Division 3A
TYRONE and Monaghan fly the flag for Ulster in Division 3A this season, while Fermanagh are replaced by Warwickshire following their poor showing last year.
The Red Hands finished top of last year's table with four wins and a draw from their five matches, but were denied promotion in a relegation/promotion play-off defeat against Donegal.
Despite recent improvements, including a Nicky Rackard Cup win in 2014, hurling in the county shipped a significant blow when Dominic Kearns stepped down as manager in January after less than a month at the helm. Former Antrim boss Kevin Ryan has stepped into the breach and his first challenge is a tough opener against Monaghan on Sunday at Clones.
The Oriel relegated Tyrone from this level in 2013, but lost last year's Division 3A final against the same opposition by 0-18 to 1-11. Monaghan manager Trevor Hilliard says preparations for the league have gone smoothly despite dropping out of the Conor McGurk tournament following a 5-15 to 1-18 drubbing by Down.
Last year's Nicky Rackard Cup winners Roscommon can have high hopes of stepping up a grade as well. The Rossies came out on the wrong side of tight matches against Tyrone and Monaghan last season, but their defensive record was, by some distance, the best in the division.
Fingal have the most recent experience of playing Division 2B hurling (2014), but had a disappointing campaign last year and failed to progress beyond the first round of the Nicky Rackard.
Louth finished second from bottom in 2015 and it’s hard to see where newcomers Warwickshire will pick up points. Relegation looks a near-certainty for the 2013 Lory Meagher Cup winners, who defeated 13-man Longford in last season’s Division 3B final.
FIXTURES
Sunday, February 14: Fingal v Warwickshire (Swords, 2pm); Louth v Roscommon (Darver, 2pm); Monaghan v Tyrone (Castleblayney, 2pm); Sunday, February 21: Roscommon v Monaghan (Athleague, 2pm); Tyrone v Fingal (Healy Park, 2pm); Warwickshire v Louth (Pairc na hEireann, 2pm); Saturday, March 5: Tyrone v Warwickshire (Healy Park, 5pm); Sunday, March 6: Monaghan v Louth (Clones, 1pm); Roscommon v Fingal (Athleague, 1pm); Saturday, March 12: Warwickshire v Roscommon (Pairc na hEireann, 2pm); Sunday, March 13: Fingal v Monaghan (Swords, 2pm); Louth v Tyrone (Darver, 2pm); Sunday, March 20: Roscommon v Tyrone (Athleague, 2pm); Monaghan v Warwickshire (Castleblayney, 2pm); Louth v Fingal (Darver, 2pm)
Division 3B
FERMANAGH commence their Division 3B campaign on Sunday, March 6 against their vanquished opposition in last year’s Lory Meagher Cup final, Sligo.
The Erne county flunked their lines in Division 3A last season, but joint-managers Seamus McCusker and Sean Duffy claim their side are better prepared this year - Francis McBrien, Ryan Bogue and Rory Poretous are back in harness and early-season fitness levels are reported to be high under new strength and conditioning coach Aidan Ormsby.
Fermanagh’s biggest promotion threat is likely to come from last year’s beaten finalists Longford. The Leinster outfit had a perfect record in the round-robin last season, before narrowly losing to Warwickshire by 1-15 to 2-10 in the promotion decider. They have a certain degree of pedigree at this level, winning the Lory Meagher in 2010, '12 and '14, and competing in Division 3A as recently as 2014.
Sligo, meanwhile, finished rock bottom with zero points in the lowest-ranked division last season. The Yeats county were Nicky Rackard Cup winners in 2008 and had an impressive Lory Meagher campaign last year, finishing top of the group stages before losing to Fermanagh by five points in the final at Croke Park.
Their star man is 29-year-old midfielder Keith Raymond, who has two Nicky Rackard Allstars and is regarded as the county’s greatest ever hurler. Nevertheless, promotion is an unlikely outcome.
Leitrim have been mainstays of Division 3B hurling since its introduction in 2012. Hurling is something of an alien sport in the county - their last provincial title came as far back as 1976, when they won the Connacht Junior Hurling Championship. Their sole win last year came against fellow outsiders Sligo and it’s unlikely they’ll fare much better this time round.
FIXTURES
Sunday, March 6: Sligo v Fermanagh (Markievicz Park, 12.45pm); Longford v Leitrim (Glennon Bros Pearse Park, 2pm); Sunday, March 13: Leitrim v Sligo (Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada, 2pm); Fermanagh v Longford (Brewster Park, 2pm); Sunday, March 20: Leitrim v Fermanagh (Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada, 2pm); Sligo v Longford (Markievicz Park, 2pm).
