You only need one look to realise that Division 2 will be ultra-competitive in the weeks ahead.
We're not talking about teams with notions here, as the majority will feel that the top tier is well within their grasp. But two out of the eight, as well as being relegated, will also see their Sam Maguire participation in doubt.
An Ulster duo dropped down last year and will eye an instant return.
Amassing seven points wasn't enough to keep Tyrone in exalted company, narrowly edged out on a final day of much toing and froing. A disappointment, yes, but the longer days did see them reach an All-Ireland semi. Kerry were too good on a scorching evening in Croker; evidence if evidence was needed that Tyrone have still a bit to go in their quest to regain the biggest prize of the lot.
Underage success ensures the conveyor belt remains well greased, with much focus on Loughmacrory's Ruairí McCullagh.
Malachy O'Rourke, in his second year, is a capable general, and will look to further integrate the younger guns into his squad. However, older heads like Conor Meyler and Peter Harte won't be involved this year, with doubts as to whether the latter will don the county colours again.
Easter Sunday 2024 will the last time Derry fans had something to really shout about, as evidenced by what was a thrilling win over Dublin, after the drama of penalty shootout, in the Division 1 decider.
Three weeks later, their world collapsed, or to put it more succinctly their defence caved in, as Donegal found the route to goal all too easy in that Ulster opener. They did reach an All-Ireland quarter-final, where their spirit of adventure was nowhere to be seen in losing to Kerry. Mickey Harte's year in charge came to an end. Paddy Tally next in line, overseeing relegation and a championship exit before the knockout phase. Another short managerial tenure.
It was then a case of looking at what worked well before. Ciarán Meenagh was interim manager during 2023 following Rory Gallagher's departure. He narrowly missed out on guiding Derry to a first All-Ireland final in 30 years; the side were in a good place.
And now Meenagh, after two years on the Down management ticket, is back to guide the Oakleaf cause again, to try and bring back those days when the county were genuine Sam Maguire contenders. Chrissy McKaigue is part of the new backroom team.
Meath, after ending Dublin's hegemony in Leinster and then reaching an All-Ireland semi-final in 2025, seek to reach the next point on the upward graph they've mapped out.
With Páirc Tailteann in Navan being refurbished, Meath will play their home games at Croke Park, with Derry the opposition on the opening weekend. Tyrone are the visitors in the penultimate round, perhaps the defining match in how things may shake down at the top of the table?
Robbie Brennan, in year two at the helm, has added Armagh's Aaron Kernan to the coaching ticket, where he'll work primarily on defensive duties.
Kildare's stock dropped with their tumble to the third tier, so successive promotions, along with a guaranteed place in this All-Ireland race (after their Tailteann Cup success), would more than herald their return to the big time.
Brian Flanagan, after his success with the county's U20s, was an obvious choice to take the senior post. In his second season, Flanagan has strengthened the backroom team with the addition of Davy Burke, who also enjoyed good days over the Lilywhites' U20s before heading to Roscommon, where, in his final year as manager, he oversaw promotion back to the top flight.
11 May 2025: Redemption for Louth.
A first Leinster title in 68 years, with neighbours Meath edged out on a day of high emotion at Croke Park. Memories of Joe Sheridan's goal in 2010 receding further. Louth's subsequent showing in the Sam Maguire round-robin was somewhat flat, perhaps not surprising, with Ger Brennan then moving on to take over Dublin.
Gavin Devlin, a man who knows the Wee County well, is now at the helm. The Tyrone All-Ireland winner tasked with extending the county's march towards an ever higher elevation: Division 1 football in 2027.
John Cleary is on board for two more years as Cork boss. You have to go back to 2016 for the last time the Rebels dined at the league's top table. And in 2019, they suffered relegation to Division 3. A new low was reached. Since then the Munster semi-final win over Kerry during Covid was a rare high point.
