The draw for next year's GAA championships was made in Dublin last night. Key points in an otherwise uneventful line-up are the first meeting of Offaly and All-Ireland hurling champions Kilkenny in a Leinster semi-final for eight years, football champions Kerry and Cork on separate sides of the Munster draw and Dublin again avoiding Kildare and Meath in the Leinster football championship.
Offaly and Kilkenny have contested the last three Leinster finals and although Kilkenny have won the lot by expanding margins, Offaly have qualified for two of the last three All-Ireland finals. In so doing they have drawn much of the fire aimed at the current championship structures. Those critical of the county for alleged indifference to the provincial final will be happy to see Offaly facing Kilkenny in a sudden-death format.
Munster's championship sees little alteration to last year's line-up with Clare and Tipperary meeting for the third successive year. On the other side, Waterford, Limerick and Cork are also in conjunction for a third year - this time with Waterford receiving the semi-final bye.
The football draw was watched with particular interest as next year's championship is being played under the experimental structure agreed at last month's special congress. This gives all losers up to and including the provincial finals an opportunity to re-enter the All-Ireland race in an open-draw qualifier.
The provinces have been slightly wary about the impact this will have on their own championships which will run in parallel. Leinster went so far as to re-introduce the seeded draw with the result that the first-round losers aren't going to create a spectacularly attractive alternative.
Kerry will be pleased to stay clear of Cork until as late as possible in the championship. Kerry face Tipperary and if successful, the up-and-coming Limerick side while Cork are on the same side of the draw as Waterford and Clare.
Leinster football sees Dublin again on the less taxing side of the draw although if they defeat Longford or Louth, they may face Offaly, the team that beat them in yesterday's National Football League match in Tullamore. It is the third year that Dublin have avoided Meath or Kildare in the first round.
Meath were unseeded after losing in last year's first round to Offaly but they got the one bye from the preliminary round and play Westmeath in the quarter-finals.
Connacht champions Galway have drawn Leitrim in a rerun of last year's Connacht final and if successful, will face Roscommon - likely winners over New York.
Ulster has reprised most of last year's matches with Fermanagh drawn to face Donegal and Monaghan, in that order. Derry again draw Antrim who took them to a replay last year but who now face a difficult year after the wide-ranging suspensions after their county final.
The best-looking tie of the round in Ulster - and nationally - is provincial champions Armagh against Tyrone.
