Facing into the championship season......

[Jinxy]

Are you more or less optimistic about your chances than you were before the league campaign started?
I'm actually a good bit more optimistic about our chances, but then again, I was starting from a pretty low base.

[AZOffaly]

I'm a bit more optimistic, but like yourself Jinxy, only because our starting point was so low. The negative for us is that I believe we are playing the Leinster Champions elect in the first game. If Kildare get over us, I think they'll win it out.

Hurling is the same as before the season. We put up big scores when expected to, but had a poor day out against Wexford. To be honest though, I don't think that will have much relevance come May in the Championship.

[Jinxy]

I'm a bit more optimistic, but like yourself Jinxy, only because our starting point was so low. The negative for us is that I believe we are playing the Leinster Champions elect in the first game. If Kildare get over us, I think they'll win it out.

Hurling is the same as before the season. We put up big scores when expected to, but had a poor day out against Wexford. To be honest though, I don't think that will have much relevance come May in the Championship.

I dunno about that AZ.
Saw them in the flesh for the first time yesterday.
I think the Dubs would be comfortable enough against them.
Big, fit team alright but I honestly think we should have beaten them and we are only starting to get our act together.
They were very impressive against Monaghan but they haven't really hit those heights since then I think.
Mind you, we should have beaten Monaghan too.

[Schkite]

I'm a bit more optimistic, but like yourself Jinxy, only because our starting point was so low. The negative for us is that I believe we are playing the Leinster Champions elect in the first game. If Kildare get over us, I think they'll win it out.

Hurling is the same as before the season. We put up big scores when expected to, but had a poor day out against Wexford. To be honest though, I don't think that will have much relevance come May in the Championship.

I dunno about that AZ.
Saw them in the flesh for the first time yesterday.
I think the Dubs would be comfortable enough against them.
Big, fit team alright but I honestly think we should have beaten them and we are only starting to get our act together.
They were very impressive against Monaghan but they haven't really hit those heights since then I think.
Mind you, we should have beaten Monaghan too.

Indeed, that was a point we had no right to get, and a crucial one without which we wouldn't have been in contention for promotion.

I'd be a bit more optimistic about our chances as it was a good league performance, achieving promotion while at the same time using the whole of the squad and trying out different things. But at the end of the day we still have a hoor of a draw in Ulster and Derry are flying themselves, in line to retain their league title and have been experimenting in the league a good bit themselves. It would be nice to win the Division 2 final against Cork, but now promotion is secured all eyes are set on Derry on May 24th, massive game.

[Jinxy]

Yeah that's another thing to bear in mind. There's some serious match-ups in the first round, so for the likes of ourselves, Monaghan and Armagh there's no handy game to ease our way into the championship before running into the big guns. We'll all be underdogs in our first game. Maybe that's not a bad situation to be in.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

My expectations are about the same. Don't think we'll win Ulster, don't think we'll win the All Ireland. Might make the quarter finals through the qualifiers. Possible but unlikely that we'd be in the last 4.

[Farrandeelin]

Are you more or less optimistic about your chances than you were before the league campaign started?
I'm actually a good bit more optimistic about our chances, but then again, I was starting from a pretty low base.

Assuming we get over NY on May 10th we play Ros/Leitrim, before the league started, Roscommon, who are on our side of the draw I have to say I was wary of them, I thought that they could well beat us. They had the minor management of 2006 in place and they were talking themselves up a bit. However, they lost 4 league games in Division 3. Leitrim however failed to win promotion from Division 4. I'd be surprised we don't make the Connacht final. On the other side of the draw in Connacht is London/Galway v Sligo. Galway will dismantle London easy enough and should beat Sligo too. But they lacked heart against us and I'm now wondering if Galway are as good as everyone makes out to be. The All-Ireland won't be coming west of the Shannon this year, but if Mayo win Connacht and get to an all-Ireland semi-final it'd just about do me.