Cork have been stuck in Division 2 and have made no real push to get out. Cleary's objective over the spring will be to make a concerted push to change that. Signs were there in 2025 of what Cork could do when playing with abandon, as evidenced in their narrow loss to the Kingdom in that provincial semi-final thriller.
Kevin Walsh remains on as coach, while Cleary has added an All-Ireland hurling winner from 1999, Kevin Murray, as a coach/selector, with fellow Cork native Shayne Murphy joining as a performance director after previously working with the Scotland men's soccer squad.
Cavan start 2026 with Dermot McCabe returning home after a year in charge of Westmeath. Taking over from Raymond Galligan, McCabe will hope to build on what the Breffni achieved last year and make a stronger push for promotion.
Derry-based coach Diarmuid Scullion who was with McCabe in Westmeath and was involved with Scotstown in their run to an All-Ireland semi-final, is part of the new ticket, as is another Derryman, Chris Collins. Fintan Reilly, who was joint-manager with McCabe for back-to-back Cavan championship wins with Gowna, is also involved.
It's year two of the Declan Kelly-Mickey Harte partnership in Offaly, with Kelly in sole charge for the 2024 season.
Again, much to build on here, with the Faithful impressing in winning the Division 3 title last year. A second-half surge from Meath denied them a spot in the Leinster semi-final, while eventual winners Kildare prevailed by just the bare minimum in the Tailteann Cup quarter-final.
Having four games in Tullamore will aid their cause in the weeks ahead, with Kelly and Harte sticking with the same backroom team.
CAVAN
2025 league: Fourth in Division 2
2025 Championship: Ulster quarter-final loss to Tyrone; third in All-Ireland SFC round-robin group
2026 Championship: Ulster quarter-final v Monaghan
Manager: Dermot McCabe (first year in charge)
Captain: TBC
Squad news: In November, the versatile Killian Clarke called time on his Breffni career. The Shercock club man enjoyed a decorated underage career, winning three successive Ulster U21 titles starting in 2012, the same year he made his senior championship debut against Donegal.
He has the distinction of claiming minor, U21 and senior Ulster titles with Cavan.
Gearoid McKiernan, Padraig Faulkner, Killian Clarke, Dara McVeety, and Jason McLoughlin are all over 30 but it seems they'll be in the frame for inclusion.
Prospects: Shortly after his appointment, McCabe was trying to quell a mood of some discontent within the county, perhaps surprising given a 2025 where a fourth-placed finish in this section and that Mayo scalp in Castlebar were the highlights.
Two of their first three games are away in Cork and Tyrone, with successive visits to Offaly and Derry rounding out the campaign.
Paddy Lynch remains their main score getter; a sharing of the load would help.
League prediction: Eighth
CORK
2025 League: Fifth in Division 2
2025 Championship: Beaten by Kerry in Munster semi-final after extra-time; All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final loss to Dublin
2026 Championship: Munster quarter-final v Limerick
Manager: John Cleary (fourth year in charge)
Captain: Ian Maguire
Squad news: Defender Neil Lordan is off travelling and will not be part of the set-up this year. Mark Keane did train with the squad but will not be available for selection as he heads back to Australia for pre-season training with Adelaide Crows.
A big boost is the return of forward Stephen Sherlock (below) after opting out of inter-county football in 2025. The St Finbarr's attacker recently hit 0-16 in what was ultimately a narrow loss to Daingean Uí Chúis in the Munster final.
Prospects: With the county board and players convincing Cleary that he should remain on, the manager remains steadfast that his charges on any given are a match for most. They just need to be more consistent, with Cleary recently saying: "I do think as a group that when we were good, we were very good".
Sherlock's penchant for two-pointers was evident in that haul of scores against the Kerry champions, surely an added weapon the Rebels must exploit.
Cork will obviously hope to be still in the promotion mix ahead of their final league game away to Tyrone.
