ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL AND HURLING QUALIFIERS FIRST-ROUND DRAWS:CHARITY WAS in short supply in yesterday evening's extensive All-Ireland qualifier draw.
In the hurling there were away draws for all of the underdogs, with Antrim and Laois having to travel to Waterford and Galway, respectively, Dublin drawn away against Cork, and Offaly, who haven't reached an All-Ireland quarter-final for five years, having to travel to play last year's All-Ireland finalists Limerick.
The football draw was notable for the manner in which the big guns were kept apart. Only the Monaghan-Derry tie would qualify as a major confrontation and is a rerun of last year's Ulster semi-final, won by Monaghan.
The counties are probably among the most disappointed to have ended up in the qualifiers, as both would have had ambitions of at least winning Ulster and improving on what was for each county an encouraging All-Ireland quarter-final appearance last August, culminating in defeats to Kerry and Dublin, respectively.
There will be particular disappointment in Dublin at the hurling draw. Whereas Antrim and Laois weren't harbouring major ambitions for the qualifier series after the Ulster champions' evisceration by Galway at Casement Park on Saturday and the departure of Laois's manager Damien Fox after the heavy championship defeat by Offaly, Dublin had been hoping to make a senior breakthrough into a first provincial final in 17 years.
Instead what has proved a horror-week for the county's hurling fortunes - in the space of eight days the seniors, minors (both after a replay) and defending under-21 champions have all been eliminated from the Leinster championship - culminated in what looks like a death-sentence trip to Cork.
Twelve months ago to the day Cork had a 14-point, 3-20 to 0-15, win over Dublin in Parnell Park during the now-abandoned qualifier group stages.
Offaly will be the most hopeful of the underdogs - the last time they reached the last eight was thanks to a win over Limerick in Thurles in 2003 - but two years ago they received a 10-point clipping from the same opponents in the qualifiers group.
Laois will travel to Galway with some trepidation, given they have faced the Connacht side for the past three years in the qualifiers and, despite all of those fixtures being staged in Portlaoise, have lost by an average of more than 14 points - including last year's 7-18 to 2-13 shellacking.
There are some familiar pairings in the football qualifiers aside from Monaghan-Derry. Louth have been drawn at home to Tyrone, in a repeat of the draw of two years ago. On that occasion it took a replay to separate the sides before the then All-Ireland champions Tyrone progressed.
Although drawn first, Louth may have to repeat the arrangement of 2006 when their "home" tie was played in Navan.
Kildare and Cavan, whose championship history includes the 1935 All-Ireland final, also met two years ago and also in Newbridge where the home team were five-point, 1-18 to 1-13, winners.
Luke Dempsey's Longford will be at home to Laois, who beat them in last year's Leinster quarter-final, 0-14 to 0-9.
Both of the league Division Four counties, who went into the draw having secured promotion earlier this year, have home draws. Offaly will face yesterday's defeated Ulster semi-finalists Down in another echo of All-Ireland finals past - in this case the match that set the record for GAA attendances, the 1961 All-Ireland final which was watched by 90,556.
Tipperary, who accompanied Offaly up into next year's Division Three, are at home to Westmeath. Three years ago when the sides last met it was the recently-deposed Leinster champions who narrowly won, 0-12 to 1-8.
Another fixture between former All-Ireland winners sees Roscommon travel to Donegal. It's been a difficult year for the Connacht side who lost manager John Maughan before the championship and were defeated by Galway in the province. Donegal also lost to a neighbouring county when Derry travelled to Ballybofey.
TOMMY MURPHY CUP DRAW: Preliminary round: Kilkenny v London. First round: Wicklow v Waterford; Clare v Leitrim; Antrim v Carlow; Kilkenny or London v Sligo.
First-named teams have home venue.
