National Football League Division 1 2015

[macdanger2]

Just over a week to the start of the national league, first round fixtures below.

31 Jan 2015 7pm Donegal v Derry Ballybofey
31 Jan 2015 7pm Tyrone v Monaghan Healy Park, Omagh
1 Feb 2015 2pm Kerry v Mayo Fitzgerald Stadium
1 Feb 2015 2pm Cork v Dublin Páirc Uí Rinn

Who will win?

I fancy Dublin / Cork / Tyrone & Kerry to make the last 4, Cork v Dublin final with Dublin winning it again.

Diffciult to know how Mayo will fare - tough trip to Killarney first up and most supporters aren't overly hopeful. Avoiding relegation and discovering two new championship-15 players would be a big success

[Syferus]

Just over a week to the start of the national league, first round fixtures below.

31 Jan 2015 7pm Donegal v Derry Ballybofey
31 Jan 2015 7pm Tyrone v Monaghan Healy Park, Omagh
1 Feb 2015 2pm Kerry v Mayo Fitzgerald Stadium
1 Feb 2015 2pm Cork v Dublin Páirc Uí Rinn

Who will win?

I fancy Dublin / Cork / Tyrone & Kerry to make the last 4, Cork v Dublin final with Dublin winning it again.

Diffciult to know how Mayo will fare - tough trip to Killarney first up and most supporters aren't overly hopeful. Avoiding relegation and discovering two new championship-15 players would be a big success

To be fair ye should have beaten Kerry out the gate last year. I don't think many teams will fear playing the AI champions this year. Dublin on the other hand..

[JoG2]

Just over a week to the start of the national league, first round fixtures below.

31 Jan 2015 7pm Donegal v Derry Ballybofey
31 Jan 2015 7pm Tyrone v Monaghan Healy Park, Omagh
1 Feb 2015 2pm Kerry v Mayo Fitzgerald Stadium
1 Feb 2015 2pm Cork v Dublin Páirc Uí Rinn

Who will win?

I fancy Dublin / Cork / Tyrone & Kerry to make the last 4, Cork v Dublin final with Dublin winning it again.

Diffciult to know how Mayo will fare - tough trip to Killarney first up and most supporters aren't overly hopeful. Avoiding relegation and discovering two new championship-15 players would be a big success

To be fair ye should have beaten Kerry out the gate last year. I don't think many teams will fear playing the AI champions this year. Dublin on the other hand..

Would disagree. Id say there isnt a team who wouldn't have a healthy fear of playing the kingdom this year, esp Dublin after being the beatable unbeatables last season

[Syferus]

Just over a week to the start of the national league, first round fixtures below.

31 Jan 2015 7pm Donegal v Derry Ballybofey
31 Jan 2015 7pm Tyrone v Monaghan Healy Park, Omagh
1 Feb 2015 2pm Kerry v Mayo Fitzgerald Stadium
1 Feb 2015 2pm Cork v Dublin Páirc Uí Rinn

Who will win?

I fancy Dublin / Cork / Tyrone & Kerry to make the last 4, Cork v Dublin final with Dublin winning it again.

Diffciult to know how Mayo will fare - tough trip to Killarney first up and most supporters aren't overly hopeful. Avoiding relegation and discovering two new championship-15 players would be a big success

To be fair ye should have beaten Kerry out the gate last year. I don't think many teams will fear playing the AI champions this year. Dublin on the other hand..

Would disagree. Id say there isnt a team who wouldn't have a healthy fear of playing the kingdom this year, esp Dublin after being the beatable unbeatables last season

Maybe if Gooch returns at 100% and Tommy Walsh takes to the round ball again very quickly they'll be better in the league than they were all of last year but did anyone watch Kerry and think 'boy, we'd have no chance against them'? They played compact, defensive football with an attack predicated by the end of the season on long, hopeful balls into the FF.

I think the irony of last year is that Kerry (of all teams) winning the AI with a relatively average (by AI-winning standards) team will have given a lot of the counties in D1/2 heart. If that's what the gold standard is it's attainable by a good swathe of counties.