League prediction: Third
DERRY
2025 League: Eighth in Division 1
2025 Championship: Beaten by Donegal in Ulster preliminary round; fourth in All-Ireland round-robin group
2026 Championship: Ulster quarter-final v Antrim
Manager: Ciarán Meenagh (first year in charge)
Captain: Conor Glass
Squad news: The Derry boss recently told the BBC that Ciaran McFaul "is not in a position to commit" and won't be part of the panel. Defender Eoin McEvoy is recovering from a knee injury and his return is being carefully managed. Goalkeeper Odhran Lynch is rehabbing after undergoing hip surgery but it may be the Ulster campaign before he returns.
Ballinascreen's Ryan Scullion and Shea McGuckin from Magherafelt are options between the posts
The Sleacht Néill duo of Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan are back involved after their involvement in the hurling club championship.
Prospects: Things can only get better for a side where losing became the norm after their Division 1 triumph a couple of seasons back. The squad of players is basically the same, though Meenagh cautioned against an immediate bounce, telling the Derry Journal: "There's a process of building confidence again, that's the reality of it when you lose so many games over a period of time.
"The talent is here. There's a lot of very good players who are unbelievably committed but getting these players back to winning ways - with that confidence, that's going to take a wee bit of time.
"That's just not going to happen overnight, but it can happen as part of a process".
On paper, it's a tough start for Derry: away to Meath and then welcoming Tyrone to Celtic Park. That said, they have to be targeting promotion ahead of a provincial battle where they are on the 'softer' side of the draw.
League prediction: Fourth
KILDARE
2025 League: First in Division 3 (runners-up)
2025 Championship: Beaten by Louth in Leinster semi-final; Tailteann Cup winners
2026 Championship: Leinster quarter-final v Offaly/Laois
Manager: Ronan Flanagan (second year in charge)
Captain: Kevin Feely
Squad news: At the start of the month, Athy's David Hyland became the fourth member of the Tailteann Cup winning squad to end their inter-county tenure, following on from his clubmate Niall Kelly, Mick O'Grady and Daniel Flynn.
On the injury front, Darragh Kirwan and the returning Jack Robinson will miss the start of the league campaign while Shane Farrell and Cathal Hagney are likely to be sidelined for a bit longer.
Aaron Masterson, Kevin Flynn, Tony Archbold and Rian Teahan have stepped away.
Prospects: A fair bit of turnover then in personnel since last July's Tailteann triumph, a success welcomed by Lilywhite fans, though not in the manner they would have liked. The side were pushed hard by Limerick in the decider, following a run where they conceded some big scores in games. The aforementioned retirements leaves they a little lightweight in key areas, notably at the back. Alex Beirne will be a key man at the other hand of the pitch.
An early test of Kildare's credentials comes with a visit to Omagh on the opening weekend. It's 1927 since a team from the county won on Tyrone soil.
League prediction: Sixth
LOUTH
2025 League: Sixth in Division 2
2025 Championship: Leinster champions; All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final loss to Donegal
2026 Championship: Leinster quarter-final v Wexford
Manager: Gavin Devlin (first year in charge)
Captain: Sam Mulroy
Squad news: From the collective that conquered Leinster in 2025, Andy McDonnell and Bevin Duffy have retired and Dan Corcoran has gone travelling. After returning from Australia, Niall Sharkey did train with the squad before Christmas but work commitments in Dublin are preventing him from being involved.
Another former county regular Eoghan Callaghan (below) will feature, however, with the defender after impressing for Naomh Mairtín in the club championship, back on board for the first time since 2022. Overall there is a settled look to the Wee County set-up, with Devlin looking to continue the good work done by his predecessors.
Prospects: Will look to finish higher than last year's sixth spot, so allaying any fears of not making the All-Ireland round-robin. A repeat of the intensity that took them to provincial glory last May will be required if they are to challenge for promotion.
And they are capable of it, with Gavin Devlin and his assistant Peter Dooley more than capable generals to oversee another push forwards. Four games away from home will test Louth's resolve, though.
