GAELIC GAMES: Seán Moran on how Mayo, under Mickey Moran, are well positioned to reach the play-offs.

With this year's National Football League having passed the turn and all of the divisional tables tightly contested there's still a lot to play for. But a glance at where teams stood a year ago indicates that the die could already be cast.

Of the eight teams leading the four divisions 12 months ago, all but one - Longford in Division Two A - held their positions at the end of the regulation matches and qualified for play-offs and promotion.

As is frequently the case with the football league there have been plenty of surprise results during the four series of matches to date but there have also been some surprising trends.

Mayo have been a strong presence in the league over the past five years so to that extent the county's 100 per cent record shouldn't be too surprising but after the disappointment of last summer's championship and the departure of manager John Maughan, there had been fears that a slide could be under way.

New manager Mickey Moran was a late appointment to the Mayo hot seat, only taking over in November and star forward Ciarán McDonald's future was uncertain.

Now four matches into the campaign Mayo have beaten Kerry, Offaly, Monaghan and Fermanagh to lead Division One A by two points from Kerry.

McDonald's return is apparently imminent. According to Moran, "we've made contact and are expecting Ciarán back very, very soon".

Without McDonald and a number of other players, who would have been in contention for places - David Brady (suspended), Trevor Mortimer (taking longer than expected to recover from injury) and Pat Harte (working abroad) - Mayo have positioned themselves well to reach the play-offs.

Moran's attitude is that he has nearly reached base camp.

"We organised protracted trials as soon as we took over but there wasn't a lot of time and we were late getting down to the panel. Our ambition at the start of the year was to preserve our status and I'm happy we've probably reached safety at this stage."

The concept of safety was a more pressing concern for Charlie Mulgrew's Fermanagh. Having been promoted back to Division One A after a straightforward campaign last year, the Ulster side was conscious that promoted teams are first on everyone's relegation list at the start of the season.

Being outside the top flight was a particular frustration because it denied Fermanagh the opportunity to build on the county's most successful championship in history, back in 2004.

Yet Fermanagh have been a surprise so far, having racked up four points - including taking the scalp of All-Ireland champions Tyrone - and, equally importantly, having played very competitively in the other matches against Kerry and Mayo.

Mulgrew isn't inclined to take too much solace from the season to date. "What we wanted to achieve was to stay in Division One. We've won two and lost two. We're on four points and need more to stay up so we aren't taking anything out of the season so far."

Not even beating Tyrone, who as well as being the top team in the country have had a long and tyrannical relationship with their neighbours?

"There's been too much talk about that. It's time to forget it - it was weeks ago. We don't know were Tyrone flat out. Dublin are next and they're a big challenge. All the games in Division One are more intense. The mental aspect is much harder."

Possibly the biggest surprise has seen Tyrone and Armagh, Ulster's big two, have such a poor league with each of them on just two points. Both reached the play-offs last year and Armagh went on to win the title.

"I believe doing well in the league sets you up for the championship but it's been disappointing for us," says the holders' manager Joe Kernan. "After the McKenna Cup we knew we'd injuries and that it would be a struggle. I'm not that surprised at ourselves and Tyrone being in this situation. It's only natural in their case after winning an All-Ireland that teams are out to put it up to you.

"We played Derry at the weekend and they were very good, playing with a high tempo from start to finish but they'd be motivated by playing us. We haven't lost to Derry since 1998 and since then we've won five Ulsters, an All-Ireland and a National League."