Division 1A – Seán Moran
Cork
Manager: Ben O’Connor (1st season).
Main man: Brian Hayes.
2025 league: Winners. Cork blazed a trail through last year’s campaign, scoring 13 goals in the last three fixtures, including the final. They never found such consistent form in an uneven championship, culminating in a disastrous All-Ireland defeat.
Last Division One title: Holders.
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Outlook: Ben O’Connor succeeds Pat Ryan as manager and is expected to recalibrate last year’s swashbuckling, three-up, goal-rush tactics. A personnel shake-up is also on the cards. Top championship scorer Patrick Horgan has retired and others, such as Conor Lehane and Luke Meade, won’t be involved. They are not expected to focus on the league this season with a rebuild in mind.
Opening fixture: v Waterford, Sunday, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3.45pm.
Prediction: 3rd.
Galway
Manager: Micheál Donoghue (2nd year).
Main man: Cathal Mannion.
2025 league: An underwhelming campaign, marked by 12-point defeats against Cork, Tipperary and Limerick. All the same they ended up in third place. It was the harbinger of an equally unimpressive championship.
Last Division One title: 2017.
Outlook: Micheál Donoghue is now well into the redevelopment project, which he returned to administer. All-Ireland captain David Burke has retired, as has Jason Flynn. Former All-Ireland winning Tipperary coach Eamon O’Shea has also departed. Challenge is to find a first 15 from the range of options. Pre-season was positive with a Walsh Cup success in Leinster.
Opening fixture: v Tipperary, Saturday, Semple Stadium, 7pm.
Prediction: 4th.
Kilkenny
Manager: Derek Lyng (4th season).
Main man: Mikey Carey.
2025 league: Lost to the top three, Tipp, Cork and Galway, and beat the bottom three, Limerick, Wexford and Clare. This pattern of treading water likely to continue as Derek Lyng runs the rule over necessary reinforcements.
Last Division One title: 2018.
Outlook: It’s all pretty downbeat for a team with a sixth Leinster title, which ran the All-Ireland champions close in the semi-final, with All Star full back Huw Lawlor gone travelling, as has forward nominee Billy Ryan. Lyng’s backroom team has been “freshened up” with Eddie Brennan and Niall Corcoran joining. TJ Reid’s back at 38 but the team desperately needs new blood.
Opening fixture: v Offaly, Sunday, Nowlan Park, 2pm.
Prediction: 5th.
Limerick
Manager: John Kiely (10th season).
Main man: Cian Lynch.
2025 league: Had a baffling league, which prefigured a poor championship. Managed to lose at home to the relegated teams, Clare and Wexford, leaving Kiely perplexed after being unbeaten by the top two, Cork and Tipp.
Last Division One title: 2023.
Outlook: Performance coach Caroline Currid is a welcome addition, back on board after the team’s two disappointing years in her absence. Record winning All-Ireland captain Declan Hannon has retired and another big hitter Séamus Flanagan is also not in this year’s plans. But the team has looked sharp and hungry in the Munster league and ready to re-establish their mysteriously missing supremacy.
Opening fixture: v Waterford, Sunday, February 1st, Walsh Park, 2pm
Prediction: 1st.
Offaly
Manager: Johnny Kelly (4th season).
Main man: Dan Ravenhill.
2025 league: An excellent Division 1B campaign saw Offaly bounce straight back into the top division with just once regulation defeat – plus the final, also against Waterford – and a late win over Dublin.
Last Division One title: 1991.
Outlook: This would always have been a challenging season for the county but a slew of injuries – including to newly appointed captain Charlie Mitchell – has left them under further pressure. Two years ago, they managed just one point in Division 1A despite competing well. If injuries clear, they can aspire to taking a scalp along the way.
Opening fixture: v Kilkenny, Sunday, Nowlan Park, 2pm
Prediction: 7th.
Tipperary
Manager: Liam Cahill (4th season).
Main man: Ronan Maher.
2025 league: A hugely encouraging campaign for Cahill despite a heavy defeat in the final at the hands of peak-Cork. He integrated young talent into the team and the experience picked up, proved vital in winning the All-Ireland.
Last Division One title: 2008.
Outlook: The county has traditionally struggled with the burden of being All-Ireland champions but find themselves in a strong position with rising talent included in this week’s 43-man panel. Brian Hogan has returned, giving Cahill the choice of two All Star goalkeepers, and Barry Hogan. The veterans, whose experience proved such a lethal combination with the younger players, are all back.
Opening fixture: v Galway, Saturday, Semple Stadium, 7pm.
Prediction: 2nd.
Waterford
Manager: Peter Queally (2nd season).
Main man: Mark Fitzgerald.
