CORK'S All-Ireland winning midfielder Danny Culloty returns to action this weekend for his first competitive inter-county match since the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin last August. He replaces Damien O'Neill who is nursing an injury. Cork face Westmeath at Pairce Ui Rinn on Sunday as the football Leagues crank back into action.
Other changes from the side that beat Louth before Christmas, to go top of the second-division table, see Tadhg Og Lynch come in for Mark Farr and Kevin Cowhie come in for the injured Padraig O'Regan. On the replacements' bench, Niall Cahalane returns and a number of famous names, including Teddy MeCarthy and Paul MeGrath, are back in training.
Two of Kildare's hibernating panellists return straight to the team for Sunday's demanding trip to Celtic Park to take on Derry in Division One.
Seamus `Sos' Dowling is named at wing-back and Johnny McDonald gets his accustomed slot at left corner forward. A third, Davy Dalton, is on the substitutes' bench. Dowling is better known as a corner back - at least at inter-county level - but plays his club football at left wing back.
Anthony Rainbow is named at centre back, despite being home on leave for only another two weeks from UN duty with the army. Ken Doyle is selected at centre forward, which is somewhat of a departure even for such a versatile player who has previously played in both the backs and the forwards.
The critical relegation struggle between Laois and Clare at Portlaoise sees Clare make three changes from the side that ended their losing run in the League with a draw in Newbridge before the break. Padraig Conway returns at corner forward for his first outing of the current League with Michael Hynes reverting to the bench.
Elsewhere, Barry Keating comes in at wing back for Eamonn Hehir and Odran O'Dwyer makes his first competitive appearance at midfield, in place of Donal O'Sullivan. Two of the better-known names in Clare football - Tom Morrissey and David Keane - are currently in the US and an imminent return is not expected.
Tyrone's management team of Art McRory and Eugene MeKenna put their heads together this evening to pick a side for Sunday's match against Kerry. They will have to plan without midfielder Jody Gormley and probably Stephen Lawn, their championship left corner forward.
Gormley is completing a three-month suspension while Lawn injured his ankle playing for his club, last month.
One man finding life more cheerful in the lower reaches of the League is Eamonn Coleman, the former Derry manager who having led the county to an All-Ireland in 1993 was controversially sacked less than a year later. Now in charge of Longford, he has taken them to the front of the promotion race in Division Four.
After a poor start against Limerick, Coleman's influence began to have an effect and the team now stand alongside Wicklow on, seven points, with Offaly the other main challengers for promotion to the third division. This weekend they have a bye before finishing their campaign against Waterford, Tipperary and London.
"It's going very well," he says. "My aim was five points by Christmas and we managed that. Then we had a good win in Carlow, under-strength and against a very fit Carlow team. The aim is promotion, it's hard to get out of the fourth division and hard to play football in it."
