The meeting of the All-Ireland finalists is the big fixture in the opening round of Division 1. All-Ireland Champions Dublin welcome Division 1 Champions Kerry to Parnell Park in what will be an intriguing battle. It may be very early in the season but this will be an interesting game. The other big game in the Division is Cork and Galway. There were five goals in this fixture last year with Galway winning by two points.
Dublin v Kerry, Sat 20th Jan, Parnell Park, 5.15pm
Champions Kerry begin the defence of their league title with a trip to the capital to take on All-Ireland Champions Dublin.
Going into that final last year Kerry had defeated Dublin in their previous encounters (league and championship) but Mick Bohan’s side got their revenge in Croke Park last August.
Both sides have changes from last August’s clash but Bohan and Kerry manager’s Declan Quinn and Darragh Long will no doubt field strong sides for this highly anticipated game.
Armagh v Waterford, Sun 21st Jan, Crossmaglen, 1pm
Armagh were impressive last season as they went unbeaten in Division 2 and gained promotion to Division 1. The last time the Orchard County played in the top division was back in 2016.
Waterford consolidated their place in Division 1 for 2024 with three wins and were able to finish 5th in the table. They battled hard in most of their games.
Armagh will hope home advantage helps. Caroline O’Hanlon has committed to her county for a 23rd season while the Mackin sisters Blaithin and Aimee are back from Australia. Waterford will have members of the Ballymacarbry side in their team. The club side got to the All-Ireland Senior Final.
Cork v Galway, Sun 21st Jan, Mallow, 2pm
These two sides produced an entertaining tie when they met in the league last year. Galway were looking like they’d record a fine win over Cork but the Rebel County came back at them and were unlucky not to get something out of the game.
Galway got to the Division 1 final last year but their championship ended in the quarter-finals against neighbours Mayo. Cork finished 4th in the league, three points behind Galway.
The Tribewomen have a new manager at the helm – Daniel Moynihan in charge of them. Shane Ronayne remains with Cork. He is without a number of players this year including Doireann O’Sullivan. Both sides will want to make a good start to the league.
Mayo v Meath, Sun 21st Jan, Ballina Stephenites, 3pm
Liam McHale had many a battle with Meath as a footballer and on Sunday his first game as Mayo manager is a home tie against the Royal County.
It was a disappointing 2023 for Meath. They finished second bottom of Division 1. Drew with Galway and their only win was against Donegal. They were dethroned as All-Ireland Champions at the quarter-final stages.
Mayo defeated Meath when they met in the league last year. That was one of their two wins in the division. Changes on both panels but they’ll want to make a good start to their league campaign.
More Info on NFL Division 1 here.
Deniese O'Flaherty
Deniese is a freelance sports journalist/broadcaster. She has worked for several local and national media outlets. GAA and soccer are her great loves and she also follows rugby league and snooker. She's a big supporter of her local clubs St. Mary's GAA Granard and Longford Town. She also follows Celtic, Liverpool and Leeds Rhinos. She presented and produced a popular sports podcast last year where she interviewed Ray Houghton, Chris Kamara and John Hartson. Deniese is currently Head of Communications for Boccia Ireland