2025 league: After a shock defeat by Carlow on the opening day of last season, Waterford went unbeaten thereafter, jumping back into the top flight, and won the divisional title for good measure.
Last Division One title: 2015.
Outlook: Like Offaly, who also gained promotion last year, Waterford find themselves trying to improvise on injuries, as they face the challenge to stay afloat in the division. Throw in the need for Ballygunner to rest after their All-Ireland club exploits and the early fixtures will be testing. The team tapers from a solid looking defence to a more dubious attack.
Opening fixture: v Cork, Sunday, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3.45pm.
Prediction: 6th.
Division 1B – Denis Walsh
Antrim
Manager: Davy Fitzgerald (2nd season).
Main Man: James McNaughton.
2025 League: Antrim finished third from bottom in Division 1B after drawing with Carlow and winning just two games against the teams who were ultimately relegated, Westmeath and Laois.
Outlook: Davy Fitzgerald returns for a second year as manager having overseen Antrim’s relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup last summer. They finished bottom of the Leinster round-robin having suffered a double-digit beating against all their opponents, except Offaly. Their discipline was also conspicuously poor. Three of last year’s management team have stepped away.
Opening fixture: v Wexford, Saturday, Wexford Park, 4pm.
Prediction: Bottom half.
Carlow
Manager: Pat Bennett (1st season).
Main Man: Marty Kavanagh.
2025 League: Produced one of the shocks of last spring when they beat Waterford by five points in round two. An otherwise solid campaign finished in mid-table.
Outlook: Pat Bennett is hugely experienced on the intercounty scene, having been involved with Davy Fitzgerald in Waterford, Wexford and Antrim, as well as a spell as coach/selector with Stephen Molumphy in Kerry. But this is a step up on those backstage gigs and in Tom Mullally he has a hard act to follow.
Opening Fixture: v Down, Saturday, Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, 2.30pm.
Prediction: Relegation battle.
Clare
Manager: Brian Lohan (7th season).
Main Man: Tony Kelly.
2025 League: Relegated from Division 1A after failing to win their three home games and shipping six goals against Cork in round six.
Outlook: In keeping with their other post All-Ireland winning seasons in modern times, Clare never raised a gallop last year – their only two competitive wins coming against Limerick, remarkably. It is easy to expect a different energy about them this year.
Opening Fixture: v Dublin, Sunday, Cusack Park, 2pm.
Prediction: Promotion.
Down
Manager: Ronan Sheehan (8th season).
Main Man: Tom McCrattan.
2025 League: Won promotion, winning five games out of six and beating Kildare in the Division Two league final.
Outlook: Returning to a version of Division One for the first time since 2007, Down are coming off the back of a terrific season in which they consolidated their position in the Joe McDonagh Cup with a final round victory over Kerry.
Opening Fixture: v Carlow, Saturday, Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, 2.30pm.
Prediction: Relegation battle.
Dublin
Manager: Niall Ó Ceallacháin (2nd season).
Main Man: Chris Crummey.
2025 League: Messed up their promotion drive with a careless loss to Offaly in round four and couldn’t get the win they needed in Walsh Park a week later. Finished third.
Outlook: Danny Sutcliffe has slipped into retirement, but Eoghan O’Donnell has returned from his ill-advised season with the footballers. Some promising signs in their preseason performances, but the inconsistencies of last season will need to be addressed.
Opening Fixture: v Clare, Sunday, Cusack Park, 2.30pm.
Prediction: Promotion.
Kildare
Manager: Brian Dowling (3rd season).
Main Man: Cian Boran.
2025 League: Lost the Division Two league final to Down – who also were the only team to beat them in the regulation matches. Secured promotion with five wins out of six.
Outlook: Having won the Christy Ring Cup and Joe McDonagh in successive seasons Kildare are facing into a hugely challenging season. Hanging tough in the Leinster championship will probably be beyond them but they have a fighting chance of staying in this division.
Opening fixture: v Dublin, Saturday, January 31st, Parnell Park, 7.30pm.
Prediction: Relegation battle.
Wexford
Manager: Keith Rossiter (3rd season).
Main Man: Lee Chin.
2025 League: Relegated from Division 1A with only two wins, both of which were notable: away to Clare and away to Limerick.
Outlook: Coming off a difficult 2025, in which they made no impression in the championship, there is a debilitating amount of flux in the panel, with a combination of retirements and players taking time out. Shane Keegan and Shane O’Brien are good additions to the management team but there is no guarantee that Wexford will bounce straight back to the top division.
Opening Fixture: v Antrim; Saturday, Chadwicks Wexford Park, Wexford, 4pm
Prediction: 3rd.