I think teams will approach Dublin with significantly more trepidation than Kerry throughout 2015.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Fancy Mayo and Tyrone to go well in the league this year, Dublin obviously won't be far away but feel they will be concentrating on giving the young lads run outs and concentrating on the championship.

[JoG2]

that 'average' team could win a few more in the next 5/6/7 years and those fairly new to the panel could be the next kerry legends.

Dublin may overcook the goose as far as fitness and prep to make amends and explode at the quater / semi final stage with expectation weighing heavy (like the good old days :-) ). They'll not win ought (apart from the walk in the park Leinster championship) unless they tighten up the defence, and possibly man up a little more. There was a stage last year after about 10 mins, B Brogan looked at one of the Magee's after a challenge and looked like a lost sheep. (he wont have been the first in fairness, or last)

Anyhoo...Dublin and Mayo to contest the NFL final

[Syferus]

that 'average' team could win a few more in the next 5/6/7 years and those fairly new to the panel could be the next kerry legends.

Dublin may overcook the goose as far as fitness and prep to make amends and explode at the quater / semi final stage with expectation weighing heavy (like the good old days :-) ). They'll not win ought (apart from the walk in the park Leinster championship) unless they tighten up the defence, and possibly man up a little more. There was a stage last year after about 10 mins, B Brogan looked at one of the Magee's after a challenge and looked like a lost sheep. (he wont have been the first in fairness, or last)

Anyhoo...Dublin and Mayo to contest the NFL final

Never said they won't get better. Lots of very talented underage players making their way through the Kerry system now. Just that they are far removed from fearsome right now.

Dublin are a more complete proposition and it will probably take a team and a manager with nerves of steel to cut their wings this year. With Jimmy gone, who's going to step up to that plate? Ironically Kerry's healthy arrogance might make them best for that job, but I think others will have chances to catch them before that happens.

[Captain Obvious]

Kerry in recent years haven't taken the league seriously they play second string sides in their opening games and don't play close to a full side by about round five and that is normally enough to keep them up. I have a feeling Cork will have a bad league the vibes coming out of that county is not good and losing to Waterford last weekend is not ideal preparation for division one football.

Semi finalists which is a format that needs to be scrapped. Dublin,Tyrone,Donegal,Mayo

[rrhf]

that 'average' team could win a few more in the next 5/6/7 years and those fairly new to the panel could be the next kerry legends.

Dublin may overcook the goose as far as fitness and prep to make amends and explode at the quater / semi final stage with expectation weighing heavy (like the good old days :-) ). They'll not win ought (apart from the walk in the park Leinster championship) unless they tighten up the defence, and possibly man up a little more. There was a stage last year after about 10 mins, B Brogan looked at one of the Magee's after a challenge and looked like a lost sheep. (he wont have been the first in fairness, or last)

Anyhoo...Dublin and Mayo to contest the NFL final

Never said they won't get better. Lots of very talented underage players making their way through the Kerry system now. Just that they are far removed from fearsome right now.

Dublin are a more complete proposition and it will probably take a team and a manager with nerves of steel to cut their wings this year. With Jimmy gone, who's going to step up to that plate? Ironically Kerry's healthy arrogance might make them best for that job, but I think others will have chances to catch them before that happens.

Last years Kerry team were the most patched up team ever to win an all ireland.  You have to really admire the way they used men on one legs like Declan O Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan, got Donaghy right for 3 games,  and got contributions from  Barry (The Mossy) John Keane who wouldnt have made a Leitrim Connaught first round under 21 panel. Their manager is the best in Ireland...by a long way.  If the Dubs had got to the all ireland final they would have filletted those footballers.  Management will be less important in 2015 if the dubs create an entirely new defense over the league.  They have great footballers but one of the worst defenses ever won an all ireland.   

