublin wouldn't have been Leinster champions

Surely you mean Dublin would have been taken to a replay.

[Dinny Breen]

Kildare team to play on sunday is the same team that started last week.
1) shane Connolly
2) Peter Kelly 3) Hugh mcgrillen 4) Ollie Lyons
5) emmet Bolton 6) Morgan o Flaherty 7) Michael foley
daryll Flynn 9) John Doyle
10) James kavanagh 11) Mikey Conway 12) Paudie o Neill
13) Eamon Callaghan 14) Tomas o connor 15) Eoghan o Flaherty

[Jinxy]

Daryl Flynn will be wearing sunglasses.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Kildare team to play on sunday is the same team that started last week.
1) shane Connolly
2) Peter Kelly 3) Hugh mcgrillen 4) Ollie Lyons
5) emmet Bolton 6) Morgan o Flaherty 7) Michael foley
daryll Flynn 9) John Doyle
10) James kavanagh 11) Mikey Conway 12) Paudie o Neill
13) Eamon Callaghan 14) Tomas o connor 15) Eoghan o Flaherty

Good to see some consistency in the selection but hopefully the backs will not be lining out in the positions they did last week. Foley alongside Kelly in the full back line with Bolton staying on the wing and not near feckin corner back! Think the two Celbridge lads are fairly interchangeable.

Hopefully big Dermot will get another run out and possibly Hughie Lynch too. Would not like to be facing into the championship with either Johnny or Paudie partnering Daryl Flynn.

[All of a Sludden]

Paddy Keenan remains a doubt for Sunday, Ray Finnegan should return to the side.

[Maguire01]

Today's club result - worst possible outcome for Westmeath?

[Main Street]

It can be worse, Greencastle could lose the replay.

[Agent Orange]

It can be worse, Greencastle could lose the replay.

It would be even worse if Garrycastle were to lose their replay.

[Main Street]

It can be worse, Greencastle could lose the replay.

It would be even worse if Garrycastle were to lose their replay.

I suppose Monaghan are favoured today but we have not achieved any consistency with performance. Anything can happen in this league and Westmeath are certainly capable of beating a mildly dysfunctional Monaghan.

[thejuice]

meath 0-05
derry 0-04

approaching ht

[Ard-Rí]

HT - Derry 0-07 Meath 0-06

[thejuice]

Derry 0-10
Meath 0-07