It's the beast from the east in Division 4 this season with Leinster providing half the teams for what should be another extremely competitive campaign.
The beast from the south-east is a more fitting term actually, with the five counties that Kilkenny borders - Carlow, Laois, Wexford, Tipperary and Waterford - all in the basement division.
With the Cats not competing, it’s not hard for the GAA to pin-point the area where football is currently struggling right now at the top level.
Neighbours Leitrim and Longford and a morale-boosted London complete the line-up.
The Exiles, now in their fifth season under Michael Maher, didn’t win a competitive game in 2023, but they have already racked up their first ever victory over Mayo with a one-point FBD League win and will be targeting a few more in the Allianz League.
Like Maher, Carlow have also a manager readying for his fifth season in charge in Niall Carew with only his former boss at Kildare, Kieran McGeeney [10 seasons], in the job longer as 'Geezer' remains with Armagh.
Even Andy Moran is high up on that long-serving list as he prepares for this third year with Leitrim. The first two years have brought eight points from a possible 14 on each occasion, enough to push for promotion but not enough to get over the line.
Wexford are also in a similar situation having ended up mostly as a top-half Division 4 team since their 2018 relegation.
O'Byrne Cup champions Longford and Tipp are the sides hoping to bounce back from relegation, something Tipp managed to do in 2022 after they had fallen through the trap down following the Covid-affected four-team Division 3 groups the season before.
Their play-off loss that year came against a Longford side that last competed in the bottom division in 2015.
Longford, now in their second year under Paddy Christie, have been tipped for a short stay according to the odds, but the margins are razor sharp. It’s only six years since a final day one-point loss at home to Fermanagh cost them promotion to Division 2 and they’ll be keen to start moving towards an upward trend.
The other side being talked about to lead the promotion charge is Laois, who are hoping to get back on track with Justin McNulty back in charge.
The side did well to reach the Tailteann Cup semi-final last year, but that balloon was busted with the sharpest of needles as Down hit them for eight goals in what was an embarrassing display.
As well as McNulty - who is starting his second stint with Laois - there are year one managers in the form of Waterford boss Paul Shankey and Tipperary’s Paul Kelly.
CARLOW
2023 league: Sixth in Division 4
2023 championship: Leinster preliminary round loss to Wicklow, Tailteann Cup quarter-final loss to Antrim
2024 championship: Leinster championship preliminary round v Wexford
Manager: Niall Carew (fifth year in charge)
Captain: Darragh Foley
Absent: Carlow have had excellent numbers for their pre-season training and Carew has been able to call on essentially every player he wanted to with a few exceptions.
It was reported that Mikey Bambrick is away for 2024 but it’s actually his brother Seanie who is abroad for the foreseeable future. Darren Lunney, who plays his football with Raheny in Dublin, also hasn’t linked up with the squad for the forthcoming campaign.
Prospects: Carlow are not expected to do much by anyone outside the county, but inside the boundaries there is a quiet confidence growing.
While they start with a trip to Tipp, the side will have four games at home out of seven and if they can really take advantage of that then they could cause a few surprises.
Only Waterford conceded more in Division 4 last campaign, so it’s not hard to work out where they need to improve.
They suffered a heavy O’Byrne Cup loss to Kildare but were just edged out by Wicklow in the O’Byrne Shield.
League prediction: Fifth
LAOIS
2023 league: Third in Division 4
2023 championship: Leinster quarter-final loss to Dublin, Tailteann Cup semi-final loss to Down
2024 championship: Leinster championship quarter-final v Offaly
Manager: Justin McNulty (first year in charge)
Captain: Evan O'Carroll
Absent: McNulty’s return to the Laois manager’s position was hit with an early triple blow as Portarlington trio Colm Murphy, Paddy O'Sullivan and Robbie Piggott headed to Australia.
Trevor Collins, Sean Greene and James Finn, who all started in last year’s heavy Tailteann Cup semi-final loss to Down, are also not with the squad.
Prospects: A promotion charge is expected, and within two rounds there should be good indicators about just how serious that challenge will be.
The O’Moore County start at home to Longford before a trip to Wexford, two games against sides that will also fancy their chances of going up. Four points, even three, from that and it’s game on.
This is the first time that Laois have had back-to-back seasons in Division 4 since the league reformed in 2007, they will be determined not to add to that unwanted streak.
League prediction: Second
LEITRIM
2023 league: Fifth in Division 4
2023 championship: Connacht quarter-final loss to New York, Tailteann Cup group exit
2024 championship: Connacht quarter-final v Sligo
Manager: Andy Moran (third year in charge)
Captain: Donal Wrynn and Mark Diffley
Absent: With no retirements from last season, Moran has a bit of stability around his squad heading into the new campaign. Doubts remain over the involvement of key forward Keith Beirne.
Prospects: The New York loss was a low moment for Leitrim football, but Moran is still likely stewing from last year’s Division 4 campaign.
After four rounds, they sat top of the pile with six points from a possible eight and looked destined to finish in the top two, but two defeats in the final three rounds condemned them to a fourth straight season in the bottom tier.
They’ll be on the road for four of their seven games but they’ve done alright in their away league games under Moran, winning four and losing three to date.