[Rossfan]

Syfeen back to his hobby horse of Kerry are sh1te I see
Last year he said they wouldn't get near Sam for years

[Syferus]

Syfeen back to his hobby horse of Kerry are sh1te I see
Last year he said they wouldn't get near Sam for years

I said they could win Munster and probably make a semi-final if they didn't meet a big gun in an AIQF. My mistake was assuming Mayo (a superior team man-for-man by anyone's estimation) wouldn't manage the impossible and throw away a five-point lead (accumulated with 14 men for the second half, which only showed how dominant they were leading up to the final few minutes) in about two minutes.

The AIF was an absolute bore and wouldn't have been out of place in D3, two teams sitting back, getting stuffed at the 45s and then passing it laterally before taking really poor shots, and that's coming from someone who attended the AIF for the first time. That match won't have too many IC managers losing sleep.

[Rossfan]

Bet the other 31 IC Managers of 2014 wish they had bored you as much as Kerry did

[JoG2]

Syfeen back to his hobby horse of Kerry are sh1te I see
Last year he said they wouldn't get near Sam for years

I said they could win Munster and probably make a semi-final if they didn't meet a big gun in an AIQF. My mistake was assuming Mayo (a superior team man-for-man by anyone's estimation) wouldn't manage the impossible and throw away a five-point lead (accumulated with 14 men for the second half, which only showed how dominant they were leading up to the final few minutes) in about two minutes.

The AIF was an absolute bore and wouldn't have been out of place in D3, two teams sitting back, getting stuffed at the 45s and then passing it laterally before taking really poor shots, and that's coming from someone who attended the AIF for the first time. That match won't have too many IC managers losing sleep.

Surely it will though. The Donegal 14 man defence is very hard to break down. How do you beat it, or attempt to beat it esp if they build up a wee lead? Onto Kerry, they were able to play more open football to get to a final and alter their gameplan to play a very defensive system, and beat it (was awful to watch but its what they had to do). Donegal will be there or therabouts (with that mean defence) according to many, Kerry can play either system, and have a couple of big names coming back. Plenty for IC managers to think about imo

[Syferus]

Syfeen back to his hobby horse of Kerry are sh1te I see
Last year he said they wouldn't get near Sam for years

I said they could win Munster and probably make a semi-final if they didn't meet a big gun in an AIQF. My mistake was assuming Mayo (a superior team man-for-man by anyone's estimation) wouldn't manage the impossible and throw away a five-point lead (accumulated with 14 men for the second half, which only showed how dominant they were leading up to the final few minutes) in about two minutes.

The AIF was an absolute bore and wouldn't have been out of place in D3, two teams sitting back, getting stuffed at the 45s and then passing it laterally before taking really poor shots, and that's coming from someone who attended the AIF for the first time. That match won't have too many IC managers losing sleep.

Surely it will though. The Donegal 14 man defence is very hard to break down. How do you beat it, or attempt to beat it esp if they build up a wee lead? Onto Kerry, they were able to play more open football to get to a final and alter their gameplan to play a very defensive system, and beat it (was awful to watch but its what they had to do). Donegal will be there or therabouts (with that mean defence) according to many, Kerry can play either system, and have a couple of big names coming back. Plenty for IC managers to think about imo

I was at both Mayo-Kerry games and it was hard to call what Kerry played open football. Maybe more open than the final but more than any Kerry team I'd seen last year's edition were sent out to spoil in the big games. They were playing off Jim's playbook.

It remains to be seen where Donegal will land this year, I can see a big drop-off or another challenge, it depends on so many factors, age, hunger, other teams grasping how to beat that system and tailoring their preparation to do that. Kerry might change their approach this year but Fitz seems a pragmatist and I don't see him overhauling a system that brought Sam back with limited resources last season. I see Donegal and Kerry as problems to be solved in 2015. They have big targets on their backs, Kerry as AI champions, Donegal because the Dublin game may have flattered the level at which that panel can operate at consistently moving forward. I wouldn't be surprised to see neither in the AIF. Likewise, both have good chances to be back there right now.

I just hope Dublin don't go on a rampage in the summer and do exactly what they were threatening last year and win the AI at a canter. That's a very real possibility too.

[Captain Obvious]

I think any neutral supporter will be hoping any one other than Dublin,Kerry win the All Ireland this year as both have won enough.