League prediction: Fifth
MEATH
2025 League: Third in Division 2
2025 Championship: Leinster finalists; All-Ireland semi-finalists
2026 Championship: Leinster quarter-final v Westmeath/Longford
Manager: Robbie Brennan (second year in charge)
Captain: Eoghan Freyne
Squad news: Veteran duo Donal Keogan and Bryan Menton are on board again, this after being ever present for all of Meath's league and championship games last season. Forward Jack O'Connor has returned to the panel after a year out in Australia.
Forward Ruairí Kinsella is an injury doubt for the opening Derry game.
Shane Walsh and Sean Ryan are absentees as Brennan is able to call on 34 of the 36 players during his first year at the helm.
Prospects: Promotion would do nicely, but their manager, speaking as he unveiled his plans for the season ahead before Christmas, said: "Anything less than getting to an All-Ireland final wouldn’t be improvement. That’s probably the reality."
Expectations heightened. And that's no surprise after the abandon showed by Meath in defeating Dublin, Kerry and Galway last summer. A concern was the number of goals they conceded, particular in the games against Louth and Donegal. Adopting to Croke Park should not be a problem for three of their games. Royal fans expect!
League prediction: Second
OFFALY
2025 League: Second in Division 3 (winners)
2025 Championship: Beaten by Meath in Leinster quarter-final; Tailteann Cup quarter-finalists, losing to Kildare
2026 Championship: Leinster preliminary round v Laois
Managers: Declan Kelly (third year in charge) and Mickey Harte (second year in charge)
Captain: Lee Pearson
Squad news: Skerries Harp clubman Ciaran Murphy, through the parentage rule, has switched his allegiance to the Faithful County, and saw action in the O'Byrne Cup. A blow, however, see exciting youngster Cillian Bourke make the move to AFL outfit Essendon.
Paddy Dunican, Cathal Flynn, John Furlong and Dylan Hyland are all injured, with Dunican and Flynn likely to miss the entire league campaign.
Prospects: Perhaps exceeded expectations last time in gaining promotion, but were full value for winning silverware last spring and then went down fighting against Meath in the championship and Kildare in the Tailteann Cup respectively.
Staying in the section will be the goal but successive away games to Derry and Tyrone will be tough hurdles to overcome in the middle of the campaign. Jordan Hayes and Rory Egan are able marksmen from defence in a side where attacking flare is also evident.
League prediction: Seventh
TYRONE
2025 League: seventh in Division 1
2025 Championship: Beaten by Armagh in Ulster semi-final; All-Ireland semi-finalists, losing to Kerry
2026 Championship: Ulster preliminary round v Tyrone
Captain: Brian Kennedy
Manager: Malachy O'Rourke (second year in charge)
Squad news: Conor Meyler, dogged by injuries in recent seasons, called time on his Red Hand tenure in November. Peter Harte won't be about for 2026, though his manager hasn't ruled out the possibility of the 35-year-old returning to the fold down the line. Kieran McGeary and Mark Bradley are currently away travelling. Darragh Canavan and Eoin McElholm, who lit up last year's U20 championship, are nursing injuries, but the hope is that they will be ready for the commencement of the league.
Mattie Donnelly (pictured below) is giving it another year, his 17th in the county colours.
We've already mentioned Ruairi McCullagh as a player to watch, while Ethan Jordan from the Eglish club is another potential star in the making.
Prospects: Building on last year's championship form will be key, with Malachy O'Rourke hoping that injuries clear up as he plots an immediate promotion just a few weeks out before their Ulster opener against Armagh.
Can underage success benefit the senior team? Developing and nurturing a couple of classy forwards would greatly aid Tyrone's cause. That's the task for O'Rourke, with winning back the Sam Maguire in mind.
As to the immediate concern of a return to the top tier, a home date with Kildare and then a visit to Derry gets things up and running. Maximum points there and O'Rourke's men will be well on their way, with other Healy Park dates against Cavan, Offaly and Cork a likely juncture where points can be accrued.
League prediction: First