League prediction: Sixth
LONDON
2023 league: Eighth in Division 4
2023 championship: Connacht quarter-final loss to Sligo, Tailteann Cup group exit
2024 championship: Connacht quarter-final v Galway
Manager: Michael Maher (fifth year in charge)
Captain: Eoin Walsh
Absent: Former captain and long-serving London star Liam Gavaghan has called time on his inter-county career and his experience will be sorely missed.
As always, the Exiles have had to deal with a huge turnover with 15 panel changes in all from 2023.
Prospects: January run in the FBD Connacht League was a great boost for the side as they try to recover from 2023's annus horribilis when they didn't win a game.
Bar the Laois league game, when they conceded six goals, they were pretty competitive in most games. Their Tailteann Cup group draw against the same opposition, when they had the game and a spot in the knock-out rounds all but wrapped up before the concession of a few late points, showed what they can do.
There's fresh blood in this year and London won't be an easy touch, but they should still find wins hard to come by.
League prediction: Seventh
LONGFORD
2023 league: Seventh in Division 3
2023 championship: Leinster preliminary round loss to Offaly, Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final loss to Down
2024 championship: Leinster preliminary round v Meath
Manager: Paddy Christie (second year in charge)
Absent: There had been rumours of a few retirements coming Longford’s way, but the team-sheet in their O’Byrne Cup opener contained plenty of their more experienced heads.
In another world, Matt Duffy would be trying to make his mark on the squad this year, but he is off to the AFL - even if a cruciate injury has delayed that move.
Jack Duggan, who played in 2022 but not Christie’s first season in charge, completed an inter-county transfer to Roscommon and featured in the FBD League.
Andrew Farrell will miss the season with a cruciate injury.
Prospects: Longford should be chasing the silverware, but their build-up hasn’t been the smoothest of sailings with selector Gareth Johnston stepping down on the eve of the season. The Rathcline man only joined the set-up in August. Cosmas Gilmore has been added though. Things were better on the field though as they retained the O'Byrne Cup.
Have potentially their most difficult game in round one with a trip to face Laois, and avoiding defeat there would be a massive boost.
Mickey Quinn is carrying an injury into the league campaign, but he should be around for some part and his guile will be crucial to their success.
Prediction: First
TIPPERARY
2023 league: Eighth in Division 3
2023 championship: Munster championship loss to Kerry, Tailteann Cup group exit
2024 championship: Munster championship quarter-final v Waterford
Manager: Paul Kelly (first year in charge)
Captain: Steven O'Brien
Absent: Goalkeeper Evan Comerford picked up an injury in the McGrath Cup and joins a long list on the treatment table. Mark Russell and Stephen Quirke are trying to get back for the league start while there is good news with Conor Sweeney back in contention after his long-term injury, he still has a bit to go.
Prospects: Kelly has run the eye over 60 players since taking the gig between in-house work and pre-season games, so everybody has had the chance to impress.
Tipperary's only wins in 2023 came against Waterford - three in all - but they did add Limerick to the list in this year's McGrath Cup.
Team captain Steven O'Brien has looked sharp in January and he will be crucial to their hopes.
League prediction: Third
WATERFORD
2023 league: Seventh in Division 4
2023 championship: Munster quarter-final loss to Tipperary, Tailteann Cup group exit
2024 championship: Munster quarter-final v Tipperary
Manager: Paul Shankey (first year in charge)
Captain: Liam Fennell
Absent: The new management team have had to deal with quite a few losses, with Brian Looby, who is focussing on the Déise hurlers, and ace forward Conor Murray two notable players unavailable.
Darragh Corcoran, Brian Lynch and Jordan O'Sullivan and are others who won't be around for the 2024 season.
Prospects: A new broom sweeps clean and the message from Shankey is very much about positivity.
Even after their 17-point McGrath Cup loss to Clare earlier this month, the Meath man was putting out the good vibes.
Can that transpire to a good league performance? Maybe not, but you have to go back to 2020 for the last time the county won two league games in a season so why not try something different?
London looks like the most likely source of points this time around, but the fact that they have to travel to England means that may be beyond them too.
League prediction: Eighth
WEXFORD
2023 league: Fourth in Division 3
2023 championship: Leinster preliminary round loss to Laois, Tailteann Cup quarter-final loss to Wexford
2024 championship: Leinster preliminary round v Carlow
Manager: John Hegarty (second year in charge)
Captain: Liam Coleman
Absent: Like most counties, travelling will play its part on the Wexford squad with Robbie Brooks and Jim Rossiter out of the country.
Michael Furlong is set for a long spell on the sidelines as he heads for shoulder surgery while John Turbitt, Brian Cushe, Alan Tobin and Craig McCabe not involved currently.
Prospects: After a year finding his feet, Hegarty now will have his eye trained on one of those two promotion spots.
They were only two points off second-placed Wicklow last season so it's clearly within their grasp, albeit four of their seven games are away from home.
They conceded goals in five of their seven games last year, Leitrim and Carlow the pair to miss out, and there definitely is room for improvement at the back.
Should open with a win in London and that will set up a massive home clash with Laois.
League prediction: Fourth