[bennydorano]

Christ knows with Armagh, I'd be reasonably confident of beating Tyrone, dont see us getting past Derry, who I will be having a bet on to win Ulster this year.  With a bit of luck in the back door, last 8 is probably realistic enough. McDonnell's(manager) job was never going to be an easy one after the success of the Kernan era, that aside he's not covering himself in glory.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Think we should have enough to win Connacht and maybe an All-Ireland semi-final although knowing our luck we'll probably draw Kerry in the quarters again. That's the limit of our ambitions I think. Can't see anyone touching Tyrone or especially Kerry this year. One of them might trip up or they might meet each other before the final opening the door for someone else but one of them is going to win the AI. Tyrone haven't had a great league but sure they won't get motoring until July anyway.

[mackers]

My expectations are about the same. Don't think we'll win Ulster, don't think we'll win the All Ireland. Might make the quarter finals through the qualifiers. Possible but unlikely that we'd be in the last 4.

That would be my expectation also. Think we'll give Tyrone a good rattle (even after yesterday) and make it to the last 8.

[Maguire01]

I'm a bit more optimistic, but like yourself Jinxy, only because our starting point was so low. The negative for us is that I believe we are playing the Leinster Champions elect in the first game. If Kildare get over us, I think they'll win it out.

Hurling is the same as before the season. We put up big scores when expected to, but had a poor day out against Wexford. To be honest though, I don't think that will have much relevance come May in the Championship.

I dunno about that AZ.
Saw them in the flesh for the first time yesterday.
I think the Dubs would be comfortable enough against them.
Big, fit team alright but I honestly think we should have beaten them and we are only starting to get our act together.
They were very impressive against Monaghan but they haven't really hit those heights since then I think.
Mind you, we should have beaten Monaghan too.

Indeed, that was a point we had no right to get, and a crucial one without which we wouldn't have been in contention for promotion.

I'd be a bit more optimistic about our chances as it was a good league performance, achieving promotion while at the same time using the whole of the squad and trying out different things. But at the end of the day we still have a hoor of a draw in Ulster and Derry are flying themselves, in line to retain their league title and have been experimenting in the league a good bit themselves. It would be nice to win the Division 2 final against Cork, but now promotion is secured all eyes are set on Derry on May 24th, massive game.

The way things worked out in the end, we still would have been promoted even without that point, with Kildare dropping the point in Navan yesterday.

[Schkite]

I'm a bit more optimistic, but like yourself Jinxy, only because our starting point was so low. The negative for us is that I believe we are playing the Leinster Champions elect in the first game. If Kildare get over us, I think they'll win it out.

Hurling is the same as before the season. We put up big scores when expected to, but had a poor day out against Wexford. To be honest though, I don't think that will have much relevance come May in the Championship.

I dunno about that AZ.
Saw them in the flesh for the first time yesterday.
I think the Dubs would be comfortable enough against them.
Big, fit team alright but I honestly think we should have beaten them and we are only starting to get our act together.
They were very impressive against Monaghan but they haven't really hit those heights since then I think.
Mind you, we should have beaten Monaghan too.

Indeed, that was a point we had no right to get, and a crucial one without which we wouldn't have been in contention for promotion.

I'd be a bit more optimistic about our chances as it was a good league performance, achieving promotion while at the same time using the whole of the squad and trying out different things. But at the end of the day we still have a hoor of a draw in Ulster and Derry are flying themselves, in line to retain their league title and have been experimenting in the league a good bit themselves. It would be nice to win the Division 2 final against Cork, but now promotion is secured all eyes are set on Derry on May 24th, massive game.

The way things worked out in the end, we still would have been promoted even without that point, with Kildare dropping the point in Navan yesterday.

Well that's true, I suppose I meant it would have put a very different look on the table before the final game. If we'd have been on 8 pts and Kildare and Cork on 9 pts with 8+ better score difference would the same performances have resulted? Doesn't matter now but it could have been very different only for that point against Meath.

[thejuice]

I think Meath have emerged from the league as a team that is defensively ok and will be hard for most teams to beat but we will have to work extra hard to win games, the form of the forwards are a major concern at the minute.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Certainly far more confident after the league campaign than I was beforehand....We have brought through about 5/6 potential new starters through the league and played without guys like Alan Brogan, Shane Ryan etc and is looking like we will have Cullen, Ryan, Sherlock, Quinn, Vaughan,  etc all as bench players this year..

[Jinxy]

DFS, I don't see why Gilroy doesn't go back to playing Cullen at wing forward.
He'd be an improvement on Collie Moran in that he can actually kick a point.
He was very good there in 2005.