FIXTURES

SATURDAY 29 JANAURY

Allianz Division 1

Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 7.30pm

Allianz Division 2

Derry v Down, Owenbeg, 6pm

Allianz Division 3

Limerick v Longford, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 5pm

Fermanagh v Antrim, Brewster Park, 7pm

Allianz Division 4

Carlow v London, Netwatch Cullen Park, 7pm

SUNDAY 30 JANUARY

Allianz Division 1

Kildare v Kerry, St Conleth's Park, 1.45pm

Mayo v Donegal, Markievicz Park, 1.45pm

Tyrone v Monaghan, O'Neill’s Healy Park, 3.45pm

Allianz Division 2

Clare v Offaly, Cusack Park, 2pm

Galway v Meath, Pearse Stadium, 2pm

Roscommon v Cork, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

Allianz Division 3

Louth v Laois, St Mary’s, 2pm

Westmeath v Wicklow, TEG Cusack Park, 2pm

Allianz Division 4

Leitrim v Cavan, Avantcard Pairc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm

Waterford v Tipperary, Fraher Field, 2pm

Wexford v Sligo, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 2pm

ONLINE

Live blogs each day on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app.

RADIO

Live commentaries on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday and Sunday Sport.

TV

On Saturday RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player cameras will be in Croke Park for Dublin v Armagh. Also on Saturday night, BBC iPlayer will have live coverage of Derry v Down in Division 2.

On Sunday, TG4 will have live coverage of Mayo v Donegal (1.45pm) and Tyrone v Monaghan (3.30pm), followed by deferred coverage of Kildare v Kerry at 5.35pm. All other games are available to watch on GAAGO.

Highlights on Allianz League Sunday, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, 9.30pm.

WEATHER

Saturday: Rain in the early part of the day will move south over the country in the morning, with winds increasing during the day. Winds will weaken later and bring cooler air. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees will occur early in the day.

Sunday: A mostly dry start but cloud will quickly build from the west ahead of strengthening southerly winds. A front will move in from the west of the country bringing outbreaks of rain for many areas, heaviest and most persistent in the west and northwest. Highs of 9 to 11 degrees with moderate to fresh southwesterlies. For more go to met.ie.

Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And we're back

Competitive football is up and running nice and early and such was the oddity of a Covid-impacted football calendar, Dublin and Kerry will both look to defend the title they shared last season. After two years of improvised league seasons, the yearning for a return to competitive fare (and truly competitive, unlike some of the summer fare that lies in store) is palpable.

While the early season competitions would have told little about what we can expect to see over the coming weeks, the attendances and general interest showed a serious appetite for both the return of Gaelic games, but also indeed the return of spectators themselves to venues right around the country.

Division 1, a bear-pit of All-Ireland contenders, will dominate the headlines, but arguably of equal significance will be Divisions 2 and Division3, where teams will be looking for a run of results in order to avoid the Tailteann Cup and compete for Sam Maguire.

Increased Division 2 and 3 Pressures

As mentioned above, the Tailteann Cup, for good or for bad, will sharpen the focus on teams in the middle tiers.

It is in all-but-name an All-Ireland 'B' Championship for Division 3 and 4 teams - unless one of those counties reaches a provincial final and therefore would remain in the Sam Maguire series - replacing the 20-year-old qualifier system.

Middle-ranking teams will have something tangible to play for in the summer months, but it increases the pressure on those in Division 2 to remain there and ensure a lot rides on Division 3 promotion.

Pundit Predictions

DIVISION 1

Pat Spillane: Kerry are hitting the ground hard under Jack O'Connor. Everyone is available apart from David Moran. Dublin’s hunger will be back. They used 40 players in the O’Byrne Cup and will be a mean animal this year. It’s Kerry or Dublin to win, with Kildare and possibly Donegal to be relegated.

Ciarán Whelan: It’s a big campaign for Dublin. They looked at a lot of players, but there is a concern in some areas. A reluctance to kick the ball, been caught in the tackle, dropping balls short. There’s a huge reliance on the likes of Fenton, Kilkenny and O’Callaghan, maybe the back-up that was there in recent years isn’t there. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about Dublin. Kerry to win the league, and I think two from Kildare, Monaghan and Donegal to go down.

DIVISION 2

Pat Spillane: This is the most competitive of the four divisions. At least one big gun could potentially be playing in the Tailteann Cup this year. Galway are the standout team and I think they are a shoo-in to get promoted. It's two from Down, Cork, Clare and Offaly to go down.

Ciarán Whelan: Galway have to improve and become more solid. You’d expect they have good enough forwards to be there or thereabouts. I was impressed by Derry last year and they are on an upward curve with a lot of good, young players. They are the two teams I expect to be competing at the top. If Down don’t get any momentum, they could be in for a dogfight, same goes for Offaly.

DIVISION 3

Pat Spillane: There’s a bit carrot for the top two teams in the division to compete for Sam Maguire. I thought Westmeath were very unlucky last year and have enough quality to go up. Enda McGinley is a good manager and has a full-strength panel, so I fancy Antrim to also get promoted. At the other end, Wicklow only won one game last year and I don’t think they will get away with it this year. Limerick have plateaued. I watched them play against Tipp and Kerry this year, they looked poor and could well go down.

Ciarán Whelan: Westmeath look good to go up. Another promotion for Antrim might be beyond them, so I think Laois might have the edge there, they look to have a bit of structure to their play. I can’t see Wicklow staying up either.

DIVISION FOUR

Pat Spillane: Cavan are racing certainties. I’m not sure about Tipperary. Four of the starting six forwards that started against Kerry last year are gone. Shane Roche is doing a good job with Wexford and they could be an outside bet.

Ciarán Whelan: Cavan will definitely get out, but I think Tipperary will be challenged by Wexford.