Champions draw some comfort

Reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh and Kilkenny were last night handed cosy draws for the opening defence of their titles next summer.

Armagh will face Monaghan in the opening round of the Ulster football championship, while Kilkenny await the winners of the preliminary round of the Leinster hurling championship in their provincial semi-final.

For Armagh, the early escape from Ulster heavyweights Tyrone, Derry and Donegal will bring some relief, and progression from the first round would see them play Down in the quarter-final. Monaghan will cherish the shot at the champions, but their form in recent years, such as this season's heavy defeat to Fermanagh in their opening game, suggests that Armagh have little to fear.

Likewise, Kilkenny won't lose too much sleep over their opening opponents. Seven counties will do battle in the Leinster preliminary round - Dublin, Meath, Laois, Westmeath, Carlow, Wicklow and Kildare - for the right to play the champions in the semi-final, but there'll be little disguising it as an easy match for Kilkenny.

The Leinster Council will make the preliminary round draw tomorrow night, with the seven teams set to be divided into two groups, to play on a knockout basis.

The problem for Kilkenny is that they are now likely to go into the Leinster final without a major championship test, whereas their opponents - either Offaly or Wexford - are sure to have fought a much closer match.

Other elements of the 2003 championship draw are far more enticing - and especially the Munster hurling championship. For the fifth year in succession, Tipperary and Clare will meet in the first round (for their eighth meeting in all since 1997), with the winners progressing to meet Cork in the semi-final.

Though Tipperary have narrowly come out on top for the past three meetings, Clare ended up going further in this year's championship when they came through the qualifiers to reach the All-Ireland final, falling to Kilkenny.

Kerry return to the Munster hurling championship next year and were automatically drawn in the first round, where their opponents will be current provincial champions Waterford. Limerick await the winners in the second semi-final.

Another familiar draw occurred in the Connacht football championship, with Galway's opening opponents being Roscommon for the third year in succession, and Galway manager John O'Mahony admitted a change would have been nice.

"You always have to take what you get in these draws," he said, "but I suppose a bit of variety would have been nice, for both of us. It looks that if we want to win the province then we'll have to do it the hard way again, but the draw always helps focus people's minds, and they can start looking forward instead of looking back."

Roscommon will start the new season under former Dublin manager Tom Carr and O'Mahony reckons that creates more difficult opponents: "I always feel the first year of a new management creates a very focused team, and particularly with Roscommon who did have a difficult time this year. I fully expect it will be one of those games with all guns blazing."

In the other half of the draw, Mayo are straight through to the semi-finals for a second year, where they will meet the winners of Sligo-London. The winners of Leitrim-New York play the winners of Galway-Roscommon.

In Leinster, Dublin have avoided rivals Meath in a separate half of the draw (creating the chance of a Dublin-Meath final). Instead, Dublin await the winners of Wicklow-Louth in their quarter-final, while Meath will play the winners of Westmeath-Carlow. Both Kildare and Longford go straight into the quarter-final, with Offaly awaiting Laois or Wexford.

"We certainly wouldn't look at that as an easy draw," commented Dublin's Ciarán Whelan. "Louth were unlucky this year and are certainly a coming team, and Wicklow under John O'Leary would love a crack at us. So we're definitely not looking beyond Louth or Wicklow."

Old Munster rivals Kerry and Cork have also avoided the same side of the draw. Yet the days of their certain passages to the Munster final are over, and Cork will face a tough game against Limerick in one quarter-final, with Clare awaiting in the semi-final.

For Kerry, the beaten All-Ireland finalists, the semi-final opponents will be either Tipperary or Waterford.

The one consolation for all football counties in yesterday's draw is the qualifier series as it stands remains in place for another season, thus giving all counties the guarantee of a second chance.