GAELIC GAMES: The wheels of publicity began to grind for this year's Allianz National Football League at yesterday's launch in the sponsor's headquarters in Dublin.

Present were two of the higher-profile managers in the game, All-Ireland winning Joe Kernan of Armagh and Dublin's Tommy Lyons.

Both were polite about the league and earnest in their stated ambitions but the trawl for new players will be uppermost.

"I've never hidden my respect for the league, going back to '97 with Offaly," said Lyons. "When there was criticism of our performances last year what nobody twigged was that we played about 34 or 35 players and found four or five to come through and play championship. We're looking for two or three more but all managers are looking for that in the league.

"It's no secret we're looking for a better half-forward line for next year and a couple more backs," he added, sending out a warning to one third of his championship team.

Kernan was more circumspect. "Hard matches will benefit anybody and there's so many good matches coming up that you have to be on your toes. You always have the backbone to your team but there will be changes this year. In the McKenna Cup we had a lot of young lads doing well and if there is a Ronan Clarke (last summer's rookie full forward who ended up as Young Player of the Year) out there please put your hand up."

With the big turnout at Burlington House yesterday evidence of the scale of media interest, there was a mixed response to the decision by Cork to ban reporters from its teams' dressing-rooms. Lyons was quick to point out that this was always his policy but Kernan disagreed.

"I've kept the media out of dressing-rooms from the first day I took over Dublin last year," said Lyons. "I don't believe the dressing-room should be open. I don't believe that media guys wandering around the dressing-room after games is a fitting way to treat players. I believe the dressing-room is what it is - a sanctuary for players."

"We have never had a problem," according to the Armagh manager. "Maybe because we were successful - I don't know - and at this moment in time I don't see a problem. If there is a problem we'll face it but I don't see it."

On the question of competition structures, neither placed much of a priority on importing the league format into the championship.

"I think the championship is good the way it is," said Kernan. "I know Martin McHugh had a format to play the Ulster championship in two groups of four and five with the top teams going into the semi-finals. If we decide to go that road in the future that would probably be as good a scheme as any but I think we play each other enough at present."

For Lyons the more pressing problem was the unchanging line-ups in Division One A and One B. Aside from a widely remarked imbalance between the divisions (for instance all four of last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists and six of the quarter-finalists plus league holders Tyrone are all in One A), he pointed out that the fixture list was stagnating.

"I would like all Division One teams to be thrown into a hat and pulled out again to create different fixtures. If Armagh hadn't taken a sabbatical last year we would have played them then and the year before and the year before. It would be lovely to bring Armagh to Mayo. Wouldn't it be great to bring the Dubs to Enniskillen? We need to keep energising the league."

As a postscript he paid tribute to Croke Park's fixtures mechanisms. "It's a great computer. It produced ourselves and Offaly last year when I'd just taken over and ourselves and Armagh this year."

For Sunday's game against Armagh, Lyons has decided to give Bryan Cullen and Tomás Quinn their first league starts, Cullen at centre forward and Quinn in the left corner.

All Star Ray Cosgrove is suspended but Alan Brogan, who had a cartilage operation in December and was thought unlikely to start back so quickly, has been selected in the full forward line.

The Dublin manager also recounted his experience of floodlit matches in the context of Saturday evening's first league fixture under floodlights, Cork against Kerry in Páirc Uí Rinn.

"My eyesight isn't great under lights. We played a challenge in Meath against Westmeath down in Simonstown under lights and I kept wondering who's that over there. But I presume the lights in Cork will be better than that."

Armagh have their own injury problems with Enda McNulty needing a fitness test on a knock picked up on the All Stars tour and Oisin McConville recovering from a bug.

The Connacht Council last night cleared up the confusion over whether Mayo or Galway had qualified for the FBD League final by naming Mayo to take on Roscommon in the decider on Sunday April 13th at Hyde Park.

DUBLIN (SF v Armagh): S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, D Henry; C Goggins, S Ryan, P Andrews; C Whelan, D Magee; C Moran, B Cullen, S Connell; A Brogan, J McNally, T Quinn.