Some of football's biggest guns are set for early confrontations following last night's draw for the GAA's 1998 All-Ireland championships. In Leinster, the 1996 All-Ireland champions, Meath, will prepare for a quarter-final clash with Offaly, the team that dethroned them in sensational fashion in this year's Leinster final. That game was one of this year's highlights and a repeat confrontation will surely attract a near sell-out crowd next summer.
Dublin and Kildare, close and abrasive rivals in the 90s, will also clash in another quarter-final, while Wicklow play Louth with Laois awaiting the winners of the preliminary group.
Roy Malone's two goals were instrumental in defeating Meath this summer and he was in Croke Park last night to see the draw being made on RTE television. "A lot of people said we had an easy passage to the Leinster final this year but we'll certainly be doing it the hard way next year. Meath obviously will want to get revenge but we don't fear any team now.
"I think Leinster is going to be three times harder to win next year, the province has become very competitive and a lot of teams fancy their chances. It's still a long way away so there's a lot of work to done and a lot of football to be played in the meantime."
Kildare goalkeeper Christy Byrne was philosophical about drawing Dublin, their perennial nemesis, so early in the championship. "It's going to be very tough. Dublin have beaten us in recent years but I think Kildare proved they're a good team this year and we've as a good a chance as anyone else in Leinster. But we've the whole league to look forward to first and we just have to concentrate on that and hopefully get a good run together to bring us into the championship."
In Munster, All-Ireland champions Kerry are pitted against arch rivals Cork in the semi-final. Clare kept them apart this year by managing to shock Cork in Ennis and will fancy their chances of making it to another Munster final - they play the winners of a preliminary group that includes Tipperary and Limerick.
Mayo, meanwhile, have drawn Connacht's other major power, Galway, at the quarter-final stage for the second year running. The provincial champions will be expected to emerge from this draw - but Roscommon, under new management, will be waiting for them in the semi-final. It's Sligo's turn to face London in Ruislip, the winners facing Leitrim in the other semi-final.
The Ulster football championship is run on a two-year cyclical basis, the same counties that met this year meeting again next year.
In the hurling draw Clare, the All-Ireland champions, await the winners of Cork and Limerick in the Munster semi-final. Limerick look to have drawn the short straw - they must defeat Cork, Clare and possibly Tipperary to be crowned Munster champions.
In Leinster, it's much the same as this year with Offaly and Wexford on one side of the draw, Kilkenny and Dublin on the other. Dublin star Conor McCann was sanguine about meeting Kilkenny again - this time at the quarter-final stage. "Everyone says the first round is the time to meet Kilkenny and that's probably true - they tend to get stronger as the championship goes on. We have to put everything into that game.
"We could have beaten them this year and I think we have a good chance. No team goes out thinking they're inferior nowadays and we've made a lot of progress under our current management, we've got a lot of confidence."
Galway will play Roscommon in next year's Connacht final while the draw has yet to be finalised in Ulster - London have applied to join Down, Derry and Antrim in the championship.
