PREVIEW: THIS PROMISES to be an ultra-competitive division. For the first time since the NFL was rearranged into a strictly hierarchical four divisions at the end of the 2007 season, all four of the reigning provincial champions are in the top bracket.

Over the past two years there’s been an emerging establishment with Kerry, Derry and Galway filling the first three places on each occasion.

Kerry have set the template, doing enough during the spring to blood fresh players but still maintain a challenge.

In the now seven years since Mickey Harte’s great inaugural season with Tyrone, when the county won the double, it has been Kerry who have made the connections between spring and summer, winning the NFL on four occasions and the league three times – going on in 2004, ’06 and last year to complete the double.

Dublin are a team that could really do with showing an improvement, as their league struggles when in the top flight have echoed the inability to impact on the elite level of the championship.

Nonetheless, it can equally be argued that Derry, who have performed well early in the year in recent times, haven’t been able to push on and reassert themselves in the championship.

Relegation promises to be a vivid nightmare given the strength of promoted counties Cork and Monaghan and the lack of any obviously doomed candidates.

CORK

Manager: Conor Counihan (third season).

2009 NFL: P7, W5, D1, L1 (2nd Division Two and winners).

First game: Sunday, away v Monaghan.

Accomplished their business tidily in last season’s Division Two and assessed a few players into the bargain. Conor Counihan will want to do something similar this time around given the young talent in the county.

Hard to understand the relative indifference to Michael Cussen’s departure to the hurlers, as he offered variety. Although presumably tired of the false trails that litter the past couple of years, Cork will want to confirm their status in the game’s elite.

DERRY

Manager: Damian Cassidy (second season).

2009 NFL: P7, W4, D1, L2 (2nd Division One).

First game: Sunday, home v Tyrone.

A campaign that looked promising just 12 months ago – despite defeat by Kerry in the final – proved quite misleading, as the team failed to respond to the readily-identified strengths of Tyrone, whose panel depth and relentless style Damian Cassidy had sought to emulate.

The dependency on the Bradleys largely continued and there will be hopes that James Kielt will continue his evolution up front and that Caolán O’Boyle can add some spark and flash in the middle.

DUBLIN

Manager: Pat Gilroy (second season).

2009 NFL: P7, W2, D2, L3 (6th Division One).

First game: Sunday, away v Kerry.

It’s pretty much ground zero for Pat Gilroy this year and although there are plenty of injuries and enforced absences, the coming weeks will see plenty of unfamiliar faces at this level.

The drive is for a degree of specialisation at the back where the lack of genuine full backs has been a perennial problem and up front trying to find the right candidates to combine work and ball winning with some form of scoring threat.

Above all, the team need to demonstrate an ability to live with the game at the top even if opponents won’t always be at full tilt.

GALWAY

Manager: Joe Kernan (first season).

2009 NFL: P7, W4, D1, L2 (3rd Division One).

First game: Sunday, away v Mayo.

The strengths Joe Kernan instilled in Armagh appear at first glance to be somewhat alien to Galway’s football character but one element they have in common is the sense of having under- achieved in the past few years.

There is talent in the county and more to come with the return of college players, but the old failings need to be addressed: the need to elevate defensive implacability over style, remedying the lack of presence at centrefield and tightening the work rate up front.

KERRY

Manager: Jack O'Connor (second season).

2009 NFL: P7, W6, D1, L0 (1st Division One and winners).

First game: Sunday, home v Dublin.

Whereas the overall game plan won’t have changed too much, Jack O’Connor needs to nurse players, some of whom are pushing on in age and others who have a fantastic mileage up because of the county’s successes, through another league in which he’d like to expand the panel and also maintain the side’s mystique, averaging just one and a half defeats a year in the past four regulation seasons.

Starting problems are the departure of Tadhg Kennelly and Tommy Walsh to the AFL and the uncertainty over Darragh Ó Sé’s retirement plans.

MAYO:

Manager: John O'Mahony (4th season).

2009 NFL: P7, W2, D3, L2 (4th Division One).

First game: Sunday, home v Galway.

John O’Mahony’s three seasons since returning have flashed by. The same problems need addressing even if the younger talent is getting more accustomed to senior competition. A settled and consistent centrefield looks as far away as ever in the week that has seen the retirement of James Nallen and David Heaney.

A bit more poke in attack would also be welcome. Mayo have held on to their status in the top tier more or less comfortably and need to do so again in spite of early-season injuries and other absences.

MONAGHAN

Manager: Séamus McEnaney (6th season).

2009 NFL: P7, W5, D1, L1 (1st Division Two).

First game: Sunday, home v Cork.

Monaghan were unlucky on their last visit to this division and will be competitive. All the same, Séamus McEnaney is hindered by injuries as the season starts and needs to vary what the team offers.

Although they topped Division Two last year, their comparative lack of pace was exposed by Cork in the league final. It’s not clear that the players trialled during the McKenna Cup will add greatly to the panel strength but the weeks ahead will be a better test of that.

TYRONE

Manager: Mickey Harte (8th season).

2009 NFL: P7, W3, D1, L3 (5th Division Four).

First game: Tomorrow, away v Derry.

Once again Tyrone look to be leading the way in Ulster. Their opening fixture tomorrow is interesting in that they showed Derry how it’s done in last year’s league before administering an even stronger dose during the summer. Emerging talent can expect to get its chance during the season ahead with Kyle Coney taking his place on the seniors.

Mickey Harte mentioned that 2003 was a long way to have to go back for a most recent NFL win. After a couple of unconvincing springs, they might update that.