LOOKING AT the line-up of Division Two, it’s clearly going to be an exciting ride for some, and a rough ride for others.

While the likes of Meath, Kildare, Donegal and Down have a strong foundation and no lack of confidence, Laois, Westmeath and Tipperary must be a little bit anxious of where their form will leave them in a few weeks’ time. And then there’s Armagh, who could just as easily rule the division as they could struggle in it.

On last year’s championship form, Kildare and Meath would have to be considered favourites for promotion, and yet Donegal and Down have the potential to beat anyone else in this division on any given day, and, assuming Paddy O’Rourke can quickly establish himself, Armagh can’t be ruled out either.

Westmeath and Tipperary will want to get some points on the board fairly promptly if they are to avoid the chop. All in all, definitely a division worth watching with interest.

Armagh

Manager: Paddy O’Rourke (1st season).

2009 NFL: P7, W4, L3 (4th Division Two).

First Game: Saturday, away v Meath.

In many ways this league marks the dawn of a new era for Armagh. After a decade as one of the top teams in the country, 2009 was alarmingly poor, though that didn’t justify the messy departure of manager Peter McDonnell, although perhaps the bigger surprise was when former Down All-Ireland winning captain, and former manager Paddy O’Rourke was announced as his replacement.

O’Rourke has assembled an impressive backroom team of former Crossmaglen boss Donal Murtagh and 2002 All-Ireland winner Justin McNulty, with input from fitness expert Mike McGurn, but much of this league campaign will be about establishing younger players alongside the last of the old guard such as Steven McDonnell and Ronan Clarke, with the return of Kevin Dyas from Australian Rules going some way towards achieving that.

Donegal

Manager: John Joe Doherty (2nd season).

2009 NFL: P7, W2, D1, L4 (7th, Division One)

First Game: Sunday, away v Westmeath.

Whatever pressure John Joe Doherty came under after relegation from Division One last year was lifted, temporarily at least, by the impressive championship run. Building on that progress was crucial, and Doherty appears to have done exactly that, even employing Limerick physio Ger Hartmann to design some off-season training.

Winning the McKenna Cup last weekend, beating no less than Tyrone in the final, suggests things are going well, particularly as newcomers Leo McLoone, Adrian Hanlon and James Keeney stood out, and Donegal have to be considered contenders for promotion.

Down

Manager: James McCartan (1st season).

2009 NFL: P7, W5, L 2 (1st, Division Three).

First Game: Sunday, away v Kildare

Promotion from Division Three last year appeared to leave Down in good shape going into the championship.

However, a preliminary round loss to Fermanagh in Ulster, followed by defeat by Wicklow in the qualifiers, developed a feeling of crisis, or at least the need for change. Ross Carr was replaced by two-time All-Ireland winner James McCartan, and already he seems to have had a desired effect.

Three straight wins in the McKenna Cup, before the semi-final loss to Donegal, was highlighted by the return of Martin Clarke from his stint with Australian Rules (he hit 1-6 in his senior debut against Queen’s) and with brother John Clarke also back on the panel, there is optimism in the county.

A good league run should underline that.

Kildare

Manager: Kieran McGeeney (3rd season).

2009 NFL: P7, W4, D2, L1 (3rd Division Two).

First Game: Sunday, home v Down.

It’s impossible to deny the expectations on Kieran McGeeney’s shoulders this season, starting with this league campaign. They narrowly, and disappointingly, missed out on promotion last year, but proved a real force in the championship – and still appear the only real threat to Dublin’s reign as Leinster champions.

But whether he likes it or not, McGeeney will get to discover just how strong his panel is, starting with the tricky opening game against Down, following Alan Smith’s exit, and the suspensions being served by Morgan O’Flaherty and Johnny Doyle.

The return of forwards James Kavanagh, Ken Donnelly and Willie Heffernan is well-timed.

Laois

Manager: Seán Dempsey (2nd season).

2009 NFL: P7, W3, D0, L4 (6th Division Two).

First Game: Saturday, home v Tipperary.

Along with the furore of the disciplinary breakdown in the recent O’Byrne Cup match against Kildare, Seán Dempsey had other things to worry about, particularly the fact that MJ Tierney was their only scorer.

Clearly there’s a need to establish a more thorough scoring threat, and it’s not necessarily easy to see where that will come from.

With Denis Booth, Billy Sheehan, Kevin Meaney and Peter O’Leary all suspended, Dempsey will be forced to try out new faces from the start, and even, though there is unquestionable talent in the panel, including the return from Australia of Colm Begley, this could be prove a challenging league campaign.

Meath

Manager: Eamonn O’Brien (2nd season).

2009 NFL: P7, W2, D2, L3 (5th Division Two).

First Game: Saturday, home v Armagh.

The lack of a county sponsor for the time being shouldn’t be viewed as a reflection of Meath’s prospects in this campaign. There was nothing much wrong with Eamonn O’Brien’s first season in charge, taking Meath to the All-Ireland semi-final, and the recent O’Byrne Cup victory over Dublin suggests the competitive edge is still there.

What O’Brien will want to achieve in this league is the sort of consistency that would see them not only promoted, but arrive a little more fine-tuned for the championship in terms of a starting line-up. O’Brien hasn’t been slow to try out new players, but it’s time to make tough judgment calls.

Tipperary

Manager: John Evans (3rd season).

2009 NFL: P7, W5, L2 (2nd, Division Three).

First Game: Saturday evening, away v Laois.

After two years of unprecedented progress, rising from Division Four, to Three, and then to Division Two, there may inevitably be a small dose of reality about this upcoming campaign.

Although they recently ran Kerry to within a point in the McGrath Cup, it remains to be seen if Tipperary have the depth in talent to repeatedly take on the likes of Armagh, Kildare, Meath, Down and Donegal – although they certainly won’t prove any pushover.

John Evans has instilled remarkable belief in to his squad, but that may not be enough to see them survive in the division.

Westmeath

Manager: Brendan Hackett (1st season).

2009 NFL: P7, L7 (8th Division One).

First Game: Sunday, home v Donegal.

There were at least a couple of games in last year’s National Football League that Westmeath were desperately unlucky to lose, like conceding a last-minute goal to Tyrone, but in the end they were simply unable to hold up to the demands of Division One, and were relegated without a win.

A hugely disappointing championship followed, resulting in Tomás Ó Flatharta

being replaced by the relatively unknown Brendan Hackett (at least outside of athletics circles). A trained psychologist, Hackett will need to call on all those skills to restore player confidence, because there’s no doubt they still have talent.

Yet it could still prove a difficult league, particularly as former All Star Dessie Dolan continues his self-exile, evidently disgruntled that his father, Dessie Snr, wasn’t considered for the job.

Ian O’Riordan